The Infinity Chronicles
by Wolf General
Summary: AU A story of heroes, life at Duel Academy, threats from beyond the stars, comedy...and a whole bunch of other strange things that happen to a group of students.
1. Deja Vu

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself. I am Wolf General, as I'm sure you figured out already. Before we begin let me say that this is a new storyline with some ties to the foreshadowing in the last chapter of the Legends of the Demon Duelist series.

Fear not however! I have already figured out that most people (myself included) don't have the time or attention span to read what would be a long and confusing storyline which spans several arcs. Therefore, I am coming at this storyline with a fresh start in my mind. I've got some rock playing on my computer, and I'm gearing up to make sure that no one will be left in the dark about what is going on.

The 'moral' of this little addition? Treat this like a new fic, not a continuation of the Demon Duelist Legacy/Legends of the Demon Duelist series.

And with that…

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Disclaimer: If I owned Yugioh, don't you think I'd be spending this time in my basement making huge numbers of really rare cards and assembling three thousand theme decks for my own devious purposes? In other words, I don't own the concept of Yugioh, Yugioh GX and everything that comes with them. However, the OCs of this story are my property, as are all original cards used by the characters.

The Infinity Chronicles-Second Year Arc

Chapter 1: Déjà vu; the Duel Academy exam redux

It was a beautiful weekend morning, and the light of the sun poured down onto the city of Domino. It was the early afternoon already and every student in Japan was enjoying the break offered by summer vacation. Honestly, it was way too hot not to try and relax on a day like this. Even most store owners were locking up early to spend the rest of the day with family and friends.

The only place where this wasn't the case was Kaibaland, the amusement park built by and named after the infamous duelist Seto Kaiba. Normally most of the park's features were open all the time to the public. Well to those who paid the entry fee anyway.

Today though, one of the largest stadiums in the whole park was extremely busy, bustling with activity as technicians went charging from place to place, yelling to each other about making sure that they kept all holographic projectors of the stadium in top order. It was the one day of the year when the Duelist Academy, also established through funding from Seto Kaiba, held its entrance exam.

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Inside the stadium there were four large areas in the center ring that were fenced off from each other, indicating the areas where duels were supposed to take place. Within a couple of them, huge monsters could be seen battling each other.

And up in the stands that surrounded the duel rings sat two groups. The majority were simply passerby who had come to sit back and enjoy the action down below. They filled most of the seats in the stands.

Up towards the higher stands though, there were clumps of teenagers and young adults of all shapes and sizes, each of them wearing a specially made blue uniform to indicate that they were part of Duelist Academy's Obelisk Blue dorm. Amongst the three dorms of Duelist Academy, Obelisk Blue was the top and spots in it were reserved for returning students of exceptional caliber, along with those who had been part of it before the former.

Down below a bearded man in a brilliant gold-painted uniform brushed his beard with his hands as he waited for the examinee to make their move. "You should try and relax, or else you most likely will not win." In front of him stood a large crab-like creature made of rock which clicked its pincers together impatiently. Other than that there were no cards on his field. In his hand however there were six cards, the maximum number of cards a duelist could have in their hand at the end of their turn.

His opponent, a rather mousy-looking brown-haired boy stared at the three cards in his hand with uncertainty. Looking down at his duel disk, he bit his lower lip as he got a look at the life point scores.

Professor Midas King- 3200

Examinee- 400

"I…I…" The boy started to stammer, his nerve gone now. "Are you sure the deck you're using is an examination deck? Your monster is powerful."

Midas King harrumphed and crossed his arms across his chest indignantly. "Of course this is an examination deck. The monster you're facing is simply my personal favorite, Enraged Muka Muka. For every card in my hand it gains 400 attack points, so since I am holding six cards its attack goes from 1200 to 3600."

"Oh yeah…" The examinee looked down at his feet sadly. "I...gotta give up then. There are no monsters in my hand that I can summon, and no traps that'll protect me for the turn." Placing his hand over his deck sadly, he turned and started to walk away.

As soon as the holograms disappeared, Midas walked across the field and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Do not feel so bad about failing this test. Improve your deck and come back next year."

Cheering up a little, the boy nodded and walked away with his head held up a little higher than it would have been without those encouraging words.

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"What a let-down…" A sigh came from one of the Obelisk Blue students in the stands. "The level of examinees so far is terrible!"

Letting out another depressed sigh, Erika Amero ran her slim hands through her long black hair. ("What's worse is that Midas really is using an examination level deck, and he's still winning without a problem! Sheesh, what are these kids running that is making them have to give up before their life points even reach zero!") Standing up, she brushed out the skirt of her uniform. ("You know what, I'll go down there and get a closer look at the potential competition for this year.")

Erika Amero was a second-year student of the school, and second-year student of the Obelisk Blue dorm. (Note: If you have gone to a special prep school then upon entering the academy, if you pass the test, you are eligible to join Obelisk Blue, despite the previous rules.) She was also known as the Dark Demoness of Duelist Academy, but for very good reason. Standing at about 5'2", she wasn't exactly a terrifying person to behold. In fact, with her petite frame and attractive face any ordinary boy would find her cute.

Of course, appearances were deceiving. For one thing, Erika's eyes were colored gold, like the eyes of a wolf. And on top of her head were a pair of wolf ears with fur the same black color as the rest of her hair. That was why she was called the Dark Demoness of Duelist Academy, because she was really a demon. Well, half-demon technically, but that wasn't something she took pride in.

As she walked down the steps towards the lower area of stands, she overheard something that immediately caught her interest. Close to the steps she was walking down a group of girls in street clothing were discussing and giggling over something quietly. Unfortunately for them, Eri's wolf ears weren't just for show. She could hear what they were saying as clear as day.

"Did you hear? There was another sighting!" A blond-haired girl said to her two friends. Her excitement about whatever they were talking about is what had caught her attention. They were whispering about it like it was some kind of great secret.

"Of course. You know I'm always up to date about any sighting of _him_." A slightly chubby brown-haired replied to her friend in a 'know-it-all' tone. "After all, I'm one of the highest ranked members of the Starlight Savior fan-club!"

Eri sweat-dropped at hearing that, and kept walking down the steps. It was another conversation about the mysterious 'hero' who called himself Starlight Savior. He had showing up in random places across Japan over the course of the summer. She had met him once, a few months ago. At the time she was sure he was insane, but apparently insane was popular with other girls her age these days.

Reaching the safety railings that separated the stands from the sudden drop that led to the dueling rings; Erika rested her elbows on the cool metal bars and looked across the ring to look at the digital screen that indicated who was dueling in which rings. ("I shouldn't have even come. I knew I'd just be sitting here for hours on end without anything to do.")

Her ears perked as she heard someone gasp off to her side, sounding as if they recognized someone or something. Glancing out of the corner of her vision in the direction of the gasper, she immediately recognized who it was. "Erian?"

Said person was a teenager that looked to be about sixteen or so, more or less her age. And the reason she immediately recognized him is because there was no living thing on the planet that worse fashion sense than he did. Erian had bright green hair and yellow eyes. He always wore a red baseball cap, orange t-shirt under an indigo jacket, a pair of blue jeans, and purple sneakers. To her fashion sense, he was a travesty of nature. Of course, he was either too stupid or too carefree for other's opinions to affect him. "What are you doing here?"

Rolling her eyes at his stupid question, she tugged on her blue jumper gently. "I wonder why."

Blushing slightly, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh yeah…you're a student of Duelist Academy too. I guess that's why Ichigo told me to be careful around you, huh?" Tapping his chin with one finger, he looked as if he was trying to remember something. "Eri, do you know what a 'soul-consuming force of evil' is?"

The demoness blinked at the random question. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, Ichigo said something like that when he warned me to keep away from you." Erian titled his head to the side quizzically as he saw a couple of veins bulge on Eri's forehead. "I didn't understand what that meant, so maybe you could…"

Eri's hand curled into a fist and she brought one hard punch down on the railing in front of her, the metal making noises of protest as she dented it. "Let's…" She creaked her neck to look at him, wearing a fake smile to conceal the boiling anger at a certain someone she was holding right now. "…just say that the next time you see Ichigo, please bring him straight to me, alright?" When Erian nodded she took a deep breath and cleared away certain heated thoughts of her fist and a certain other half-demon's face. "Anyway, the bigger question is why you are here."

Erian grinned widely, like a child who was extremely proud of something. "I'm here to take the examination! I already took the written part, and now I'm just waiting for my turn to be called!"

The demoness suddenly had memories of the times she had watched Ichigo try to show Erian how to duel. ("I didn't even know you could overload a Duel Disk's computer by inserting multiple cards into the same disk slot…") More or less, a few months ago Erian didn't know the difference between a Duel Disk and a toaster, much less how to actually play the game the disks were meant for. However, his teacher was Ichigo Pilkington…and if there was any idiot meant to teach someone about dueling, Ichigo was the man for the job. His ability to duel was his biggest strength. It was also one of his only strengths too.

Erian waved his hand in front of Eri's face for a few moments, wondering what she was daydreaming about. "Hello? Eri?"

"_Would Erian…err…"_ The voice over the speaker went silent for a few minutes. _"Would Erian please come to dueling ring number four, you are up."_ There was some muttering over the intercom about 'damn kids' and 'not writing their last names down on the registration form', and then it turned off.

Grinning to himself, Erian marched off towards the stairs that led to the dueling ring. He had already forgotten all about Eri, who was too busy remembering the time Erian had thought that a Duel Disk and pop-up toaster were meant for the same purpose, and resulted in a rather interesting scenario for the fire department that day.

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Making sure his Duel Disk was on nice and tight, Erian stood patiently on his side of the dueling field. Across from him there stood the gold-dressed and gold-bearded professor from before, Midas King. "Hey, I know you! You're that grouchy golden guy! Hi, remember me?"

Midas almost lost his composure over that, but he quickly recovered before visibly getting angry. "I don't think anyone could possibly forget you, even if they tried, Mister Erian." Last year Erian had spent the last two months of the semester as a guest of Erika Amero's father, Rikuo Amero. To say that he caused nothing but trouble would be an understatement. ("The worst was that none of it was malicious. It was hard to get mad at somehow as oblivious as him.") "Mister Erian, you may have been given special treatment when you were a guest of our school last year, but if you intend to actually become part of this prestigious academy then do not expect any mercy from me. Am I making myself clear?"

Gulping at the deathly serious tone in Professor King's voice, Erian flicked the switch on his duel disk that activated it. It expanded its 'limbs' and unfolded into its duel mode. "Okay…let's duel…"

Professor King waved his hand over his gold-colored and jewel-encrusted duel coat, which matched perfectly with his clothing and with his hair. It hummed to life and he adjusted the attached duel field so it was resting comfortably on his body. "Even though this is an examination level deck, I assembled it myself. Therefore, do not expect an easy battle. Duel!"

Midas- 4000

Erian- 4000

Waving his hand over the motion sensor on his coat, Professor King caught the top card of his deck as it was spat free from the unit attached to his gold uniform. "I will go first, Mister Erian." Fanning out the other five cards in his hand, he pursed his lips. ("When he was spending his time with us at the Academy last year, this boy had no deck. Therefore, I cannot predict what his first move will be.") "I set one monster in face-down defense mode." A face-down brown-backed card appeared on his field in a horizontal position. "With that I will end my turn. It is your move, Mister Erian."

Erian absent-mindedly drew the top card of his deck and added it to the other five cards he was already holding in his hand. "Now, let's see…" His yellow eyes went from card to card, reading the text of the cards to remind him of what each one did. ("Just do what Ichigo and take it slowly.") "I'll start with Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode." A blue-armored superhero appeared on his field and struck a pose. (800/1200)

Up in the stands, Eri's eyes widened at the card that Erian had widened. ("He's playing an Elemental Hero deck?") Thinking about it though, that didn't make sense considering this was Erian. She didn't know him as well as Ichigo did apparently, but he didn't seem like he had a grasp of the game that allowed one to play such a complex deck.

Erian craned his neck forward to look at the text of the summoned card. "Oh yeah, when Bubbleman is summoned and I have no cards in play I may draw two more cards." Pulling two more cards off of his deck, he added them to his hand. ("Okay, I summoned for the turn. Now let's see…Ichigo said next up was to determine whether or not it was wise to attack.") Looking at his monster's attack points, he shook his head quietly. ("Let's see, he said that if my monster has less than 1000 attack points I shouldn't attack face-down monsters…") "I'll place a card face-down on the field and end my turn." A face-down brown-backed card appeared behind Bubbleman.

Professor King frowned at how long such a simple move had taken the boy. "Mister Erian, are you sure that you are up to joining the elite of Duelist Academy?"

Erian tilted his head back and tapped his chin while he thought about that. "I think so…"

"You don't sound it." Waving his hand over his Duel Coat's reader, Midas caught the card that was spat off the top of his deck. "I flip summon my face-down monster." A large grey rat appeared on his field. "Giant Rat (1400/1450) has far more attack points than Bubbleman, so now I attack!" Clacking its teeth together, the beast bit down on Bubbleman's shoulder and the superhero exploded.

Midas- 4000

Erian- 3400

Erian pouted at the fact that his monster had been so easily beaten. "Jeez, you're good."

Midas sweat-dropped at how the boy said that after only one turn and one attack. "You'll have to excuse my skepticism, but I do not feel you're ready for this type of school. End turn."

Erian drew and looked at his hand again. ("Okay, I need a monster with higher attack power than his.") One of the cards already in his hand caught his eye, and he grinned. "Let's try this. I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode." A black and grey metal knight appeared on his field. (1800/1600) "Gearfried, attack his Giant Rat!" The warrior jumped across the field and slashed its sword down the rat's chest, blowing it apart. "Yay!"

Midas- 3600

Erian- 3400

Eri blinked at the sudden shift of monsters that Erian was using. ("Is Bubbleman just in his deck for the draw effect? Why?")

Midas removed his deck from its slot on the Duel Coat's chest piece and fanned it out. "When Giant Rat is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to my graveyard I can special summon an earth attribute monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck to the field." One card slid up from the stack, which he placed into in the pocket of his jacket. Shuffling his deck, he replaced it back into his Duel Coat. "My choice is Enraged Muka Muka!" A giant crab-like monster made of stone appeared on his field and clacked its claws repeatedly. (1200/600)

Erian kept grinning. "But your monster doesn't have enough attack points to take down Gearfried. Anyway, I guess I'll end my turn."

Midas waved his hand across the motion reader once more, and it spat out a card which he added to his hand. "You're too naïve, Mister Erian. For every card in my hand, Enraged Muka Muka gains 400 attack and defense. However, before I power it up I summon this monster." A much smaller stone crab appeared in play. "This is Muka Muka, the weaker version of my Enraged Muka Muka." (600/300) "For every card in my hand it gains 300 attack and defense points. At the moment I am holding six cards, so the power of my two monsters increases." (1200/600- 3600/3000) (600/300- 2100/1800)

Erian gaped at the two monsters. "Uhhh…"

"Now's not the time to be surprised, Mister Erian! Enraged Muka Muka, attack Gearfried now! Claw Crusher!" The crab monster scuttled forward and slammed one claw down on the knight, blowing it apart.

Midas- 3600

Erian- 1600

Midas sighed. "It's over. Muka Muka, attack his life points directly." The smaller crab scuttled towards Erian rapidly, clicking its claws together.

Sweat visible on his brow, Erian hit the button for the slot he had placed his face-down card in. "I activate this card, Sakuretsu Armor." A suit a metallic demonic armor appeared in play. "This destroys one attacking monster." Letting off a purple glow, the armor exploded and took the Muka Muka with it.

"…." Both Midas and Eri stared at Erian like he was insane.

"What?" Erian spouted out, sounding incredibly nervous. "What'd I do wrong?"

"Why didn't you activate your Sakuretsu Armor trap card earlier to destroy my Enraged Muka Muka or my Giant Rat?" Midas rubbed his temples with his fingers, eyes closed now.

"I could do that?" Erian smiled. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind next time."

"Right…" Midas groaned quietly to himself and inserted a card into one of the slots on his dueling field. "I place one card face-down and end my turn." (Enraged Muka Muka: 3200/2600)

Erian drew. ("So far so good, I haven't lost yet.") Looking at the drawn card, he frowned and folded all of his hand cards together. With his free right hand, he started to reach for his deck. "Hang on a second, I don't have any monsters in my hand…"

Professor King narrowed his eyes darkly. "Mister Erian, you aren't about to switch a monster from your deck out with a card in your hand, are you? That would be called cheating…and it's something that the Duelist Academy looks very down upon…"

Erian's hand slowly retracted from his deck and he re-fanned his cards out. "Really? But Ichigo let me do it when he was teaching me…"

"This isn't a classroom yet, Mister Erian." Midas motioned to the Enraged Muka Muka hissing on his field. "This is a duel, and in a duel you cannot expect anyone to let you break the rules just because it makes things convenient for you. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yeah…" Erian looked down in the dumps down. ("Without a monster I can't defend against his attack, and his monster is so powerful…") Suddenly he had an idea. Plucking four cards out of his hand, he started to insert them one by one into the magic/trap slots on his Duel Disk. "I place four cards face-down and end my turn."

Midas waved his hand across the reader on his Duel Coat and caught the card it gave him. "Because of the number of cards in my hand, the power of my Enraged Muka Muka increases." (3600/3000) "Enraged Muka Muka, attack Mister Erian's life points directly! Claw Crusher!" His monster started to move in for the kill.

Eri sighed. "Looks like he loses…" She started to turn away as the claw of the Enraged Muka Muka came flying down at Erian's head. ("I shouldn't have expected anything from…") Midas' gasp of surprise instantly brought her spinning around to see what had happened. The Enraged Muka Muka's claw hovered a few inches from Erian's face, frozen in place by some unseen force.

Midas widened his eyes slightly. "So this time you actually set a trap for me that you intended to activate, hmm?"

Erian adopted a rather confident smile he had seen Ichigo use many times. "Yeah, I'm not that bad. My face-down trap card was Blast with Chain, increasing your monster's attack points by 500." Up in the stands, Eri face-fell. (4100/300)

Midas felt a couple of veins on his forehead surge up. "You…you understand you just raised my monster's power, correct? And that battle still continues, so you just lost, Mister Erian."

Erian scratched the side of his head in confusion. "What do you mean I lost?"

"You didn't stop my attack and Enraged Muka Muka…" Midas suddenly wondered why his monster had stopped. Its attack increase shouldn't have caused a replay, so battle should have progressed as normal.

Eri lifted her head up slightly to look over the railing. ("Yeah, why did its attack stop?")

Erian snapped his fingers. "Oh, sorry! I forgot to tell you I activated these cards in chain." One of his other cards was face-up. "Emergency Provisions lets me send magic and trap cards on my field to the graveyard to gain 1000 life points per card." His two face-downs disappeared.

Midas- 3600

Erian- 3600

Erian removed the two cards from his disk slots and flipped one of them up for Midas to see. "I sent Trap's Trap and Divine Soul to the graveyard."

The Professor's eyes showed that he understood now. "Trap's Trap, when sent from the field to the graveyard, lets you destroy one trap card in play….and Divine Soul lets you special summon one level four or lower angel type monster from your deck to the field when you have no monsters in play. By activating Blast with Chain, chaining Divine Soul to it, and then chaining Emergency Provisions to them both…"

"That's right." Erian pointed at his Blast with Chain trap card. "By the effect of Trap's Trap, I destroy Blast with Chain." The card shattered. "When Blast with Chain is destroyed while face-up because of an effect, I may destroy one card in play. Obviously my choice is Enraged Muka Muka." The giant crab monster howled painfully and exploded. "And by the effect of Divine Soul, I special summon Shining Angel from my deck to the field in defense mode." A white-robed angel appeared on his field in a crouching position. (1400/800)

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Eri was standing now, eyes wide in amazement. "That's incredible. Despite the fact he seemed incompetent, he knew which cards to set and in what order to activate them to gain the greatest benefit."

"Indeed. While he might be a fool, he's a fool with potential." The sound of nearby footsteps told her immediately who it was. Dressed in a blue boy's uniform, a spiky black-haired teenager about the same age as her walked up and looked out at the dueling field with his deep blue eyes. "It's obvious that he at least has some tiny bit of skill."

"Good to see you again, Adriel. I assume you spent most of your break training to beat Ichigo in a duel, right?" Eri snickered smugly.

Adriel Zaytel was one of Duelist Academy's best duelists. His affinity with dragon monsters was uncanny. Of course, at first he had used that skill to his advantage, bullying others out of their rare cards by challenging them to ante duels. For a time he was untouchable.

Then last year he met Ichigo Pilkington, and had been defeated soundly in a duel. Since that time he had spent his waking moments honing his dueling skills to match those of Pilkington's and soon the day would come when he would trample Ichigo under his heel. Well, at least that's what he thought. "There's no need to mock me, Amero. I'm more than capable now of defeating that fool than ever before."

"That's just the same song and dance, Adriel." Eri looked back down at the dueling field and continued to smile, though this time it wasn't malicious.

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Midas rubbed his chin for a few moments, and then clapped his hands together a couple of times, offering a small bit of applause for Erian. "I will admit I didn't expect a move of that complexity from you, Mister Erian. However, that simply means I will stop reserving my resources as I have been." Snapping one of the cards in his hand up, he continued to appear mostly stone-faced. "I activate Mass Restoration. This magic card can only be activated when I have lost one or more monsters on my field as a result of an effect used by you. At the cost of ending my turn, I may now revive all monsters destroyed by one card effect. I choose the effect of Blast with Chain." His Enraged Muka Muka reappeared in play. (3200/2600) "Of course this means that it is your turn."

Erian drew. ("Okay, what should I do now? Well let's see, I've only one trap card in my hand and I want to save it for later. Therefore…") "I activate the magic card Different Dimension Capsule." A green and yellow sarcophagus appeared on his field. "I select one card from my deck and remove it from the game. In two turns, that card will enter my hand." Removing a card from his deck, he took a deep breath. "In two turns my sure-fire card will be in my hand. Until then I end my turn."

"Your sure-fire card?" Professor King moved his hand over the motion reader on his Duel Coat and caught the released card. "You're starting to sound a little more like an actual duelist, but we will see how good you really are." Looking at the card he had drawn, an amused smile crossed his face. "This should be interesting. First, I play the magic card Pot of Generosity, shuffling two cards from my hand back into my deck." Selecting two of his hand cards, he placed them on top of his deck and pressed the button on his coat that automatically shuffled his deck.

From up in the stands, Adriel frowned slightly at that. "Shuffling cards back into his deck? That isn't Professor King at all…"

"No, there's a reason for it." Eri was also frowning, but for a different reason. "And once you've seen it you'll understand."

Midas inserted a card into his dueling field. "I place one card face-down." A card appeared behind the Enraged Muka Muka. "Also, I play the continuous magic card Gold Mine." Behind him a giant clearly labeled entrance to a mine appeared. "As long as this card remains in play, both players draw an extra card during their draw phase."

Erian giggled to himself. ("He doesn't realize he drained his Enraged Muka Muka's attack points to just 1600.")

"From the sound of laughter I hear, you think I've made a mistake." Midas shook his head slowly. "That will be your undoing, Mister Erian! I activate Card of Sanctity!" The last card in his hand disappeared and a holy glow fell over the field. "When this magic card is activated, both players draw cards from their deck until they are holding six cards." He started to wave his hand over the Duel Coat's motion reader, drawing card after card until there were six in his hand.

Erian removed three cards from his deck nervously.

Adriel just smiled darkly in understanding. "I see. Those two shuffled cards must have been monsters. And by returning them to his deck he was able to maximize the gain from his Card of Sanctity."

Midas pointed at the Shining Angel. "Enraged Muka Muka, attack with Claw Crusher!" The giant crab hissed and slammed its claw down on the angel's head, blowing it apart.

Erian braced himself against the backlash from the attack. "When Shining Angel is sent from my field to my graveyard as a result of battle, I may special summon a light attribute monster from my deck that has 1500 or less attack points." A female magician with pink hair appeared on his field. "I special summon Magician of Faith to my field." (300/400)

Midas chuckled. "Mister Erian, Magician of Faith is a flip effect monster. By special summoning it in attack mode to your field you've lost the chance to use its effect." Inserting another card into his disk, he watched as it appeared in play. "I activate the continuous magic card Limitless Hand. This card, while in play, makes it so that our hands have no maximum limit. Also, I play the magic card Pot of Greed." A smiling green jar appeared on his field. "This allows me to draw two cards." Adding two more cards to his hand, Midas barely flinched as the jar exploded. "And with that I end my turn."

Erian looked down at the Different Dimension Capsule that was still in his magic/trap slot. ("In one more turn I'll have my chance, but until then I'll just have to hold out.") He drew once. "Like the effect of your continuous magic card said, I get to draw an additional card." Now he was holding eight cards in his hand. "I might not look that good, but you need to understand something special about me. My deck isn't like any kind of deck you've ever faced before. First I activate the quickplay magic card Book of Moon from my hand to select one monster in play and flip it face-down." His Magician of Faith disappeared, replaced by a face-down horizontal card. "Now I place four cards face-down on my field." Four cards appeared on his field, one after another. "End turn."

Midas waved his hand over the motion sensor on his Duel Coat twice, adding two cards to his hand. "Now then, let's…"

Erian suddenly smiled cheerfully. "Gotcha." One of his face-down cards flipped up. "I activate the trap card Heavy Slump."

Sucking in his breath, Professor King realized what Erian had meant before. "Heavy Slump can only be activated when I have eight or more in my hands, at which point all cards in my hand are shuffled into my deck and…"

"You draw two." Erian gave the Professor a thumbs-up. "Sorry, but I always wanted a chance to use that card."

Inserting his whole hand back onto his deck, Midas pressed the deck shuffle button and then waved his hand over the motion twice, adding two cards to his hand. "That's fine, I'll still beat you with my face-down card." One of his face-down cards flipped up to reveal a picture of a green goblin running off with a bag under its arm. "Steal and Run allows me to redraw cards until my hand returns to how it was before an effect was affected." Waving his hand over the motion sensor of his Duel Coat, he replenished his hand back to eight cards. (Enraged Muka Muka: 6000/5400)

Erian gulped in fear. ("Oh man…")

"Also…" Midas inserted two cards into his dueling field slots. "I activate the equipment magic cards Big Bang Shot and Ancient Infusion." His Enraged Muka Muka hissed and became covered in glowing red fire. "The monster equipped with Big Bang Shot gets a 400 attack point boost and when it battles with a defense mode monster it can still deal you battle damage." (5600/5200) "And Ancient Infusion prevents you from activating traps when my Enraged Muka Muka attacks, or from affecting it with traps either. In other words…this is the end. My Enraged Muka Muka has 5600 attack points, and when it attacks your 400 defense Magician of Faith you'll lose 5200 life points."

Erian gritted his teeth. "Not yet…I activate my face-down Lightning Replay trap. This card allows me to discard one card from my hand to activate one quickplay magic card from my graveyard. My choice is Emergency Provisions." His two other face-down cards vanished.

Midas- 3600

Erian- 5600

Midas smiled. "That's fine. Enraged Muka Muka, attack his Magician of Faith with Big Bang Claw Crusher!" The crab ran right over the face-down monster and crashed its claw down on the boy's body.

Midas- 3600

Erian- 400

Closing his eyes, Midas held up a single finger. "While your ability to survive is impressive, you won't make it through the next turn at this rate. Because my magic and trap zones are all filled, I will end my turn though."

Erian looked down at his deck and sighed sadly. "I'm not going to get to hang out with Ichigo anymore while he's school."

"Who said a stupid thing like that?" An amplified voice echoed across the stadium. The sound of sneakers against floor seemed to echo across the ground as a single shadowed form walked across into the light. It was a teenage boy of about sixteen years old or so, with short brown hair and a pair of hazel eyes. There was a pair of wolf ears similar to Eri's on top of his head. He wore a pair of blue jeans and a jeans jacket, both of which looked like they hadn't been washed for days. Over his shoulder rested a dark green traveling bag. "No offense to Professor King, but from the looks of it you're about to mop the floor with him." Grinning, he wiped a little bit of dirt from his face. "Go for it Erian!"

Adriel rolled his eyes and looked away from the man he had trained hard to defeat. "How does he do that?"

Eri shrugged. "His ability to show up at exactly the most dramatic time is one of those few strengths he has. He's still an idiot though." Suddenly her right eye started to twitch. "Oh yeah…that comment he made to Erian." Turning, she started to stomp towards the boy who was about to suffer her wrath for his insults.

Erian sweat-dropped as Ichigo's cool entrance was ruined by his sudden need to retreat, quickly followed by Eri's screaming chase after him. Then he looked at his deck. "You know what? Ichigo's right." He drew and pointed at the green sarcophagus that was on his field. "I activate the effect of Different Dimension Capsule at this time." The sarcophagus shattered and he added the removed from play card to his hand. "Then I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, which as you said lets the user draw two cards." Adding two more cards to his hand, he inserted three cards into his disk spaces. "I set three cards face-down. End turn."

Adriel sighed. ("And here it sounded like he was going to try and win too.")

Midas waved his hand over the motion sensor on his Duel Coat, adding a card to his hand. "At this time Gold Mine activates, letting me draw a card…" He started to reach for the motion sensor.

Erian held up a hand. "I activate the counter trap Light Force Negation! This trap negates one card when it is activated! That means you can't draw that extra card."

"That was foolish, you'll still lose in the end." Midas reached for one of the cards in his hand.

"Who said I was done?" Erian suddenly seemed much more confident. "My deck's real power is the power of negation, and that power is shown through this monster!" Flipping one of the two cards in his hand over, he revealed a monster card with a picture of purple and black almost-metal dragon. "Dark Ruler Vandalgyon's effect activates when I negate the effect of one of my opponent's cards with a counter trap card. At that time, he is special summoned!" A roar shook the stadium and the giant dragon represented in the picture appeared on his field, flapping its steel wings repeatedly. (2800/2500)

Midas smirked. "What's that going to do, considering your situation its attack points don't mean anything, and Big Bang Shot makes sure even if you did summon it in defense it would be for naught."

"That's true." Erian just kept smiling. "Vandalgyon, when special summoned by its effect, creates a different effect depending on what kind of card my counter trap negated. For example, in the case of my counter trap negating a magic card, you take 1500 points of damage!" Roaring, the giant dragon released a purple fireball that slammed down onto the professor.

Midas- 1900

Erian- 400

"Also, I activate another trap card!" Another of Erian's set cards flipped up. "Bomb Wiring destroys one monster in play. When that monster is destroyed the controller of it takes 500 points of damage. My target is Enraged Muka Muka!"

Midas pointed at his monster, which clacked its claws together. "Have you forgotten the power of Ancient Infusion, which activates now? Your trap effect is useless!"

Erian pointed at his last set card. "I know that. However, I reveal another Light Force Negation!" The Ancient Infusion card shimmered away. "Because its power was negated, your equipment card no longer can work in favor of your monster." A line of purple wire appeared wrapped around the Enraged Muka Muka's body. "And I have one more thing to play." Flipping the last card in his hand over, he suddenly giggled childishly. "Another Dark Ruler Vandalgyon was in my hand." A second of the giant dragons appeared in play. "And like before when I negated a magic card, you take 1500 points of damage!"

Professor King's eyes widened. "And with the 500 damage from Bomb Wiring…" Then he Enraged Muka Muka exploded at the same time that the Dark Ruler's fireball crashed into his body.

Midas- 0

Erian- 400

As the smoke around him cleared, Midas stood up and chuckled loudly. "You were the black horse in this duel, Mister Erian. I didn't think you were even going to harm my life points, much less actually manage to defeat me." Turning on one heel, he walked away without another word. ("He did well…though his mistakes at the beginning will cost him points.")

Erian saw Ichigo run by the ring, which was strange since he shouldn't have gotten past the security posted there. "Ichigo, I won!"

"I knew you could do it!" Still screaming, Ichigo disappeared out the other entrance to the duel ring right as Eri came charging by.

"Come back you coward! I'll show you what happens to those who insult me behind my back!" The demoness was moving just about as fast as Ichigo had been, so they were going to be at this for awhile…

Erian didn't mind though. It was great just seeing his best friend again.

------------------

The hum of a computer was the only thing that could be heard.

**DATA PROMPT ONLINE, CONNECTING TO HOME SERVER…**

**WAITING…**

…

…

…

**CONNECTION ESTABLISHED…**

The computer beeped loudly and the speakers crackled. Blue light from the featureless screen was the only thing in the room, but it was too dark to make out who was sitting at the computer.

Once more the speakers crackled, and a garbled voice came out of them. "This message meant for all field agents. Your reports on the defense capabilities of this planet are expected within the next few weeks, this world's time of course."

The hands of whoever was sitting in front of the computer started to type rapidly, the clicking of the keys the only noise in the apparently cramped little room.

**This is Agent Four of group sixty-three reporting in. The school year at Duelist Academy will be starting in two weeks. I have already sent all gathered information concerning the strange darkness energy reported all across the island.**

**EXCELLENT WORK, AGENT FOUR. THE OTHERS ON YOUR TEAM ARE CURRENTLY COMPLETING THEIR TASKS AS WELL. WE EXPECT YOU TO PERFORM ADMIRABLY IN FINDING THE TRAVELERS FOR US.**

**I will not fail you.**

The screen hummed and went dead.

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: My poor fingers are finished…but it was worth it. First, don't expect this kind of length to all my chapters. This is more than double the length of the chapters I normally post.

Secondly, welcome to the Infinity Chronicles. We'll take good care of you here.

Thirdly, character submissions are welcome at this time. However, I would prefer you please submit them under the Infinity Chronicles forum that is under my account name, if you could. There is a thread there called Character submissions, or some such thing. Posting them there will greatly increase the chances that your character will actually make it into the story. Students, teachers, etc. Anything is welcome. Keep in mind if you character has nothing to do with Duelist Academy though, they're going to have to have one incredibly convincing and interesting story for me to change anything to accommodate them.

Alright, Wolf General over and out until I've cooled off my poor fingers.


	2. Sweltering Cruise

Disclaimer: As of yet, I still don't own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles

Chapter 2: Sweltering Cruise

**DATA PROMPT ONLINE, CONNECTING TO HOME SERVER…**

**WAITING…**

…

…

…

**CONNECTION ESTABLISHED…**

The computer beeped loudly and the speakers crackled. Blue light from the featureless screen was the only thing in the room, but it was too dark to make out who was sitting at the computer.

Once more the speakers crackled, and a garbled voice came out of them. "This message meant for all field agents. Your reports on the defense capabilities of this planet are expected within the next few weeks, this world's time of course."

The hands of whoever was sitting in front of the computer started to type rapidly, the clicking of the keys the only noise in the apparently cramped little room.

**This is Agent Four of group sixty-three reporting in.**

**WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO REPORT, AGENT FOUR? IS THE FIRST BLOOD CONTROLLER READY FOR ITS TEST RUN YET?**

**Of course it is. With this test run, we'll see just how powerful the species of this planet become when directly injected with our synthetic version of the darkness energy we sampled. If it works correctly, we'll have a method to create soldiers who will be able to face the strange magical creatures of this planet on their own terms.**

**MAKE SURE THAT THIS DOES NOT RESULT IN OUR EXISTENCE BEING UNCOVERED. WE DO NOT HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO YOU WHAT THE REPRECUSSIONS WOULD BE IF BECAUSE OF YOUR FOLLY WE HAD TO DIRECTLY BATTLE AGAINST THE CREATURES OF THIS PLANET.**

**Do not be worried. My choice of targets is a ship at sea that will be delivering a large number of the passing students to Duelist Academy. With their removal, I will be able to move around more freely on the island and continue my research.**

---------------------------------------------------------------

**Who is Starlight Savior?**

_Ever since the beginning of the summer season there has been reports all over Japan of the mysterious young man who calls himself Starlight Savior. A modern day superhero in these times, to this date he had single-handedly stopped over thirty different major robberies. Every time police arrived on the scene, the already apprehended criminals would describe the same person perfectly. As of so far there is only picture of Starlight Savior, shown below. _

The picture at the bottom of the article was a rather touched up shot showing a young man of about twenty or so in mid-leap into the air away the camera. He was wearing a bodysuit of a shiny light-blue material which was covered over by segments of dark-blue armoring, and his shoulder-length brown hair was swept up and flying out in as many directions as it could.

Ichigo Pilkington shifted slightly on the rather uncomfortable wooden bench beneath him. He had been waiting for Eri and Adriel to show up for the last hour, and out of boredom had purchased something to read while he waited. Dressed in his old Osiris Red uniform, he felt slightly on the edge. When he had been part of Osiris Red everyone and their father wanted to duel him, and it was a rarity that they didn't wish him ill in the process.

"What's this, actually doing something academic?" A slim hand reached past Ichigo's head with nearly lightning speed and snatched the tabloid from his hands.

"Hey!" Leaping off of the bench that was the cause of his hindquarters currently being completely numb, Ichigo glared while Eri just bemusedly skimmed the article he had been reading. "It's rude to just take something out of someone else's hand, you know?"

"Keh!" She tossed it back to him halfheartedly. "You part of the Starlight Savior fan club too or something?"

Catching the paper and folding it under his arm, Ichigo scoffed. "Of course I'm not. It's just when a guy runs around and calls himself a hero then other heroes notice."

Readjusting the skirt to her Obelisk Blue uniform, the demoness brushed her long hair back and snickered. "You're a fool, you know that right? What do you think makes either you or him heroes?"

"You're a hero if it's in your heart to be one and you wish to protect something hard enough." Thumbing at himself, Ichigo puffed up his chest. "I swore that I would protect that planet earth with all my being, and until the day I die that oath won't disappear."

"You've done a great job so far." Someone said sarcastically and slapped him in the back of head roughly, nearly forcing him to bite on his tongue.

Snapping his head back up, Ichigo grimaced angrily at Adriel. "You don't believe me either, huh?"

The other Obelisk Blue student readjusted his blue jumper and laughed mockingly. "You're the farthest thing from a hero there is, Ichigo. Even the self-proclaimed heroes of your deck are just a bunch of thieves."

All three of them seemed old friends even if you were watching from a distance. After all, they had been through dozens of dangerous adventures with each other.

Eri picked up her suitcase and pointed over at the dock that was just about a minute or so away. "Well, shall we get on the boat already? It's already two in the afternoon and they leave in half an hour, right?"

Both boys nodded and followed her.

----------------------------------

Erian wandered about the deck of the boat excitedly. He'd never seen the sea before, and something about it was absolutely captivating. ("How could this week get any better? I've already become a student of the Duelist Academy, which means I'll get to hang out with Ichigo more! Now I get to see the ocean?") "It's official! This is the best week ever!" he yelled out towards the soft waves.

"You said that about last week when you finally got to try some western food." Ichigo sighed and sat down on the railing next to his friend.

Adriel walked over to the other side of Erian and looked out at the sea for a few seconds before looking away. "What's so special about it? It's water with a bunch of fish in it."

Erian just kept staring over the side at the crystal clear waters. "It's because it's all part of this miracle world. How can you not see this kind of natural beauty as anything but breath-taking?"

Adriel sighed and continued to keep his back to the ocean. "You and this 'miracle world' stuff. What's so miraculous about this world that you have to keep referring to that term?"

Looking up at Adriel like he had just asked the silliest question in the world, Erian grinned. "Because it has guys like you and Ichigo on it."

Adriel just stared at him for a few seconds, and then walked away as quickly as he could. "This just turned too sappy for my tastes. Pilkington, I expect to get a chance to challenge you while we head to Duelist Academy."

Ichigo just mock-saluted his self-proclaimed rival. "Sir yes sir."

------------------------------------

A few hours later and the boat was out at sea, on its way to Duelist Academy to deliver the students. The ship had originally been a cargo liner, and as such the downstairs cargo hold had been cleared out to install a pair of dueling rings to help keep the new students busy. And they did well to keep themselves busy. Both rings were in constant use, with lines of red, yellow, and blue-uniformed students waiting for their turn to come up.

Ichigo hated waiting in lines so he had decided to rest his back against the hull and watch as people dueled, much to Adriel's displeasure. Even though the duels themselves weren't anything spectacular, it was better than nothing. ("Man, I'm bored…") His eyes started to droop closed.

A clang and a quiet gasp of pain brought both of his wolf ears to attention immediately. Eyes opening slowly, he yawned and sat up to look at the source of the noise. It had come from an overturned metal box which had its lid down on the deck and was currently shuddering quietly. From the dent on its frame, it looked at if the box had hit a metal crate.

Ichigo had to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing. "Excuse me?" The box stopped shuddering and went perfectly still. "What exactly are you doing, mister box?"

The box suddenly rushed away from him, moving along the side of one of the dueling rings at the speed of someone sprinting.

Ichigo stood up and grinned playfully. "You want to play, eh? Sure, let's play!" And with that said he gave chase.

---------------------------------------

Eri watched as Ichigo chased the 'box' out of the main hold. Sighing, she wasn't surprised at all. ("The person under it is stupid for thinking they wouldn't be noticed, and he's stupid for chasing it.") She supposed she could have gone after him to make sure he would have been alright, but honestly she didn't care enough to.

"Um…excuse me?" From across the dueling field her opponent, a blond-haired girl with very tan skin, looked at the demoness confusedly. "I said it's your turn." On her field there was a giant brown-scaled dragon with a green jewel in the middle of its forehead. (Tyrant Dragon/2900/2500/)

Girl- 4000

Eri- 2600

"Oh sorry, I'm not on the ball today." Eri drew, which brought her hand to five cards, and looked at her clear field. "I play the magic card Book of Life! By selecting one monster from your graveyard and removing it from the game, I can special summon one zombie type monster from my graveyard to the field!" A card slid out of the girl's graveyard slot. "I remove one of your Masked Dragons to special summon my Pyramid Turtle you destroyed at the start of the duel!" A turtle with a stone pyramid for a shell appeared on her field. (1200/1400)

Taking another card from her hand, Eri inserted it into her disk. "Also, I activate the equipment magic card Dead Booster, raising the attack of my zombie type Pyramid Turtle by 1000 points!" (2200/1400) "Finally I play the equipment magic card Death's Grip." Her turtle started to glow. "Pyramid Turtle, attack her Tyrant Dragon now!"

The girl blinked in surprise as the undead creature waddled towards her mighty dragon. "Fight back, Tyrant Dragon!" Her monster roared and sprayed the turtle with fire, burning it to ash. "I don't know what you intended to accomplish with that, but I guess it didn't work."

Girl- 3300

Eri- 1900

Eri tapped the side of her head with a nail. "You think too little of me already? That's your mistake, fool. I am Erika Amero, and I do not lose to amateurs!"

The girl, as well as most of the other new students that were waiting in line for use of the duel ring, gasped at the declaration made by the demoness. "You're THE Erika Amero?"

Sticking out her chest proudly, Eri smirked. "When Pyramid Turtle is sent from the field to the graveyard as a result of battle, I may special summon one zombie type monster from my deck to the field that has 2000 or less defense points." The ground behind her shook and cracked open, a giant snake made of bone slithering out of the broken earth and hissing at the girl. "I special summon Ryu Kokki in attack mode." (2400/2000)

Taking a couple of steps away from the terrifying undead monster, the girl steeled her nerve as she remembered that she had one of her best monsters in play. "It still isn't strong enough to beat my Tyrant Dragon."

The demoness pointed at Tyrant Dragon. "Disappear from my sight, weakling!" In response the dragon exploded.

The crowd gasped again, this time in confusion as they couldn't figure out how she had managed to destroy her opponent's monster with just a few words. The dragon's owner couldn't understand it either. "H…How did you do that?"

"How did I do that?" Holding up her Death's Grip equipment magic card, Eri snickered and inserted it into her graveyard. "When the monster equipped with Death's Grip battles with a monster and is destroyed, the other monster goes as well, at which time you take 300 points of damage."

Girl- 300

Eri- 1900

"One more thing…" Discarding a card from her hand, Eri continued to snicker. "Dead Booster, once per turn, can be equipped to one undead monster in play from my graveyard if I offer a card from my hand." Her Ryu Kokki hissed loudly and grew larger. (3400/2000) "Death's Poison!"

The girl yelled out in surprise as the bone snake bit down on her shoulder roughly, the force of the strike dropping her to her knees.

Girl- 0

Eri- 1900

As the field faded away, Eri heard gasps behind her from the other duelists waiting to use the dueling ring. Shuffling her deck up, she prepared for the next duel. ("After all, when you make a declaration that no one on this boat can beat you, you've got to be ready to back it up.") Turning her head to look at the girl she had beaten, she snarled. "Get lost already, loser! I've already proved that you and your deck are no match for me."

The girl, eyes slightly red and puffy, stumbled to her feet. "You didn't have to be so mean about it!" Sliding back down to her knees again, she started bawling.

Eri snarled in anger and stomped towards the girl. "You're more than welcome to cry yourself to death for all I care, but at least get off the damned field!"

"But…but…" The girl tried to form words, and when she was unable to, kept crying.

Balling her hands into fists, Eri growled darkly and stomped right up in front of the girl. "Listen up! If you can't handle a single loss then why did you apply to Duelist Academy in the first…" Her eyes widened as she realized that the girl's tan skin looked incredibly heated. ("Something about this is strange…")

"I..." The girl looked like she was trying to get control of herself. "…can't…stop…crying…"

The demoness reached for her, and yelped in pain, withdrawing her hand reflexively and brushing something scorching hot off of her arm. It had been an ember. The girl's cries grew louder, and the air around her started to grow very hazy. ("I sense it clearly. It feels like some kind of darkness energy, but something about it is…") The heat coming from the girl's body was becoming too much for her to handle, and she was forced to take a few steps back.

The heated haze around the girl's body grew stronger and stronger until she could no longer be seen. Then, like water from a fountain, fire exploded upwards around where she had been standing.

Leaping backwards, Eri hissed and looked back at the utterly confused students who had been waiting in line. "Get some fire extinguishers!" As they scattered to comply, she turned back to face the burning tempest. ("Something's coming…I can sense it!")

With one loud whoosh, the fire extinguished itself. The plumes of smoke were so thick that no one could see past them. Suddenly a pair of glowing red eyes pierced the cover. "I'll get back at you for insults, Erika Amero."

---------------------------------------------------------

Ichigo made a diving leap for the scuttling metal box, which darted out of the way right before he reached it. This had been the thirtieth time his attempt to capture it had failed, but he wasn't bored with this game yet. "Get back here, you slippery little bugger!"

His chase had taken him back to the main deck, and he was slowly working the box into a corner. In just a few more leaps he'd have it where he wanted it.

"There's a fire in the cargo hold!" Someone screamed.

"A fire?" Distracted, Ichigo's leap attempt took him over the box and face-first into the guard railing around the deck.

Panic erupted amongst the students, and they started to head to the end of the ship farthest from the cargo hold. Ichigo, who was currently nursing his very sore face, simply sat there.

Forgotten by its pursuer, the box edged over to the guard railing and flipped up into the air. When it crashed to the ground, whoever had been under it was already gone.

"Ichigo? Ichigo where are you?" Erian's voice was near the edge of panic. "Ichigo?"

"I heard you the first time!" Trying to ignore the large red bar-shaped mark that was stinging his face, the half-demon ran over to his friend. "What's the matter?"

"It's Eri!"

------------------------------

It burned. It burned like a red-hot poker burned when applied to skin. But no matter what she did, Eri couldn't break that grip that was toasting her flesh.

The creature that had its hand wrapped around her throat was a tall red-skinned female humanoid with orange eyes and wild orange hair, wearing a green-grass skirt and a green bikini top. Sneering, the skin around the arm that was choking the life out of Eri seemed to start to glow a brighter shade of red. "What's the matter? Is it not so funny when you're the one being looked down upon? Don't worry; I'll make sure that when I'm done you'll have a nice tan. How does a nice lobster red sound to you?"

Another pained gasp for air left the demoness' mouth as she tried to get air circulating through throat, but it was useless. Any air she was getting was burning hot, and was sending a throbbing pain through her lungs. ("I can't stay conscious at this rate. I…I…")

The humanoid snickered and tightened its grip. "You'll pay for making me look like a fool."

"Knock it off!" A blur of red flew into Eri's darkening field of vision as a fist crashed into the creature's cheek.

"Ic...hi...go…" Eri saw the determined look in Ichigo's hazel eyes, but that look quickly turned to one of pain as smoke started rising from the spot where his fist was still connected with the creature's cheek.

Other than its head being tilted slightly because of the blow, the creature was unaffected. "What kind of sad punch was that?" Snapping her free hand up, the creature back-handed Ichigo across the hold and into the steel wall with a clang.

Though he was unaffected by the collision with the hold's wall, Ichigo sucked in his breath painfully and shoved his right hand under his armpit, trying to extinguish the smoldering feeling that was going through his skin in that area. ("It felt like I was punching the inner wall of a volcano…") "Who are you? And what do you want with Eri?"

"I am Volcania!" The creature declared, raising one open hand to point in Ichigo's direction. "And I intend to kill her for making a fool of me, along with everyone else on this boat!" A jet of fire shot from her palm and engulfed the half-demon.

"Ichigo!" Eri kicked and squirmed as hard as she could now.

"OHMYGODIMONFIREAHHHHHHH!" Ichigo screamed insanely and ran about the hold like a chicken with its head cut off, mainly for the reason he just said.

Prying Volcania's fingers apart slightly, the demoness managed to get some air into her lungs. "The ocean's right outside, you moron!" Then her air was stolen again as that molten hot hand closed tightly around her throat.

"ILLBEBACKTOSAVEYOUERIISWEAR!" The ball of fire with legs that was Ichigo ran right back out the way he had come in.

--------------------------

Adriel yawned and wandered about the empty open side of the ship, idly wondering where everyone went.

"…GANGWAYGANGWAYGANGWAYGANGWAY!" Ichigo came running past him, screaming his lungs off and on fire.

Adriel sighed. ("I really wish I had brought my camera with me.") As he thought this a loud splash could be heard in the background, followed by the sound of Erian panicking and throwing a life preserver to Ichigo.

---------------------------------

A couple of minutes later, Ichigo was back on board. Most of the ash from the fire had been washed off in the ocean, but the edges of his normally rather puffy hairdo were blackened and overall he looked miserable. "We have to hurry, Eri's needs our help!"

"What?" Adriel, who had enjoyed every second of watching Ichigo getting pulled out of the ocean like a drowned rat, suddenly grabbed the other boy by his collar and forced him to his feet. "If Eri is in trouble then why didn't you help her?"

"Sorry, I was a little preoccupied considering I was on fire!" The half-demon slapped Adriel's hands away. "Anyway, let's go!" They all ran for the cargo hold, except that as soon as Adriel was out of his immediate line of sight Ichigo stopped in his tracks. Giving Erian a knowing little nod, he ran in the opposite direction.

------------------------------

Eri couldn't move anymore, two bars of metal welded around her body as a pair of restraints. Her throat was horribly red, and she was having too much trouble drawing in air to do much more than simply lie on her side and groan.

Volcania laughed crazily and paced the inside of the hold. "Now how should I destroy you all, eh? Maybe I should just cut the hull open and let you all drown. Or perhaps you'd like to die in a big fiery explosion?" She clapped her hands together. "There are just too many choices!"

Suddenly the sound of running footsteps could be heard as Adriel and Erian came running into the hold at full speed. "Eri!"

Volcania looked at the two boys and a smile crossed her face. "What's this? Two more boys have come to play with me?" Snapping her hands up, she sneered as two jets of flame fired from her palms at them. Adriel threw himself to the side, while Erian yelped and hurled himself behind a stack of steel crates. "What's the matter, boys? I thought you had come down here to play with me? Why are you both running?" With Erian out of sight, she turned her attention specifically to Adriel. "Light my fire, cutie!"

Adriel would have groaned at that horrid joke, but his attention was focused on dodging as he flipped and rolled to avoid the blasts of fire coming from Volcania's hands. ("I can't get close enough to fight back, damn it!")

From behind his hiding place, Erian sat in deep thought. ("Ichigo said that I shouldn't use my powers in front of anyone unless it was an emergency.") He blinked as he realized something. ("Wait…what's 'emergency' mean?") Without that knowledge in mind, he decided it would be best to leave it to Adriel for now.

Volcania walked through the patches of flame her attacks left behind without any reaction, while she slowly forced Adriel into a corner of the hold through use of her flames. Finally, he was forced to press his back against the wall of the hold to avoid the little tongues of fire from the walls. "There's nowhere to run." She licked her lips. "But for keeping me entertained I'll make sure to finish you quickly."

A spray of white foam from the ceiling suddenly engulfed the patches of fire and Adriel, immediately putting out the flames.

Volcania snapped her head up towards the shadowed steel beams above. "Who did that?"

"That would be me." There was a loud click noise and a bright source-less circle of light lit up an area of the rafters where there stood a young man of about twenty years of age or so. He had brown hair that went to the top of his shoulder, and a pair of deep blue eyes. He also wore a light blue bodysuit with segments of dark blue armor attached to it. In his right hand there was a fire extinguisher.

Volcania's left eye started to twitch angrily. "That doesn't answer my question!"

The young man smiled and pointed up at the ceiling. "I am the hero of the heavens!" His hand snapped down and he thumbed at his chest. "In the name of love and justice, I will be the one to right the wrongs you have committed!" Leaping from the rafters, he landed the rather far drop without a scratch on him. Standing up tall, he pointed right at the creature. "I am Starlight Savior!"

"Starlight Savior?" Volcania suddenly smiled. "Interesting, so you did show up…"

He tilted his head to the side quizzically. "You…were expecting me?"

"We have quite a bit of interest in you, Starlight Savior." She pointed at him. "My masters wish to speak with you personally."

"I'll have to decline." Placing the fire extinguisher off to his side, he cracked his knuckles. "And I'll also have to request that you get lost."

"Really?" She snapped one palm up so it was aimed at Eri's unmoving body. "Then would a hostage convince you otherwise."

He aimed one of his own palms up towards the ceiling. "No." Light blue energy exploded around them, and a bubble of the same color appeared that sealed them both in the same area. **"Awaken Libra, Soul of Balance! I summon your power and bring forth the Infinity Trial!"**

Volcania glanced around her nervously. "What is this?"

"It is an Infinity Trial." Lifting up his right arm, Starlight Savior closed his eyes and a duel disk made of the same dark blue metal that covered his armor appeared on that limb. "It is a method of judgment. Now then, I assume you know what this is?"

She scoffed and fire washed over her arm. When it cleared, there was a red-armored duel disk attached to that same arm. "Of course I know what that is. So, you want to determine the winner of this through a Darkness Game? That's fine." Her deck was already in place and she was ready. This would be her first Darkness Game, and that meant the perfect test for her abilities.

His deck also already in place, Starlight Savior nodded to her. "You may determine who goes first then, if you wish."

"I'll heat things up for the start then!" Even as she drew her opening six cards, she heard Adriel groan at how bad that joke was from under the fire extinguisher foam. Glancing at all of her cards, she smirked to herself. ("This is an excellent starting hand and one that will allow me to destroy this interloper".) "First I summon Foxfire in defense mode!" A small red fox with a flaming tail appeared in play. (300/200) "End turn."

"Heat things up, eh?" Drawing, Starlight Savior played the drawn card onto his disk. "If you want to talk about heat, then allow me to introduce you to Planetary Aspect Mars!" A pillar of fire exploded out of his field and formed into a male humanoid wearing bright red power armor. (1600/1500) "Mars, attack her Foxfire with Flames of War!" His monster let out a battle cry and threw a fireball across the field that swallowed up the little creature and destroyed it. "When Mars destroys a monster as a result of battle, you take 300 points of damage!"

Volcania let out a cry of pain as a flash of fire exploded out of the ground and seared her.

Volcania- 3700

Starlight Savior- 4000

Fanning out the other five cards in his hand, the hero nodded at them and then inserted a card into his disk. "I also place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Volcania snickered at him. "During the end phase of a turn that my face-up Foxfire was destroyed as a result of battle, it returns." A little ball of fire appeared on her field and formed into the little fox once more. "Now I begin my turn!" She drew. "I summon another Foxfire in defense mode!" A duplicate of her first little fox appeared in play alongside its brother. "Also, I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn!"

Starlight Savior drew. "I'm not a hundred percent sure what you're up to, but I can already tell you're building up for some kind of special strategy."

Throwing her back her hair and laughing loudly, she tilted her head back down to his eye level and sneered. "So what if you think you get it? What will you do about it? Every time you destroy my Foxfire monster, it returns. And your piddling little 300 damage effect won't take me down alone!"

"You're right." He smiled right back at her. "Then let me add to the power! I summon Planetary Aspect Jupiter!" A bolt of green lightning crashed down onto his field and a male humanoid in green power armor appeared in play. (1700/1600) "Jupiter and Mars, attack with Celestial Lightning and Flames of War!"

"Reverse card open!" Volcania snickered as her face-down revealed a trap with a picture of a monster destroying a flaming monster and getting hit by a backlash of fire that came from the monster's body. "My card is the continuous trap card Backfire, which while face-up in play means that whenever a fire attribute on my field is destroyed you take 500 points of damage!"

"What?" Starlight Savior's eyes widened as his two monsters released blasts of lightning and fire that instantly vaporized the two Foxfires. "That might be so, but when Jupiter destroys a monster as a result of battle you take 400 points of damage!" Right as he said that he was swallowed up in an explosion of fire at the same time his opponent was engulfed in lightning and flame.

Volcania- 3000

Starlight Savior- 3000

As the smoke cleared, the hero smiled slightly. "You're pretty good, Volcania. Now our life points are even." He inserted two cards into his duel disk alongside his other set card. "I place two cards face-down in play and end my turn."

Volcania just smiled darkly at his folly. "Thank you for making my next turn all the more fulfilling, fool!" Her two Foxfires reappeared in play, and she drew while he gasped in surprise. "Did you really think I was simply defending? If so then you are stupid."

Holding up one of the cards in her hand, she licked her lips in anticipation for what was coming next. "The power of Foolish Burial lets me send one monster from my deck to the graveyard." Removing a card from her deck, she slid it into her graveyard. "The card I selected was Lava Doll. When it is sent from my deck to the graveyard, you take 200 points of damage!" A glob of molten lava shot out of her graveyard slot and struck Starlight Savior in the chest.

Volcania- 3000

Starlight Savior- 2800

Biting back a scream from the pain caused by the burning heat of the damage, the hero didn't back down. "I won't lose to you, not while everyone needs my protection!"

"Ha! Say that while you can weakling!" She snapped up another magic card from her hand. "I activate the magic card Flute of Hamelin! This magic card allows me to select one monster that has been sent to my graveyard during this turn. After I select the monster, you and I both send all copies of that card from our hands and decks to the graveyard. My choice is Lava Doll!" Removing two more cards from her deck, she discarded them. "Take your 400 damage, hero!" Two more balls of molten lava shot out of her graveyard and slammed into his body.

Volcania- 3000

Starlight Savior- 2400

Dropping to one knee, Starlight Savior just tried to relax his breathing so the damage didn't hurt quite as much as it did. ("I can't feel my chest…")

"I hope you aren't tired, because I'm not done yet!" Volcania inserted a card into her disk. "My next magic card is Brutal Sacrifice. During this turn, all monsters that are sacrificed are treated as if they were destroyed as a result of battle." She pointed at her two Foxfires. "And with that, I summon my ultimate monster!" Her two Foxfires exploded into a giant conflagration that tore high into the air. It slowly took the shape of a giant centaur-like monster made entirely of fire. "I tribute my two Foxfires to summon my Infernal Flame Emperor!" (2700/1600)

"Infernal Flame Emperor?" Starlight Savior stumbled to his feet, hands hovering over his disk. "You know better than to attack, correct? These face-down cards aren't bluffs."

"Of course they aren't, but so what?" Volcania pointed at her giant Flame Emperor. "When Infernal Flame Emperor is tribute summoned I may remove up to five fire attribute monsters from my graveyard! For each one removed, one magic or trap card in play will be destroyed!" The three Lava Doll cards she had discarded were ejected from her graveyard. "Therefore, your defenses are cleared!"

Three fireballs exploded from the Flame Emperor's body and melted the hero's three set cards into nothing. "Also, because my two Foxfires were treated as though they were destroyed in battle that triggers the effect of Backfire!" Her laughter grew louder as he screamed from the fact that he was on fire once more.

Volcania- 3000

Starlight Savior- 1400

"And then…" Volcania pointed at Planetary Aspect Jupiter. "Go Emperor, Inferno of Lords!" The giant flame monster hurled a massive fireball that instantly destroyed the hero's monster, and also added to the flames that were already burning him alive. "I end my turn with the continuous magic card Lava Core."

The card that appeared on her field had a picture of an active volcano belching its molten contents high into the air. "At the beginning of a player's end phase, for every fire attribute monster they have in play, their opponent takes 300 points of damage! End turn!" Her card let off a red glow and added its fire to the inferno that was consuming her enemy. Right after that her two Foxfires reappeared in play in defense mode.

Volcania- 3000

Starlight Savior- 200

Finally the fire died down to reveal Starlight Savior somehow still standing. His eyes, unlike his body, reflected a focused determination that surpassed physical pain. "I'll only say this once, Volcania! I…will…win!" He drew two cards from his deck. "During my next standby phase after Jupiter is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I may draw one card."

Flipping one of the drawn cards over, he drew two more cards. "I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, drawing two cards from my deck." Fanning out his five card hand, he suddenly grinned widely. "Here I go! First I summon Planetary Aspect Venus in attack mode!" A golden glow fell over his field as a female humanoid in bright yellow power armor appeared on his field. (1400/1200)

"So you have another weakling monster?" She just shook her head sadly. "You won't win and you know it!"

"Keep telling yourself that." Flipping one of the cards in his hand over, it revealed a magic card with a picture of a floating ball of fire with the planetary symbol for Mars on it. "I activate the magic card Fire Soul, special summoning two Fire Soul Tokens if Mars is in play!" (500/500x2) A pair of fireballs appeared on his field. "When these tokens are destroyed, you take 500 points of damage!"

"Also, I activate the magic card Love Chain!" A golden chain exploded out of the ground and wrapped around Volcania's Backfire trap card, pulling it to his field. "If Venus is in play I may take control of one card from your field! Now I've got your Backfire trap card, which means that whenever I lose a fire monster you'll be the one to take 500 life points of damage."

"Are you stupid or something? What does that accomplish?" A single bulging vein could be seen on her bright red forehead. "The damage is useless considering my life point total!"

Holding up another card, Starlight Savior smiled widely. "I activate the magic card Miracle Summon! If Planetary Aspect Earth is in my hand, I may special summon it!" A large male humanoid wearing green and blue armor appeared on his field. (3000/2900) "During the turn that Miracle Summon is activated, all battle damage I take is zero."

The body of his Venus started to glow. "When I activate a card that has Planetary Aspect in its text, a counter is given to Venus! When she has three counters I may remove them all to add one magic card that has the name of a specific Planetary Aspect monster in its text from my deck to my hand!"

Volcania's eyes widened as she looked at her opponent's field. "Wait…that means…" She suddenly smirked. "I just did the math. It won't be enough by just a little bit and that means during the next turn my Lava Core will finish you off!"

"That little bit…" He removed a card from his deck and flipped it over. "Is right here, Volcania! I activate the magic card Burning Mandala!" His Planetary Aspect Mars started to chant. "During this turn Mars may attack a number of times equal to the number of monsters I have in play, but also during this turn I cannot attack you directly! Fire Soul Tokens, attack Infernal Flame Emperor now!" Both of his little fireballs snuffed themselves out as they tackled the mighty monster and were instantly obliterated. "When my tokens are destroyed, you take 500 points of damage per each one destroyed. Plus Backfire triggers now and you take 500 more points of damage per destroyed token!"

Volcania's eyes widened and she screamed in pain as she was swallowed up by an explosive fire similar to the one she had hit him with.

Volcania- 1000

Starlight Savior- 200

"Earth, attack Infernal Flame Emperor with Planet Crusher!" Starlight Savior snickered as his strongest monster drop-kicked the living bonfire and blew it apart.

Volcania- 700

Starlight Savior- 200

"Burning Mandala's effect lets Mars attack three times now!" The hero pointed at the two Foxfires. "I can't attack directly, but that doesn't matter! Burning Mandala!" His bright red monster threw a pair of rings made of fire across the field which slashed the little foxes apart. "When Mars destroys a monster a result of battle you take 300 points of damage!" The flame around Volcania's body grew brighter for a moment, and then snuffed out.

Volcania- 100

Starlight Savior- 200

Even though she was now charred and injured, Volcania still had the strength to laugh. "You…you didn't defeat me. You can't attack directly, so in the end I win!"

Closing his eyes and crossing his arms across his chest, Starlight Savior just kept smirking to himself. "At the beginning of my end phase the effect of your Lava Core deals you 300 points of damage for every fire attribute monster I have in play. If you haven't figured it out by now, Mars' attribute is fire! End turn!"

Volcania opened her mouth to protest, but she already knew that was the truth. She had lost…

Volcania- 0

Starlight Savior- 200

Volcania stood up weakly, her legs trembling beneath her. "For…my master, I will not be defeated!"

Holding out his right hand, Starlight Savior looked serious now. **"Awaken Aquarius, Soul of Purification!"** A dark blue crystal flute appeared on his hands. Lifting it to his lips, he started to play a song that seemed to transcend the mere concept of sound, creating a peaceful aura around the hold. Finishing his song, he aimed the flute at the weakened Volcania. **"Infinite Darkness Purge!"**

Clutching at her throat, the creature seemed to be gagging on something…and then she spat out a steam of black slime that condensed into a sphere shape right in front of her. "That…that can't be…"

Holding the flute tightly, Starlight Savior had his eyes locked on that sphere. **"Awaken Aries, Soul of Assertion!"** The flute shifted, flowing into the shape of a blade. **"Let the dark blood be cleansed from this Miracle World!"** Light exploded from the blade as it grew in length, transforming into an ornate weapon will multiple kinds of jewels installed in it. "That sphere is your dark existence, monster. You will leave the body you inhabit right this moment!"

The blade and his arms fell to his side. All around them the light seemed to fade, leaving only him and sphere in plain view. And then he was moving, the crystal blade slashing upwards in a rising crescent that left a dark blue afterimage in the air. **"Infinite Starlight Slash!"** Darkness turned to blinding light, and within that light the shape of the sphere could be seen splitting in half and then dissipating like mist.

Collapsing face-first to the ground, Volcania's body slowly faded to reveal the girl she had possessed.

--------------------------------------------

"Where were you?" Eri threw a punch that Ichigo easily dodged. Frustrated that it didn't connect, she chased after him punching rapidly.

"I was trying to find a fire extinguisher!" Ducking, the half-demon didn't see her knee coming until it had already connected with his chin.

Adriel sighed and brushed some more of the foam from his hair. ("That Starlight Savior character…") He glanced over at Ichigo, who was currently bleeding profusely from the nose, and narrowed his eyes. ("I wonder…")

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: Thank you, all of you who sent me reviews. To the rest of you, I'm assuming you're enjoying the story so far, but it would be nice to get your feedback and all.

As before, I'm still accepting character submissions but I would like them in the forum under my account name, if at all possible.

And yes, this chapter was longer than the last one, despite what I said. I wanted to get all this out of the way in one shot.


	3. The Challenge Made Part 1

Disclaimer: If I owned GX, you think I'd still be here posting this stuff? Psh, you're off your rocker.

The Infinity Chronicles-Second Semester Arc

Chapter 3: The Challenge Made (Part 1)

**DATA PROMPT ONLINE, CONNECTING TO HOME SERVER…**

**WAITING…**

…

…

…

**CONNECTION ESTABLISHED…**

The computer beeped loudly and the speakers crackled. Blue light from the featureless screen was the only thing in the room, but it was too dark to make out who was sitting at the computer.

Once more the speakers crackled, and a garbled voice came out of them. "This message meant for all field agents. Your reports on the defense capabilities of this planet are expected within the next few weeks, this world's time of course."

The hands of whoever was sitting in front of the computer started to type rapidly, the clicking of the keys the only noise in the apparently cramped little room.

**This is Agent Four of group Sixty-three reporting…**

**YOU FAILED IN YOUR MISSION, AGENT FOUR. THIS IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE LOSS ON OUR PART, SINCE THIS MEANS THAT NOW THE GUARDIAN KNOWS ABOUT US.**

**I deeply apologize for my failure, but do not worry. This time I intend to deal with the problem myself.**

**VERY WELL, WE WILL EXCUSE YOUR FAILURE. HOWEVER, WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO DO?**

**It's simply really. Starlight Savior appeared on the boat and defeated the Vengeance, so that means that he must be one of the passengers on board.**

**ACCORDING TO YOUR REPORT, THERE WERE OVER FIFTY HUMANS ABOARD THAT SHIP HOWEVER. THE PERCENTAGES FOR SUCCESSFULLY FINDING HIM IS NOT IN OUR FAVOR.**

**It matters not. I'm sure of it now…he's a duelist of strong caliber. My best bet is to simply find a way to get the occupants of the boat to duel against each other and scan their energy patterns when they are stressed. That should give me the data I need to tell me just who is our enemy.**

**DO NOT FAIL THIS TIME, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?**

**Yes.**

----------------------------------

The captain of the cargo ship that had been transporting the students to Duelist Academy, a rough giant of a man, looked sourly out the window of his quarters. "Do you understand what you have done?"

Ichigo and Erian, the former sporting a bandage over the right side of his face, both had their heads down. Ichigo's wolf ears were lilted, and overall he looked absolutely depressed.

Without waiting for their reply, the captain continued. "We established when you all boarded that students weren't allowed to certain areas for a reason…" Turning, he fixed them both with a steely glare. "And yet because both of you ignored those limits, we are now currently stranded at sea for the next few days without supplies because you went and broke the engine."

Erian blushed and started to stammer. "I'm terribly sorry sir, I didn't mean it. Ichigo and I were just having fun playing with that Frisbee. We didn't mean for it to get stuck in the engine line and cause the whole thing to blow up…sorta."

"It didn't blow up, but you broke some very hard to repair equipment." The captain looked over at Ichigo. "And you, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Ichigo sniffled and lifted up something he had holding behind his back. It was a twisted lump of red plastic. "Your engine ruined my favorite Frisbee…"

Eri sat kneeling at the bow of the ship and took a sip of her tea. ("5…4…3…2…1…") She heard a loud grunt, followed by a scream. Seconds later Ichigo, anime tears streaming down his face, came into her field of vision as the captain hurled him out the window of his quarters and into the ocean. "I knew it."

---------------------------------

A few hours later the sun had set completely, and the students were rationing what little food they had on them. All of them were gathered on the deck while the crew of the ship was inspecting the engine room to see if there was something they could do to jury-rig it and get to Duelist Academy.

Eri glared at Ichigo angrily before taking a bite out of the piece of beef jerky she had taken from her emergency rations. "At first

I just chocked it up to your stupidity, but now that I think about it more what were doing in the engine room anyway?"

Ichigo shrugged and kicked up his feet, back resting against the metal railing of the deck. "I don't know, I was just enjoying myself is all."

Erian still looked overly depressed. "I'm really sorry…"

Eri, surprisingly, reached over and patted the multi-colored boy on the shoulder gently, a sweet smile on her face. "Don't feel sorry for Ichigo's sake. He rarely has guilt about anything he does wrong."

"That's not true!" Ichigo leapt to his feet and pointed right at her face. "There was that one time I sat on my boxed lunch and I felt really guilty then!"

Eri leapt to her feet and glared right back at him. "You did that to yourself, so how does it count?" Their argument was interrupted by a loud explosion that came from the front of the ship. "Damn it, now what did you do Ichigo?"

"How did I cause something that happened over there?" The half-demon turned and stomped off in the direction of the explosion. "Let's go see though!" Growling, Eri grabbed Erian by the collar and dragged him along as she stomped off after Ichigo.

-----------------------------------------

All of the students had gathered at the front of the ship, where there was currently a large cloud of pink colored smoke that covered the very front of the deck. _"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself!"_ The voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once was definitely female.

A sudden wind blew in and the pink smoke dispersed to reveal a single slim feminine figure standing on the metal railing. The speaker had been a short young woman, with a single long braid of bright pink hair wrapped around her neck, and a pair of eyes of the same color. Her outfit was a pink leotard that left very little to the imagination and in her hand rested a pink plastic microphone. _"I'm Meredith! And from the looks of it you folks are in need of assistance!"_

From near the back of the crowd of students, the captain could be seen pushing his way towards the front with some of the members of his crew. "Yes actually. Our engine is currently in need of repairs."

"_Well then worry not, because I have a deal for you!"_ Snapping her fingers, Meredith smiled charmingly as a pair of red-cloaked appeared on both sides of her. _"Our boat was just passing by and these two gentlemen happen to be excellent mechanics!"_ Snapping up a finger, she waggled it in the air in front of them. _"But there's a price you have to pay for such a favor! I want the best two duelists on this boat to battle!"_

The word duel resounded in Ichigo's head for about two instances…

Meredith looked out at the now chattering crowd. _"Come now, don't be shy…"_

"I volunteer!" Ichigo nearly shouted this right in her ear, since he was standing right next to her and he wanted to make sure his voice carried like hers did.

Meredith's heart skipped a beat and she spun around to stare at him. "How did you get up here so quickly?"

"I was already running up when you said duel." Grinning, Ichigo held up his middle and index fingers at the crowd to form the victory sign. "Now then, which of you wants to duel me?"

Every student on board knew about the reputation of Ichigo Pilkington, and knew that despite him being part of Osiris Red last year he beat more members of Obelisk Blue then could be counted. Therefore, no one really stepped forward.

Erian looked at Eri quizzically. "Why don't you duel him?"

The demoness scoffed. "Unlike him, I'm not a circus clown who performs for the benefit of others."

Meredith looked at all the members of the crowd sadly. _"Awww, nobody wants to duel him?"_

"That's a lie!" A single voice shouted down the murmuring voices amongst the students. "I will accept his challenge!"

Narrowing her eyes and peering into the crowd, Meredith tried to find the owner of the voice. _"Who's there?"_

"Who's there', you say?" The voice started to laugh dramatically. "I am the…"

"Get out here already Adriel!" Ichigo tapped his foot against the deck impatiently. "I wanna duel you already!"

The voice had gone silent…and Adriel suddenly was flying down from the upper levels of the ship, dropping an elbow on the back of Ichigo's head and instantly knocking him unconscious. Everyone stared at him wide-eyed, until he took the microphone from Meredith's hand and brought it up to his mouth dramatically. _"As I was saying, I am the burning spirit of draconic power!"_ His right hand, balled into a fist, was ready for what was coming next. _"I am the duelist who stands above all others in battle, for my skill is that of a god!"_

Sure enough, Ichigo was already getting up. The black-haired boy quickly changed that plan with a well-aimed punch in the back of the skull. _"I am Adriel Zaytel, wielder of the blowing winds of passion and the mighty legacy of the dragons!"_ His last statement was announced with such power behind it that the entire crowd was awed.

Handing the microphone back to Meredith, Adriel started to walk away. "The duel will be in ten minutes in the cargo hold. Don't be late, Pilkington."

Meredith blinked at the boy's back. ("Who…")

Ichigo suddenly leapt to his feet, apparently unharmed. "Me? Late for a duel? Hah, you're out of your mind if you think I'll miss this! Nobody outdoes me when it comes to being cool when dueling!" He then ran right past the crowd, headed straight for the cargo hold. "I won't lose either!"

Meredith stared at Ichigo now. _"What…wait…I…"_ Her flow broken, she just put the microphone away and glanced at the two cloaked figures. "Go to work, but remember the plan."

Both of them nodded slightly and disappeared.

-------------------------

Adriel was headed straight for his destiny now. As his boots clicked on the metal floor of the hallway, he couldn't help but smile confidently. ("I will finally get the chance to destroy that fool, and this is sufficient coverage of it. I want the world to see his defeat, but since that isn't possible…") Spinning around, he pointed at a metal hatch-door that was open a crack. "Come out now, whoever you are! You've been following me since I left the deck, and I'm growing weary of it!"

The hatch creaked open and a girl wearing a Ra Yellow uniform poked her head out of it. She had deep amber-colored eyes and long silver hair. "Ummm…ummm…" Her cheeks suddenly flushed bright red.

Adriel narrowed his eyes angrily. "Spit it out already."

"Good luck!" Whispering that quietly, the girl and ran the other way as fast as her legs would carry her.

"What the hell was that all about?" Scratching the top of his head, Adriel turned and returned to the march to his duel of destiny. ("Ichigo Pilkington. I will crush you finally!")

------------------------------------

A few minutes later all of the students and most of the crew had relocated to the cargo hold, all of them using crates and other items lying around as seats. They all surrounded one of the two rings located in the cargo hold. Ichigo stood at one end, smiling widely at Adriel. "You finally got what you wanted. I hope you don't regret it later, Adriel!"

Brushing his shoulders off and adjusting his duel disk, Adriel was all the more confident that he wasn't going to lose now. "You know nothing of my new strategy, so there's no chance that you'll be able to counter it beforehand."

"Let's…" Ichigo was about to draw his opening hand, but a loud screeching noise echoed across the hold and dropped him to his knees, clutching at his wolf ears in pain.

Meredith, who stood right behind him, giggled. "That's what you get for yelling in my ear before." Lifting up her arm, she revealed a pink-colored duel disk with peach-colored monster zones. "Alright boys, let's begin."

"Begin?" Adriel blinked a few times and it suddenly sank in. "There's no damn way I'm dueling you! Get out of the way and let me duel Pilkington!"

The woman waved a finger in the air. "That's not an option. I guess I should have elaborated when I made my challenge, but I wanted to duel the two best duelists on this boat, not watch them duel."

"I absolutely do not accept those conditions!" Adriel screamed at her. Then he realized that Ichigo was standing about five feet off to his side. "What are you doing over here?"

Ichigo blinked and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, we're going to duel her two on one, right?"

"I said no! You're my opponent, not her!" Adriel turned to walk away…

Meredith shrugged helplessly. "That's too bad. Then it looks like you all will be stranded out here for awhile." Turning, she prepared to walk away as well.

"Huh?" Ichigo's eyes bugged out of his head and he looked at Adriel's back, and then at Meredith's. "Wait! I want to duel somebody! Come on!" He ran over and latched onto Adriel's waist. "Come on Adriel, just one duel against her! Then I'll duel you all you want!"

"Let me go!" The spiky-haired boy struggled and tried to get away. He was already in a foul mood now, and didn't even feel like dueling. "I said let me go!"

Meredith stopped and turned to look at them both. ("Blast it, for my research to work I need to study their abilities when they're focused on dueling me.") "I'll make you a deal, boy." She looked straight at Adriel. "If you duel two on one against me with the other boy, then if I am defeated the duel immediately becomes a one on one between you and him."

Adriel stopped in his tracks and calmly smiled. "That's fine."

"Really?" Standing up straight and removing himself from Adriel's waist, Ichigo jumped up and down in happiness. "Alright, I do get to duel!" Running back to his position on the field, he activated his duel disk.

Adriel quietly followed, taking his place and activating his duel disk again. ("If that's the case, then this is perfect. I'll simply let Pilkington do most of the work for me, and then when I see the opportunity I'll wipe out the woman and finish him off right after.")

All three of them faced off, and then all at once they drew their opening hands. "Duel!"

Merideth- 4000

Adriel- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: These are about the normal length of my chapters, just so you know.


	4. The Challenge Made Part 2

Disclaimer: Don't own GX, you know this.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 4: The Challenge Made (Part 2)

_Adriel quietly followed, taking his place and activating his duel disk again. ("If that's the case, then this is perfect. I'll simply let Pilkington do most of the work for me, and then when I see the opportunity I'll wipe out the woman and finish him off right after.")_

_All three of them faced off, and then all at once they drew their opening hands. "Duel!"_

_Meredith- 4000_

_Adriel- 4000_

_Ichigo- 4000_

Meredith smirked confidently at the two boys. "The both of you will be lots of fun to duel. Now then, let's see which one of you is the best!" Drawing the top card off of her deck, she giggled at the serious expressions on both of their faces. "What's the matter? Why do you both look so sour?"

Ichigo smiled and rubbed an index finger under his nose. "Sorry, I'll try to enjoy this more. It's just I've never worked with Adriel before in a duel."

"Then this should be a learning experience." Meredith giggled again. ("It's a shame I researched this game extensively, and thanks to that research this deck is more than strong enough to beat you. Of course, I also understand that there is a power to a theme as well. As such, this multiplayer control deck will defeat you both.") Placing a card face-down on her disk, she winked to the both of them. "I'll just set a monster face-down and end my turn." A horizontal brown-backed card appeared in front of her as she said this.

Adriel snickered and drew the top card of his deck as well. One look at it told him exactly what he needed to know too. ("Excellent. Now then…") He glanced over at Ichigo for a few seconds and then placed a monster onto his disk. "I place one monster face-down as well. End turn."

"Draw." Ichigo looked at the all of the cards in his hand and then his expression turned stone-faced. "I place one card face-down on my field and summon Final Shadow Void Mercenary!" A black-suited agent wearing a black metal helmet appeared on his field. (1700/1600) "When Void Mercenary is normal summoned, flip summoned, or special summoned I may send one card from my field back to my deck. If I do so, I may equip Void Mercenary with one equipment magic card from my deck."

Removing the card he had set, he held it up for Meredith to see. "My set card is the trap card Inside Agent." The picture on the card was of a row of security guards, one of which had a strange smile on its face. "When this card is sent from my field back to my deck, its effect triggers. The next time I draw this card, I send it to my graveyard and then look at the hand of one player. After that I select a monster in their hand and special summon it to my field."

Shuffling the trap back into his deck, he removed a different card and inserted it into the disk. "Void Mercenary is now equipped with the magic card Police Scanner!" Extending its arm, the agent suddenly was holding a small grey box attached to a handle with a speaker. "Once per turn I may negate one attack as long as Police Scanner is equipped to a Final Shadow. For my final move, I'll set a new card face-down. End turn." Now he had only three cards in his hand, but with Police Scanner on his Mercenary he had a good starting line of defense.

Meredith looked at both duelists' fields. ("I can already identify what they intend to do just from what cards they played this turn. Adriel doesn't intend to commit anything to his field until the opportunity to land the final blow against me arrives, so that he can go straight to destroying Ichigo. And Ichigo is playing in expectation of an attack.")

Drawing, she inserted a card into her disk. "I activate the continuous magic card God Damage Mirror." A large ornate mirror appeared on her field. "This card's special ability allows me to reflect any effect damage on my life points to a different player once per turn. Of course, the target of the redirection cannot be the source, but in this multiplayer duel that's fine."

Adriel didn't mind too much either, as that would let him soften up Ichigo for the killing blow that would come right after he steam-rolled this woman.

Ichigo just nodded sagely. "Hmmm, so your deck is ready for this kind of duel huh?"

"Of course it is. Do you think I would challenge the two of you to a two on one duel if I didn't have the cards to give me an advantage?" She inserted two new cards into her disk. "Now I set two cards face-down on the field and end my turn." With her two set cards and her face-down monster, there was very little her two opponents could do except run face-first into her traps.

Adriel drew and without even bothering to look at the drawn card nodded to Ichigo. "End turn."

The half-demon drew, frowning slightly. "Hey Adriel, this is supposed to be a team effort you know." After double-checking the cards in his hand he pointed at the set monster on Meredith's field. "Void Mercenary attack her set monster!" The warrior front-flipped across the field and slammed its heel down on the face-down monster, shattering it.

Meredith pointed at Ichigo's Void Mercenary. "You might regret doing that when you see what happens next." The warrior back-flipped over to Ichigo and kicked him in the midsection roughly. "My monster was Illusion Master, which when face-down and destroyed as a result of battle deals the original attack of the destroying monster in damage to your life points!"

Meredith- 4000

Adriel- 4000

Ichigo- 2400

"That's not all though!" Meredith pointed at one of her set cards, which flipped up to reveal a picture of a soldier holding a knife standing over the dead body of a noble. "Treacherous Guilt is a continuous trap card that uses it effect whenever you take effect damage or battle damage using the scores of one of your monsters. That monster is then destroyed!" Void Mercenary exploded right in Ichigo's face.

Gritting his teeth at how frustrating that was, Ichigo placed a card onto his duel disk and a black-suited warrior holding a large black metal shield in front of it appeared on his field. "I summon Final Shadow Shield Guardian in defense mode." (0?) "Its original defense is equal to the number of defense position on my partner's and my fields times 1500!" (0/3000) "End turn."

"Hold on." Meredith pointed at her other set card. "I activate the continuous trap card Final Attack Orders. As long as this card is face-up in play, all face-up defense mode monsters are forced into attack mode!"

Ichigo gasped as his heavy defender stood up. (0/1500)

Drawing, the woman flipped the drawn card over. "I activate the continuous magic card Center Stage! As long as this card is in play, all facedown monsters are now face-up." A bright spotlight fell over their fields.

It was Adriel's turn to gasp as his face-down Invincible Dragon (0/0) flipped up, revealing a round-bodied dragon made of metal. ("When Invincible Dragon is in defense mode it cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. Since she changed it to face-up, it switches to attack mode because of her Final Attack Orders and can now be destroyed in battle!") A single drop of sweat slid down his forehead.

Giggling louder at the panicked expressions on the faces of both boys, Meredith flipped one of the cards in her hand over. "I activate the effect of the magic card Shield Failure. All monsters in play that either have no attack points or cannot be destroyed as a result of battle are destroyed!" Both Adriel's dragon and Ichigo's Final Shadow exploded. "As an added bonus, the controller of those monsters takes the original defense of their monster in damage!"

Though the explosion pounded against him, Ichigo just smirked. "When you switched Adriel's defense mode Invincible Dragon to attack mode, you made the number of defense mode monsters on our fields zero. That meant the original defense of my Shield Guardian was zero, so I take no damage."

Adriel smirked too. "And my monster had no defense points to begin with, so your card didn't hurt me at all."

Meredith inserted another card into her disk. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn." Now she had her four face-up continuous cards, a single set card, and a single card in her hand. "Even though neither of you were harmed by card effect, you can't simply ignore the fact that I'm easily destroying your defenses. If either of you take this duel too lightly, you will lose."

"Stop trying to tell me how to duel." Adriel drew. "Ah, now we're getting somewhere. I place two cards face-down on my field and end my turn."

Ichigo sweat-dropped. "Adriel…come on now…" Sighing, he drew and fanned out the four cards in his hand. ("I don't have any monsters now.") "I'll place three cards face-down on my field and play the continuous magic card Mirage of Nightmare. End turn." Now his magic and trap zones were full like Meredith's, but soon enough that would change.

Meredith removed the top card of her deck and winked at Ichigo. "I know all about your card. Mirage of Nightmare lets you, during your opponent's standby phase, draw until you are holding four cards in your hand. However, that won't be the case this time! Reverse card open, Dust Tornado!" Her face-down card flipped up and a blast of dirty wind slammed into Ichigo's continuous magic card. "This will destroy your card before you can draw!"

"You might stop me from drawing from its effect, but I still intend to bolster my life points thanks to it!" Ichigo's set Emergency Provisions flipped up. "This quickplay magic card lets me send magic and trap cards from my field to the graveyard to gain 1000 life points per sacrificed card! I choose all of the cards!" His field disappeared and his life points skyrocketed.

Meredith- 4000

Adriel- 4000

Ichigo- 6400

"Interesting, so you didn't have any good cards in your hand?" Meredith inserted a card into her disk. "Then this will be rather painful for you, my friend. I activate the magic card Dark Mirror of Lies!"

Ichigo expected something to happen to him, but instead huge holographic representations of Adriel's hand cards suddenly appeared in the air above him, showing every card in his hand. "Huh?"

"Dark Mirror of Lies lets me select a monster from one player's hand. After which I discard that monster to the graveyard and deal a different player damage equal to the attack of the selected monster!" Her eyes settled on the only monster in Adriel's hand. "Oh, what's this pretty little beast?"

Adriel snarled angrily. "If you're going to force me to lose it, then let me at least explain what it is." Flipping the real card over and inserting it into his graveyard, he gave Ichigo a sideways glare as if it was his fault that this was happening. "Its name is Envoy of the Dragon King and it is one of my strongest new cards." (3000/1500)

Ichigo looked at the holographic attack points of the discarded card for a few seconds, ears drooping. "Eep." Then he was engulfed in dark energy that sapped his strength and forced him to his knees.

Meredith- 4000

Adriel- 4000

Ichigo- 3400

Meredith took the last card in her hand and placed it into her disk. "Now I place a card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Letting out another angry growl at the fact that his strongest monster was banished to the graveyard before he even got a chance to use it, Adriel drew his next card in with a wide sweep of his hand in the drawing arc. Flipping the new card over so that it was facing him, he snickered and looked at Meredith with divine anger in his eyes. "Let me show you the power of my deck! I set two cards face-down and summon Raging Tides Dragon!" A water-blue dragon appeared on his field and roared loudly. (1500/1000) "This monster, when it successfully destroys a monster as a result of battle or directly attacks a player, allows me to send magic or trap cards from my field to the graveyard to attack once more, but each time I use this effect its attack points drop by 500 until the end of the turn!"

Meredith's eyes widened. "That would be a total of 3000 damage…"

"Consider it a gift for disarming my Envoy! Go Raging Tides Dragon, attack her life points directly! Torrent of Divine Might!" Adriel roared along with his dragon as it unleashed a powerful blast of water that hurtled across the field towards the pink-haired woman.

Meredith's fearful looked suddenly turned sly. "You're far too naïve. I reveal Dimension Tunnel! I may direct all battle damage from one monster to any player other than the controller of that monster! My choice is of course Ichigo!" The blast of water curved in mid-air and crashed into Ichigo's chest, sending him sliding out of the ring and into the side of the hold with a metal bang.

Adriel scoffed and pointed removed a card from his duel disk. "You think I care? I send Wingbeat of Giant Dragon to the graveyard and attack Ichigo directly again!" (1000/1000) Ichigo cries of pain grew louder as the pressure of the blast increased and forced him against the wall of the hold even more forcefully as the damage compounded. "I then send the magic card Super Rejuvenation from my field to the graveyard to attack Ichigo's life points directly again!" Adriel watched as Ichigo's body seemed to bend slightly under the full pressure of his Raging Tides Dragon and its attack power. (500/1000) "Since doing it again would be a waste, I end my battle phase." The jet of water stopped and Ichigo very slowly slid down the wall until he touched the floor.

Meredith- 4000

Adriel- 4000

Ichigo- 400

Adriel, confident his two set cards would protect him until the next turn, waved his hand dismissively. "I end my turn. Make your move, Pilkington." When he didn't hear any response to that, he turned to look at Ichigo. "Get up already and let's get this duel over with!"

Ichigo's body, upright against the wall of the hold, twitched slightly and his eyes fluttered open. "R…right…" Stumbling to his feet, he nearly dragged himself back to the dueling field and drew the top card of his deck. "I special summon…Final Shadow…" His eyes widened sharply and he dropped to his knees, clutching his side. ("I can't feel anything.") It might have been because of the water spray, but he felt cold all over.

Adriel scoffed and looked away. "If you're my rival then my new deck shouldn't have been able to hurt you that much."

Swallowing the strange discomfort from the fact that he couldn't feel anything right now, Ichigo stood up and nodded. His skin was a rather pale shade of white at the moment and his hands were trembling for some reason. But he could keep going for the sake of this duel. "I can't give up. Because it is the last card in my hand, I special summon Final Shadow Ebony Ninja in defense mode!" A jet-black ninja appeared on his field in a crouching position. (900/0) "When Ebony Ninja is summoned in this way, I may activate the magic card Ebony Calling Card from my deck!"

Removing a card from his deck and flipping it up, he shakily followed up by discarding it to the graveyard. "Ebony Calling Card can only work if Ebony Ninja is in play. All duelists in this game draw two cards." All three of them drew two new cards, but Ichigo was the only one to actually look at them seriously since it was still his turn.

From off the side, Erian noticed that Eri was frowning deeply at Ichigo. "What's the matter? Did he make a mistake?"

"Oh, it's nothing…" Eri fake-smiled at the boy, while in the back of her head she called Ichigo an idiot over and over again. ("You don't think I can smell it, can you?")

Ichigo shifted his side a little bit to conceal the huge spot of blood that was staining the side of his chest. "I place one card face-down in play and end my turn."

_To be continued…_


	5. The Challenge Made Part 3

Disclaimer: No I do not own GX.

The Infinity Chronicles-Second Semester Arc

Chapter 5: The Challenge Made (Part 3)

_Swallowing the strange discomfort from the fact that he couldn't feel anything right now, Ichigo stood up and nodded. His skin was a rather pale shade of white at the moment and his hands were trembling for some reason. But he could keep going for the sake of this duel. "I can't give up. Because it is the last card in my hand, I special summon Final Shadow Ebony Ninja in defense mode!" A jet-black ninja appeared on his field in a crouching position. (900/0) "When Ebony Ninja is summoned in this way, I may activate the magic card Ebony Calling Card from my deck!" _

_Removing a card from his deck and flipping it up, he shakily followed up by discarding it to the graveyard. "Ebony Calling Card can only work if Ebony Ninja is in play. All duelists in this game draw two cards." All three of them drew two new cards, but Ichigo was the only one to actually look at them seriously since it was still his turn. _

_From off the side, Erian noticed that Eri was frowning deeply at Ichigo. "What's the matter? Did he make a mistake?"_

"_Oh, it's nothing…" Eri fake-smiled at the boy, while in the back of her head she called Ichigo an idiot over and over again. ("You don't think I can smell it, can you?")_

_Ichigo shifted his side a little bit to conceal the huge spot of blood that was staining the side of his chest. "I place one card face-down in play and end my turn."_

Meredith tittered at how weak Ichigo looked now. ("After seeing all of that power behind Adriel's attack, I'm sure of it. He must be Starlight Savior!") Drawing the top card of her deck, she sneered at what it was. "Adriel let me do you a favor."

Adriel growled at her. "Don't mock me with pity! I will destroy Pilkington with my own…"

Inserting the card into the last space in his duel disk, Meredith smirked as a large metal mirror appeared on her field. "This continuous magic card is called Reflection. It's a very useful card in that it allows me to reflect attacks directly at my life points to other players. With this, you can reflect your attacks off of my field and attack Ichigo to your heart's content. Since his ninja has a defense score of zero, if you successfully strike it down with your Raging Tides Dragon and then follow up with another shot, you'll win. How does that sound? You'll finally have your revenge."

Adriel's eyes widened at that last sentence. ("She's right. Even if his face-down card is a trap, my set cards will stop them cold. He will lose, and I'll finally have my revenge…")

Shrugging nonchalantly, Meredith bowed to him. "Strike that last blow…" She smiled and pointed at the Ebony Ninja. "As for Ichigo, he must have forgotten the power of Final Attack Orders." The ninja suddenly stood up as it switched into attack mode. (900/0)

Adriel drew slowly, his eyes calm. ("I can finally defeat him.") "Pilkington, this is the end! My Raging Tides Dragon has 1500 attack points, and that means when it strikes down your monster you'll the one to lose! Raging Tides Dragon, attack Ichigo's Ebony Ninja with your mighty Torrent of Divine Might!" His dragon snorted and didn't move. "I said attack!"

Ichigo forced himself to stand. Even though it hurt again, he wouldn't cheapen Adriel's win by making himself seem weak. "It's fine. We know that you won it." He placed his hand over his deck…

"Don't surrender!" Adriel pointed at Meredith. "I ordered you to attack, Raging Tides Dragon! Unleash your divine power and crush him now! Do as I say!"

Ichigo heard all of this from a distance, because everything was getting dark. ("I can't stand up much longer. But Adriel wants this, and I won't deny him the sight.")

The Raging Tides Dragon still refused to move. It snorted again and turned to look at right at Adriel, long neck extending its head right into his face. Their eyes met, and he realized it was asking him why? Why should it attack?

"Because I want to see Ichigo Pilkington crushed for all of the times he has humiliated me!" When the dragon didn't move, his voice grew louder. "Vengeance is the key principle of the dragon demon race! Why won't you accept my order to strike him down?" It blinked once and let out a sharp string of low growls in response. "What do you mean 'this isn't vengeance?' Of course it is! He's made a fool of me countless times in the past, and I can't stand the sight of him anymore!"

Meredith, as well as the rest of the crowd, all stared at this scene like it was impossible. And that was because it should have been. No one's cards acted like this when part of the solid vision system.

"It's fine…" Ichigo tilted his head over to look at the Raging Tides Dragon. "Go ahead and attack. I understand his feelings, and I don't want to be the cause of someone else's anger. Strike me down…"

The Raging Tides Dragon snorted again and growled at Adriel. _("Why should I attack your friend?")_

"He's not my friend! What kind of nonsense is running through your head to make you think that?" The half-dragon demon pointed at the mirror on Meredith's field. "Now obey me and unleash your mighty water! Crush him!"

_("I told you I refuse. If you think he is an enemy, then the problem here isn't him…it's you.")_ The dragon roared right in his face. _("Are you like those who kill in anger? Because you haven't noticed that your 'enemy' is badly injured from my last attack.")_ It looked at Ichigo again. _("One of his ribs is cracked, and has torn some muscles around his lungs. If I attack again, I'm sure the damage will push that rib into his lungs. Even if he is a demon, that will kill him. Is that what you want?")_

Adriel's eyes widened. "Kill him? What are you…?" For the first time in the duel he actually bothered to look at Ichigo, and gasped in surprise.

Ichigo was on both knees now, clutching his sides and trying to stay conscious. His face was pale white, and his dark undershirt was stained red by blood. He looked pitiful.

"…." Adriel looked down at his hands. ("I did that to him? I injured him that badly?")

_("Think back on the times you lost to him…and tell me what you see.")_ The Raging Tides Dragon closed its eyes and waited.

-------------------------------

_Adriel stared numbly at his deck and then at his opponent. ("I…lost?")_

_Ichigo held out his hand. "Return the Dark Magician card, as you promised."_

_With a flick of his wrist, Adriel had the card in his hand again. He handed it to Ichigo and then picked up the remains of his deck. "I will get back at you for this, boy."_

_The half-demon flicked one of his ears and smiled mockingly. "The name is Ichigo Pilkington, and I'm ready for whatever you can throw at me. So come back whenever you feel up to it."_

_Adriel walked away from the dueling table trying to salvage what dignity he still had at the moment._

---------------------------------

_Adriel stood still, eyes wide. "But I didn't…even…"_

_Ichigo shrugged innocently and shuffled his cards together. "You're the one who challenged me. Sorry." He returned to his seat._

_Adriel numbly followed him._

------------------------------------

_Adriel pounded his fists into the ground. He still felt his awakened powers…but now he didn't feel invincible. ("To think I gained the strength my father possessed…and yet I still lost!") Closing his eyes, he prepared to be mocked and ridiculed._

"_Hey Adriel, that was a great game." Ichigo offered his hand to the Obelisk Blue student. "You nearly had me there. It all came down to luck on my part."_

_Adriel stared at Ichigo for a few moments, and then took his hand. "You mean…you're not going to mock me?"_

"_Why should I? You put up a great fight." Ichigo flashed the victory sign. "One wrong move on my part and I would have lost that duel. It was so close."_

_Adriel stood silent…and then smiled. "Perhaps next time then?"_

------------------------

Opening its eyes, the Raging Tides Dragon saw that Adriel had his vision aimed down at the ground. _("Why have you been consumed by hatred to crush this boy? Is it because he defeated you in the past? No, it's something deeper than that. Might it be that you hate him for having all the power he's had in the past? No, it's not that either.")_

Meredith frowned, as she and the audience couldn't hear what was going on. "Adriel, hurry up and finish him off! You'll never get a better opportunity to destroy the one who has humiliated you!" She knew nothing of their rivalry, but it was easy enough to guess what this was all about. "If you don't take this opportunity, you'll spend the rest of your life in his shadow. Take control of your fate and strike him down!"

Adriel's shadowed face suddenly lifted, his blue eyes locked onto Meredith. "Ichigo Pilkington…is special. He's destined to be a hero, and to always be the one to stand against the darkness no matter what happens. That is his pledge, and his fate." He snarled and his free hand clenched into a fist. "Why does it have to be that way? Why is it that he must be the only one destined for these great things? Does this mean that people like me will simply fall into nothingness when we die?"

"You hate your own powerlessness?" Meredith laughed. "Then perhaps you and I have something in common. We both seek power…"

"No!" Adriel closed his eyes again, images flashing before his mind's eye. "I've seen what power does to those who wield it, and I don't want that either!" He removed a card from his hand and inserted it into his duel disk. "I want to protect the world like Ichigo swore he would!"

Ichigo felt it suddenly, like a fire awakening in his ice cold body. Those words pushed warmth through him all at once. "Adriel?"

"He swore that he would protect this planet, and he's done the impossible to achieve those goals in the past!" The half-dragon demon snarled at the pink-haired woman. "I will do the same, to the best of my abilities! I've tried for too long to surpass him, and all of those times I've failed because my intent was selfish. In the name of this Miracle World I, Adriel Zaytel, will walk my own path to being a hero!"

"Adriel…" Ichigo stared at the other boy, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"As for you," Adriel's hand snapped up to point at Meredith. "You've pissed me off now! I activate Stamping Destruction, destroying your Reflection card and dealing you 500 points of damage!" His Raging Tides Dragon roared and the metal mirror shattered, spraying her with glass. "Raging Tides Dragon, attack her directly with a triple Torrent of Divine Might!"

Meredith gasped and threw up her hand to try and protect herself while she was pummeled by a drill-shaped blast of water.

Meredith- 2000

Adriel- 4000

Ichigo- 400

Adriel pointed at one of his two set cards, which dissolved into dust. "I send my set card to the graveyard and Raging Tides Dragon attacks directly once again with 500 less attack points!" (1000/1000) The water pressure increased on Meredith's body. "And I do it once more, just to make sure the point gets across to you!" His other set card vanished and the blast grew to its strongest form. (500/1000)

Meredith- 500

Adriel- 4000

Ichigo- 400

Adriel watched as Ichigo slowly stood up, appearing to be better now. "Now that I've gotten my point across, I set one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Ichigo, despite his injuries, smiled and drew. "Now that we're back on track, I'll end this! Ebony Ninja, attack her life points directly!" His ninja faded away, and appeared right behind Meredith. "Assassin Strike!"

Meredith screamed in pain as she felt a knife stab into her back for a few seconds.

Meredith- 0

Adriel- 4000

Ichigo- 400

As the holograms on the field disappeared, Adriel walked over to Ichigo and did the most uncharacteristic thing ever. He smiled in the same cheerful way that Ichigo smiled. "It looks like we won."

"Yeah, we did." Ichigo chuckled weakly. "So, is this the end of our rivalry?"

"Of course not." The half-dragon demon closed his eyes, his smile returning to his normal cold expression. "However, I acknowledge that we are friends. I will follow the path to being a hero, and I will surpass you there. And in the meantime I won't mind bashing your face in for one reason or another."

They both smiled again…

Meredith smiled as well, but for a different reason. "Well isn't that nice? You both resolved your differences and are friends again. It's such a shame that your friendship is going to end tragically with the death of both of you." She snapped her fingers. "Come out now, Radical and Tradition!" The cloaked figures that had accompanied her before appeared on both sides of her. "Our target is there." She pointed at Adriel.

Adriel pointed at himself. "Huh? Target?"

Ichigo just blinked at the three for a few seconds, and then he heard a whistle off to his side. Somehow ignoring his wounds, he walked over to Erian, who was flagging him in. "What's up?"

Pulling the half-demon in close, the strange boy whispered into his friend's ear. "I'm picking up that bad vibe from those three all of a sudden!"

Ichigo frowned and nodded. "Get everyone out of here." Turning, he walked back over to Adriel casually and held his hand up like he was in a classroom. "Excuse me, crazy lady?"

Meredith frowned at the insult. "What do you want?"

Ichigo opened his mouth to speak…and then screamed, pointing at something behind her. "What's that?"

Meredith sweat-dropped. "You don't expect me to fall for…" She was then floored by the hook of a loading crane to the back of the head.

Adriel stared stupidly at the machine, as did everyone else.

Leaping to her feet, Meredith screamed in anger. "I don't know how he did that, but that poofy-haired bastard is going to pay!" Her tirade stopped as she realized that Ichigo was gone, and that the metal doors that led to the cargo hold was just in the process of closing again. "….."

-------------------------------------

Ichigo bit back the pain that was running up and down his entire body, turning corner after corner until he was sure that any possible pursuit wouldn't be coming. "It looks like its straight back to work!" Throwing his right hand up into the air above him, he closed his eyes and the dark blue jewel on the ring around the finger of that hand started to glow. **"Awaken, Soul of the Stars!" **His body became enveloped within a ball of dark blue light. The ball's form grew brighter and brighter, and when it finally faded Starlight Savior stood in place of where Ichigo had been. "Now then, let's go see the looks on their faces when they realize they got the wrong guy!"

------------------------------------

The students had been all too eager to get out of the cargo hold. That left only Eri and Erian hiding behind some crates as they watched Adriel try his hardest to avoid getting run over by the two cloaked figures that were attacking him.

Adriel just barely avoided getting his head taken off by the kick of the one of the cloaked men. He had already taken off his duel disk, but now he was busy using all of his physical agility to avoid getting hit as both of the cloaked figures attacked him at once.

Meredith laughed as she watched her two Vengeances brutally attack the boy. "Come on now, Starlight Savior. Why aren't you transforming?"

"Maybe because I'm not who you think I am?" Adriel ducked under one punch and retaliated with one of his own, nearly crying out in pain as it felt like he was hitting a steel wall.

"That's a load of crap, you know." She pointed at him. "Hurry up and reveal yourself, Starlight Savior!"

"_When a lady makes a request like that, who am I to turn her down?"_ A voice echoed across the hold.

Meredith's eyes widened. "No way…that can't be!" Looking around wildly, she tried to find the source of the voice. "Reveal yourself!"

A bright circle of light illuminated a stack of crates, revealing a single person standing atop them. That person, of course, was Starlight Savior. "I am the hero of the heavens!" The index finger of his right hand, which had been pointing up in the air, came down as he thumbed at his chest. "In the name of love and justice, I'll teach you not to judge books by their covers!" Finally he pointed right at her. "I am Starlight Savior!"

"Shut up!" She pointed right back at him. "Radical, kill him!" One of the cloaked forms leapt past and landed standing between her and Starlight Savior.

Removing its cloak, it revealed a blue-skinned bald male humanoid with red war paint all over its face. It also wore some kind of strange crimson military uniform. "Yes ma'am!" It saluted her and then leapt right at Starlight Savior, drawing a ridged combat knife from its boot. "Prepare yourself!"

Starlight Savior got ready to leap, when burning pain shot up his side and he flinched. ("Damn it, the wound from before is getting to me!") Snapping ups his forearms in front of his unarmored face, he blocked the slash that would have beheaded him, but in the process was shouldered backwards into the metal wall of the hold. Letting out a gasp of pain as the impact with the wall jarred his ribs, the hero barely managed to bring up an arm to block another well-aimed fatal strike.

Adriel grimaced, catching that whole thing out of the corner of his eye. ("I knew it! He's wounded where Ichigo was!") Then he ducked under another kick aimed right for his head.

Meredith tapped her foot impatiently on the ground. "Tradition, stop playing around and kill this one!"

"As you so wish, milady!" The cloaked form hopped a few feet back from Adriel, pulling its cloak away to reveal a green-skinned male humanoid wearing a curly white wig and high quality that looked straight out of ye old England. "Prepare thyself, varlet!" Pulling a rapier from out of nowhere, it took up a fencing stance.

Adriel looked at the sword for a few seconds…and then turned tail and ran for the exit. ("Last time I tried fighting one of these things I was nearly burned alive!")

Tradition was about to chase after the boy, but he heard someone yelp from behind a stack of crates. "What's this?" Looking behind the stack of crates, his eyes widened. "Tis a fair maiden!" He had found a teenage girl with deep amber eyes and long silver hair, wearing a Ra Yellow uniform. The girl's eyes widened in absolute fear, and she edged backwards until she hit the hold's wall.

"What are you doing, he's going to get away!" Meredith pointed at Tradition. "Just kill whoever that is and get moving!"

"As you wish, madam!" Tradition aimed the point of his sword at the girl's neck. "My apologies, young lass, but you must die." He stabbed forward…

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Adriel's two boots crashed into the side of the wigged monster's head and sent it rolling head over heels away. Turning to look at the girl, his eyes widened in remembrance her appearance. "Hey, you're that girl from before!"

She blushed tomato red and looked down at the floor. "Um…um…t…t…t…t…t…"

Sweat-dropping, Adriel grabbed her hand. "There's no time for this, let's go!"

Her eyes grew huge and her face turned even redder as she stared at her hand in his. ("I'm holding his hand…") She didn't resist as he pulled her to her feet.

"How dare you…" Tradition, a pair of boot-marks on his cheek, dove towards Adriel at remarkable speeds with his sword ready to pierce the half dragon-demon's chest. "How dare you kick me, uncouth cur!"

("He's touching me…") The girl closed her eyes, wishing this moment would never end.

Adriel growled and, still hand in hand with the girl, roundhouse-kicked the Vengeance in the face with all of his might. "Talk normal damn it!" What happened next was something he couldn't have seen coming though. And that was that his kick cracked Tradition's jaw, stopped the charge, and proceeded to drive the Vengeance through four steel crates in a row. "Whoa…"

Meredith stared slack-jawed at the results of that kick. ("That's impossible! How could any being of this planet do that?")

Adriel was asking himself a similar question. Turning his head to look at the girl, his eyes widened as he saw it. There was a purple energy coming from her hand into his body. "What are you?"

From near the door, Erian lifted up his head to see what that horrible metal on metal sound had been. He caught a view of Adriel and the girl, and he grinned. "Hey, it's Ambience!" He started to wave wildly to her. "Hiya Ambience!"

Adriel glanced over at Erian, and then at the girl. "Your name's Ambience."

She nodded, still magma-red in the face.

"What did you do to me?" He asked evenly.

"I can explain that." Erian said, all of a sudden right next to Adriel. "Ambience is an Infinity Traveler like me. Actually, she's my favorite little sister!" Realizing he was getting off track, the multi-colored boy continued. "Well, Ambience's special ability is the power of Amplification. She can enhance any source of force or energy to several times its normal strength. In this case, I'm guessing she magnified the power of your strike several times!"

"Amplification? Infinity Traveler? Little sister?" Adriel stared at Erian, looking absolutely lost. "You do take drugs, don't you?"

"What's 'drugs'?" It was Erian's turn to look lost.

A loud crash brought them all back to reality.

"What's the matter, Starlight Savior?" Radical laughed wildly and belted the hero in the stomach, blowing the wind out of him. "Can't you fight back? And here I thought you were strong since you took out one of my counterparts before!" Grabbing the young man by the hair and forcing him to his feet, he crashed their foreheads together. "I guess I was wrong though. Oh well, I guess you'll get to die soon!"

"Ichigo!" Adriel's eyes looked panicked as he watched his rival getting beaten to death. Snapping his head around to glare at Erian, he snarled angrily. "You seem to know something about this insanity, so do something!"

Erian nodded…and then his eyes nearly bulged out of his head as a long line of rope from above closed around his neck and tugged him five feet into the air.

Ambience gasped in terror. "Big brother!" Her hand slipped from Adriel's and she hopped up and down, trying to grab Erian's foot to pull him down.

From up in the rafters, Tradition laughed snootily. "String up these vagrants and let them swing!"

Adriel was torn now, as to whether help Ichigo or to help Erian. ("Damn it, what should I do?") Suddenly he realized something. ("Where's Eri while all this is happening? I still feel her prescense in the room…")

Meredith tittered at how well this was going. "And we even managed to find two of the Travelers too! How lucky am I today?"

Something sharp pressed against the back of her neck, tapping her spine right through her skin. A slim arm latched across her neck, and she could suddenly feel warm breath on the back of her neck. "You're actually probably one of the most unlucky people there is, because you happen to be threatening _my_ idiot at the moment. Now tell your monsters to let them all go, or else I'll stab you right in the spinal column. I don't care what you are, that'll kill you."

Meredith smiled calmly. "Oh, is that so?"

Eri didn't move, tense to the point that a strong wind would bring her to kill this woman. "This is your last chance." Suddenly she was falling forwards, her arm locked around nothing. ("That can't be…I felt her the whole time. It couldn't have been pure speed…")

Meredith, who was behind the demoness now, drove a spiked heel right into the girl's back and sent her head over heels across the room. "Don't threaten someone who could smite you instantly, bitch."

Adriel couldn't just stand there anymore. ("It might be suicide, but I've got to attack her!") He started to charge forwards, but stopped as someone grabbed his hand.

"Please don't, Adriel-sama!" Ambience clutched at his wrist for all she was worth, eyes squeezed shut in fear. "She'll kill you!"

"Then what would you suggest I do instead, huh?" He nearly screamed this right in her face. "Just sit back and let Ichigo get killed?"

Tears started to roll down her face. "…I don't know. But I don't want you to die…"

Breaking her grasp on his wrist, he snarled and turned to face Meredith. "You and me both. However, I won't let it end this way! Don't you want to save your brother?"

"Of course I do, but what will this accomplish?" She yelled back, her face stained with her tears.

Adriel cracked his knuckles. "Here I go!" He charged at full speed towards the pink-haired woman, his attention fully focused on his surroundings. ("She could come at me from any side, but for everyone's sake I won't let that stop me! If Ichigo's kind heart can't save this world, then I'll save it with the determination of my purpose!")

**("I couldn't have said it better myself.")** The source of that voice came from inside his head. Skidding to a halt, he looked around in confusion. **("Do not be alarmed, Adriel. You said before that you wanted to protect the world. Do you want the power to do this?")** Without hesitating he nodded. **("Can you accept my power then? If so, call out my name. I am the Infinity Heart, soul of the void.")**

Meredith waited patiently for the boy to finish his charge, but instead he had stopped and seemed to be in deep thought. "What's the matter? Are you suddenly having second thoughts about wasting your life trying to stop me?"

Adriel threw his right hand up into the air. **"Awaken, Soul of the Void!"** A deep purple sphere of light appeared around him. Moments later it exploded, sending a dark wind across the entire cargo hold and bringing everyone's attention to its center.

A young man of about twenty years of age or so stood where Adriel had been. He had black hair that was incredibly spiked, each of the points seeming sharp as blades somehow. He had a pair of deep violet eyes, and similar to Starlight Savior he possessed an inhuman aspect of beauty to him. Around his body there was a black bodysuit with overlays of purple armoring covering the joints, limbs, and chest.

"Another guardian?" Meredith stumbled back, eyes wide. "That can't be! There was only one of you!"

The young man cracked his knuckles again, like Adriel had before. "I am Vortex Savior, hero of the depths of space. Let me show you what true darkness feels like." Each of his words sent literal chills up the woman's spine.

"I…I…" Meredith snapped her fingers. "Tradition, kill him!"

"As you command, milady!" The wigged monster released that rope and Erian, the latter of which crashed to the ground. He leapt from the rafters to between his mistress and the new Savior. Snapping his rapier up, he assumed his fencing stance. "I challenge you to a duel, hero. I'm interested to see just what you can do! So, what do you say?"

"No." Lifting one hand, palm splayed open, above his head; Vortex Savior's cold eyes reflected something different this time. It was death. **"Empty Demise."** A ball of blackness appeared above his head.

Tradition blinked at the ball. "You suggest volleyball?"

The ball pulsed and suddenly created a suction that pulled the wigged monster right off of his feet and into itself. Somehow, despite him being larger, it pulled him into itself completely and utterly. He simply disappeared.

Meredith stepped back again, trembling at that darkness she could see in Vortex Savior's eyes. "That's impossible…you just killed…"

"Who just killed anyone?" Throwing the ball off to his side, the young man watched as it hit the ground and popped like a balloon. Lying where it had popped was a man in a mechanic's uniform. "I didn't kill anything except what you infused him with." Without needing to explain anything beyond that, he ran past her.

Radical sneered and held his knife to Starlight Savior's throat. "It's been fun, but as the boss said it's time for you to die!" The blade started to press inwards…and then was slowly withdrawn as the monster's arm was pulled back by Vortex Savior. "Damn it, you beat Tradition already?"

Vortex Savior responded by punching the creature across the face and kicking the knife out of its hand. "Ichigo, can you hear me?"

Starlight Savior suddenly opened his eyes and grinned. "Yeah, I was just conserving my energy to heal my rib. Now that it's fixed, leave the rest to me!" Running forward, he grabbed Radical by the uniform and threw him judo-style towards the center of the hold. **"Awaken Aquarius, Soul of Purification!"** A dark blue crystal flute appeared in his hands. Holding it to his lips, he prepared to play…

"Don't be stupid. That shouldn't be necessary if the monster is already out. Or didn't you notice your powers can't hurt humans?" Vortex Savior sighed and shook his head.

"Oh…really?" Starlight Savior grinned. "Good, that saves me some time! **Awaken Aries, Soul of Assertion!"** The flute shimmered and its shape flowed into that of a dark blue crystal blade. **"Let the dark blood be cleansed from this Miracle World!"** The blade grew larger and longer, transforming from a weapon entirely of crystal to a multi-jeweled blade.

Radical leapt to his feet, snapping up his secondary knife that he had drawn from his other boot sheath. "There's no way I'll lose to you! I was pounding you just a minute ago!" Yelling out a battle cry, he charged right at the young man.

Starlight Savior snapped the sword up to his face, everything but himself and the creature fading into darkness. "I think you don't realize something important then." The blade fell to his side. "I was letting you beat the crap out of me!" Then the weapon snapped up, leaving a dark blue crescent in its wake that slashed right down the creature's middle. **"Infinite Starlight Slash!"**

Radical groaned weakly. "Now you tell me…" Then everything became blinding white, his dark silhouette shuddering and dissipating like it was made of mist caught in a wind. When everything returned to normal, there was another mechanic lying on the ground in front of the two Saviors.

No one had yet to notice that Meredith had disappeared.

--------------------------------------------------

Meredith landed on the deck of her own boat, a small yacht that was tethered to the cargo ship. "Damn those two! It's fine though, I'll just come back and…"

"Come back?" A relaxed male voice came from near the controls to the boat. "That won't be possible, unfortunately. You failed in your mission and as you know, failure doesn't sit well with the higher-ups."

Her arms started to tremble, as did the rest of her. "So they sent you to eliminate me, Raine?"

"Of course. Plus I felt it…you changed into your original form to escape from that one girl's hold. That's not acceptable either." There was a click of steel on steel. "It's not personal…actually; I never liked you very much. So yeah, let's say it's personal." A gunshot rang across the night.

A minute later the shadowed form heaved Meredith's body and the revolver her had used to execute her into the water. "Honestly, why didn't you at least try to deal with them yourself if your servants failed, eh?" Walking back over to the controls, he drove the boat off into the night.

---------------------------------------------------------

"So you were Starlight Savior!" Eri stomped her foot repeatedly into the wooden floor. "Damn it, I should have figured it out! Only you would spout that kind of weird crap in a serious fight!"

Ichigo stuck his tongue out at her. "At least I actually accomplished something, you just got booted!"

Adriel walked past of them, sighing. "Are you both that dense? No questions for me huh? Like maybe 'hey Adriel, how'd you get that power?" On his right ring finger there sat a gold band with a deep purple jewel the size of a pebble inset into it.

Ichigo waved it off dismissively. "It's fine Adriel. Just knowing you and I are Saviors is enough, right? We can beat anything they throw at us now."

"……" Adriel's right eye was twitching uncontrollably. "Did it ever occur to you that there's another source of power created by the Infinites besides the Infinity Mind?" He pointed at the jewel on his ring. "This is the Infinity Heart, and from what it told me there are three more sources of energy that are on this planet! Apparently the Infinity Mind was the strongest and possessed the ability to find an owner, while the others occupy dimensional spaces in this part of the world. They're waiting for the Infinity Mind to come to them so they will gain the ability to find a host too! In other words, we need to find those other Infinity Gems!"

Rubbing his pinky finger inside one of his wolf ears to clear it, Ichigo nodded. "I heard you already! Sheesh, we'll get to it when we get to it."

"You're being way too nonchalant about this!" The half dragon-demon snarled right in his rival's face. "If we don't get those gems before the Blood Children get them then we're as close to screwed as you can get!"

"Alright!" Ichigo pumped his fist into the air. "Then I swear that the Blood Children won't even get one of those gems!"

"You can't just swear on something like that if you won't even take the search for them seriously!" Adriel threw up his hands in exasperation. "Forget it! I don't care anymore!" Turning, he stomped away. "Why don't we just surrender ourselves to them and let them blow up the planet too, huh? You're the biggest idiot there is!"

From a bit of a ways behind the trio, Erian stood next to Ambience and grinned at the way she looked at Adriel. "You've really fallen for that guy, huh?" Laughing, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I chose Ichigo for my bond, so I guess the chances of me finding romance through him are zero, but oh well! After all, he was chosen by the Infinity Mind to protect this planet, so who are we to argue with its judgment, right?"

Ambience didn't hear him. ("Adriel-sama…")

_To be continued…_


	6. The Search for the Ultimate Inspiration

Disclaimer: You know what I'm going to say, so just keep on reading down.

The Infinity Chronicles-Second Semester Arc

Chapter 6: The Search for the Ultimate Inspiration; A musician's journey

Ichigo sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "You know what, I remembered something."

Erian snapped out of his mental plans to dye his Osiris Red uniform a much better looking spectrum of colors and turned to his friend. "What's that?"

"I hate the boring parts of school!" The half-demon screamed this at the top of his lungs into the night sky. "We got here in the morning, and it's already freaking night! I didn't know human beings could speak for hours on end like some of those teachers could! Argh, if I wore a watch then I'd probably have thrown it out by now!"

Erian sweat-dropped. "How about we get going then? I mean, the Osiris Red dorm is waiting for us and all that…"

"Right, I remember." Ichigo sighed again. "Man, I sent in my application for Obelisk Blue and everything…why didn't it pass?"

"Who knows?" Erian walked down the dirt path before them. "But let's hurry up and…" He blinked and tilted his head off to the side. "Hey, do you hear something?"

"Yeah," Ichigo flicked one of his wolf ears. "Somebody has been strumming on a guitar over there." He pointed off to his right. "What, did you want to go see?"

Erian nodded enthusiastically. "Of course I do! I don't know even know what a guitar might be, but it sounds really cool!"

-------------------------

After about a minute of walking they came to a small clearing where the sound was coming from. And sitting in the center of that clearing, with his back resting against the grass, was a young man in an Osiris Red uniform. His face was covered by a dirty old sombrero, and his hands played slowly and gently across the strings of the guitar in his hands. Running his fingertips across those sound-creating lines once more, he let the last notes of his music echo through the air before stopping.

Ichigo, who was sitting crouched with Erian behind some bushes at the edge of the clearing, looked incredibly relaxed. Thanks to his demon side, he had heard every note of that song deep down to his core.

Though he didn't possess any kind of supernatural hearing, Erian was equally relaxed now.

Sitting up, the young man readjusted the sombrero so he could see. "Ah, that's no good." He had a thick Spanish accent, his voice rich with the strength of a singer's trained vocals. "There's just no inspiration around here. It doesn't help that there aren't any other musicians amongst the students. Awww man…" He rested his chin in one hand, the old polished guitar lying haphazardly in his lap. "Where'm I gonna find some inspiration from? This place should be crawling with it, but all the old students got their spirits quelled. And the new students aren't any good either. They lack the spark of experience that makes a mediocre song into a masterpiece!" Throwing up his hands, he collapsed back to the grass. "I give up. I'm never gonna find a duelist who can inspire me…"

Ichigo's ears perked, and his head poked up over the bushes. "Duelist?"

Not showing any surprise at his sudden guest, the young man sat up and nodded. "Yeah a duelist. So far I've beaten and gotten beaten, but neither has fueled my soul. It ain't something I can understand, but I have yet to feel the drama and excitement that playing this game did for me back in Spain. It's really killing my music too."

Ichigo blinked. "Really? I heard you before and you sounded perfect."

"Perfection is in the eye of the beholder. Besides, I don't want my music to be perfect. I want it to have the right amount of energy, experience, and all other things. The ultimate song is my goal, my dear friend." He tilted up his sombrero so he could look at who he was speaking to, revealing a deeply tanned face. His eyes were a chocolate brown, and his hair was an oily black. "Name's Carlos Talavera, by the way. You are?"

Ichigo hopped out of the bushes and brushed some leaves off of his uniform. "I'm Ichigo Pilkington! It's a pleasure to meet you, Carlos!"

"Ichigo Pilkington, eh?" The Spanish boy smirked. "I didn't know I was entertaining a celebrity here…"

Ichigo pointed at himself stupidly. "You know me?"

"You'd be crazy not to know Ichigo Pilkington." Carlos stood up and brushed some grass from his clothes. "The Blue Osiris, that's what they call you. You're like the damned boogyman to those Obelisk Blue types."

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head and blushed brightly. "Oh come on now, there's no need to say all that. I'm not all that special…"

"Yeah right." Carlos shrugged and reached down by his side to pick up his traveling bag. "So then, mister modest, would you entertain a wandering musician with a duel?"

Ichigo grinned widely. "You didn't even need to ask!" Opening his backpack, he removed his Duel Disk and put it on. Throwing the bag behind him, he heard Erian grunt as it was caught. "Hold my bag for a second, Erian."

Carlos had already removed his duel disk from his traveling bag, and now he was shuffling his deck. "Let's see if you can show me just what a modest legend has in the depths of his soul." Tossing his sombrero off to the side, he scooted his guitar over with his foot.

"I'm not a legend, but I will show you what I've got in my soul!" Ichigo shuffled his deck and slid it into the deck slot on his disk.

"Duel!" They both said, Duel Disks activating at the same time.

Carlos- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

"Let this wandering minstrel start his ballad for you, Ichigo Pilkington!" Carlos drew the top card of his deck and fanned out his hand. "Come out now, Legendary Mariachi Ricardo!" A Hispanic man wearing dirty clothing and shouldering a guitar appeared on his field. (1000/1000) "I play him attack mode, and place two cards face-down. Alright, show me what you can do." Two cards appeared behind his monster.

Ichigo drew. "Sorry to tell you this, but your monster won't be around long enough to play that ballad for me!" He threw a card onto his disk. "I summon Final Shadow Night Slasher in attack mode!" (1100/800) A cloaked form appeared on his field. "When Night Slasher is summoned, I may select one monster in play with attack or original attack less than its own and destroy it. In other words, your Legendary Mariachi Ricardo is destroyed!" Carlos' monster exploded, sending dust spraying everywhere. "Sorry to break your flow so quickly."

"Break my flow?" As the smoke cleared, it revealed Legendary Mariachi Ricardo unharmed. "I think the one whose flow just broken was you, senor Ichigo."

"Huh?" Ichigo blinked and scratched the top of his head. "Why wasn't he destroyed?"

The dust withdrew from Carlos' magic and trap zone, revealing a face-up continuous trap card with a picture of a man with a guitar strung over one shoulder walking into the sunset. "This is called Wanderer's Life. This card activates when a monster on my field with Musician or Mariachi in its title is destroyed. I may send a monster of the same name from my deck to the graveyard to negate that destruction!"

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head. "Well, it still only has 1000 attack points. Night Slasher, attack Legendary Mariachi Ricardo with Night Slash!" His monster faded out of sight, and appeared behind the musician, slashing it across the back with its knife.

Carlos- 3900

Ichigo- 4000

Carlos caught another card that was spat out of his deck, inserting into his graveyard. "I discard another Legendary Mariachi Ricardo into my graveyard to trigger the effect of Wanderer's Life. Therefore, my monster isn't destroyed."

Ichigo fanned out his hand and slid two cards into his duel disk. "I place two cards face-down on my field and end my turn."

"Hold on a second, senor Ichigo." Carlos' other face-down card flipped face-up. "I activate the trap card Improvised Stage. This card, when activated during an end phase, lets me add one magic card with the words Requiem, Ballad, Sonata or Melody in its title into my hand." Removing a card from his deck, he added it to his hand and drew another card to indicate that it was his turn. "Now then, it's time to play the magic card Homecoming Requiem." A sweet song played in the air above them. "I may select two monsters in my graveyard and shuffle them back into my deck." Removing the two Legendary Mariachi Ricardos in his graveyard, he shuffled them back into his deck.

Ichigo sighed. "Man, that's going to make this difficult…"

"If that frustrates you, then this next move won't improve your mood." Carlos inserted a card into his duel disk. "I activate the magic card Disruption Sonata." A discordant tune played in the air, shaking the ground around them. "This card reveals all set magic and trap cards on your field. I select one and it is destroyed, after which all magic and trap cards in play return to your hand." Ichigo's two set cards flipped up. "I select that trap, Night Signal." The card exploded, while the other faded and returned to Ichigo's hand.

Ichigo looked a little disappointed. "You have a monster in your hand, right? Because at the moment, your Legendary Mariachi doesn't have the power to defeat my Night Slasher."

"Yeah, but I've got no reason to summon it." Carlos pointed at his Legendary Mariachi. "For every Sonata, Requiem, Melody and Ballad card in my graveyard, this guy gains 200 attack points." (1400/1000) "Ricardo, attack Night Slasher!" The musician played his guitar quietly, and the murderer monster on Ichigo's field exploded.

Carlos- 3900

Ichigo- 3700

"Finally, I'll place one card face-down on my field and end my turn." Carlos was frowning. "What's the matter? Is this truly the best you can do?"

Ichigo chuckled. "Relax Carlos, give me a second." He drew. "I summon Final Shadow Smash Brute to the field!" (1800/1500) A giant humanoid in black armor appeared on his field. "Smash Brute, attack his monster now!" It launched across the field and pounded the ground at Ricardo's feet, sending shockwaves across both the body of the musician and the musician's monster.

Carlos- 3500

Ichigo- 3700

Carlos braced himself against the backlash as his monster was struck. "I send a copy of my monster from my deck to the graveyard to negate his destruction!" Sure enough, while the shockwave had shaken the Legendary Mariachi, it did not destroy him.

Ichigo smiled and slid two cards into his disk. "I place two cards face-down on my field and end my turn. Alright, the move is yours!"

Carlos drew. "I have yet to see what makes you so amazing, but at least you aren't terrible!" A magic card appeared on his field. "I play Painful Choice. This magic card lets me select five cards from my deck, at which point you select one of those cards and add it to my hand." Five magic cards appeared on his field. (Pot of Greed, Graceful Charity, Research on the Pot of Greed, Disruption Sonata, Disruption Sonata)

Ichigo rubbed his chin. "I'll choose the Research on the Pot of Greed card, since that will only let you draw one card." That card projection remained in the air, while the others shattered.

"Actually, it didn't matter what you chose." Suddenly, all of the shattered cards reformed and disappeared. Carlos fanned out all five of them and smiled slyly. "I activate the trap card Devil's Waltz. This trap activates when a magic card sends cards from my deck to my graveyard. All of those cards return to my hand, and at the end phase of this turn I must discard my entire hand to the graveyard."

Ichigo's right wolf ear started to twitch rapidly. "……come again?"

"You heard me the first time." Carlos inserted a card into his duel disk. "I play Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." Adding two more cards to his hand, he quickly cycled another of the magic cards into his disk. "Then I activate Research on the Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards during a turn that Pot of Greed has been activated." Drawing two more times, that left him with nine cards in hand. "Now then, I activate Disruption Sonata!"

Ichigo's two set cards flipped up, one of them Heavy Storm and the other the trap card Night Soul.

"I choose your magic card, which means your trap returns to your hand." Carlos smiled lazily as Ichigo's magic and trap zone cleared itself again. "Also, since there's another of my music magic cards in the graveyard my Mariachi powers up." (1600/1000)

Ichigo bit his lower lip and looked at his hand. ("This guy's really good. In fact, I think he might be better than I am. I've never even heard of Devil's Waltz before…nor any of these music cards.") That put him at a huge disadvantage, since it meant that Carlos' cards were a mystery.

"Why are you looking so concerned? I thought you were up to the frantic pace of the music world too." Carlos snapped up another card. "I play Graceful Charity, which lets me draw three cards and then discard two." Doing so, he grinned. "One of those was another Wanderer's Life, but the other was my third Disruption Sonata." (1800/1000)

"So now your monster is on par with Smash Brute, but that doesn't mean a thing." Ichigo trusted that he could live through this turn…hopefully.

"You're acting a bit silly, thinking I'm done." Carlos inserted another card into his disk. "I play the equipment magic card Legendary Guitar." A rustic old guitar appeared over his monster's shoulder. "Whenever the equipped monster destroys a monster as a result of battle, I get to add one card with Sonata, Requiem, Melody or Ballad to my hand from my deck."

"And to follow-up…." Carlos pointed at his Mariachi, which started to play its guitar. "I play Cherished Rhapsody. This magic card lets me discard two cards from my hand to draw three cards." After doing so, he opened his field magic card slot. "I activate the field magic card Festivity Hall." All around them the field took the shape of a rustic dance floor. "This card, while in play, once per turn lets me special summon a level four or lower Mariachi type card from my hand to the field. Also, for every Mariachi type monster I have in play, all Mariachi type monsters gain 100 attack points." Another Spanish musician, this one in much plainer clothes than those of Ricardo appeared. "I special summon Mariachi Bandito in attack mode." (700/700)

Ichigo noticed the coloring of the card. "Its attack points are only 700 though…"

"Not a problem, since in response to its special summon I play the quickplay magic card Inferno Reckless Summon." Carlos pointed at Ichigo's Smash Brute. "This card activates when I special summon a monster with 1500 or less attack points and you have a monster in play. I special summon as many copies of my special summoned monster from my hand, deck, and graveyard as I can. You also select a monster on your field and do the same."

Ichigo grumbled. "I don't have another Smash Brute in my deck…"

"That's a shame for you, huh?" Carlos pointed at his field, where two copies of his Mariachi Bandito appeared in play. (700/700x2) "And now my field magic card powers them up all by 400 points." (1100/700x3) (2200/1000)

Ichigo's eyes widened. ("If he attacks with all of them, that'll be exactly 3700 points of damage!")

Carlos sighed and slicked back his hair. "I'm pretty disappointed actually. This was too easy." He pointed at Smash Brute. "Ricardo, attack his monster!" His monster strummed a little tune on its guitar, with the three Mariachi Banditos doing the same. A powerful wave of sound hurled across the field and blew Ichigo's brute into paste.

Carlos- 3500

Ichigo- 3300

Dropping to one knee, Ichigo gulped as the other three Mariachis lined up to play for him.

"Sorry senor Ichigo, but it looks like your time is up!" Carlos pointed at him. "Triple Mariachi attack!" All three of his monsters started to play their instruments.

Ichigo suddenly smiled. "Remember Carlos, I told you I'd show you what I was made of. Well here it is!" A small brown furball with little green arms and hands appeared on top of one of the Mariachi's heads. It cooed and the musician smiled at it, petting its head.

Carlos tilted his head to the side. "Eh? You're made of fuzzballs?"

Ichigo grinned as the little creature suddenly hopped off the musician's head and returned to his field. "Actually…I'm made of surprises." Giving the creature a thumbs-up, he winked to Carlos. "Never trust a Shadow. The monster you see here is my Final Shadow Super Ultra Kuriboh of Doom." (300/200) Patting it on the head, Ichigo chuckled. "When I discard him from my hand during one of your direct attacks, I can destroy the directly attacking monster before its attack hits." The Kuriboh pulled a small detonator out of its fur and pressed the button on the device. Moments later the Mariachi exploded as the bomb placed in its hat by the Kuriboh went off. "With only three Mariachis in play, your monsters all lose 100 attack points." (1000/700x2) (2100/1000)

Carlos smiled as the Kuriboh disappeared from Ichigo's field. "That's not bad, but I'll still deal what I can!" His two remaining musicians played their instruments, slamming Ichigo's body with waves of sound.

Carlos- 3500

Ichigo- 1300

("I saved myself…") Ichigo stood up weakly. ("Unfortunately, he's still got me on the ropes.")

Carlos placed a card onto his disk. "During my second main phase I summon Plain Doppelganger." A blob of yellow slime appeared on his field. "This card allows me to discard it from my field to the graveyard to special summon a normal monster from my graveyard to the field." His third Mariachi Bandito appeared. (1100/700x3) (2200/1000)

Ichigo sighed again. "Man, they're back again…"

"Right." Carlos inserted a card into his duel disk. "I place one card face-down in play and at the end phase of my turn Devil's Waltz discards my hand to the graveyard. End turn." Now he was handless, but he had already accomplished what he had planned. "Now the stage is set for my premiere. Senor Ichigo, if you were serious about showing me the duelist passion that I wanted to see, then now is the time!"

Ichigo grinned childishly, though somehow he seemed serious at the same time too. "I understand, Carlos." He looked down at his deck. ("Come on guys; let's give him a good performance.") Removing the top card of his deck, he flipped it over. "I activate my Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." His eyes widened at the drawn cards. "Sorry Carlos…"

The musician closed his eyes and sighed. "That's a shame. You didn't draw…"

"What are you talking about? First I place one card face-down on my field." Ichigo laughed. "I was just saying sorry because I can't agree with the vibe of your field. Therefore…" His field magic card slot opened. "I activate my field!" The ground shuddered and turned into the form of a city street bathed in shadow, the backdrop showing a whole city also bathed in that same darkness. "It's called City of Shadows, Noirtropolis!"

Carlos blinked at the dark surroundings. "You think this is the right place for any kind of music?"

Ichigo nodded eagerly. "The music of the night is one of the greatest forms of this world's beauty." He turned serious again. "When Noirtropolis enters play it removes one card from the field. My target is my own set card!" His face-down card was pulled into the darkness.

"Your own card?" Carlos rubbed the back of his head. "Have you lost it?"

"Of course not." Ichigo held up the removed card. "The trap card Night Soul can only activate if it is removed from the field and sent to the graveyard or removed from play pile. When that happens I can special summon a Final Shadow God monster from my deck or graveyard to the field!" The moon high above them both, originally cloaked in the shadows, suddenly shone down brightly. Silhouetted against it, there was a caped form.

Carlos stared at the dark form in amazement. "What…what is that?"

"_Good musician, let me show you the music of the shadows."_ The silhouetted form dropped onto Ichigo's field, revealing itself to be a humanoid male wearing a black tuxedo, top hat, and cape. _"I am Final Shadow God Moonlight Romancer!"_ (1400/1200)

"Moonlight Romancer?" Carlos smirked. "Nice name, but he's not good enough to show me anything yet."

"He doesn't have to be." Ichigo inserted a card from his hand into the graveyard. "I discard a card from my hand and my field removes a card at random from your graveyard!" A card was spat out of Carlos' graveyard. It flew across the field and into Ichigo's hand. Flipping it up, the half-demon grinned. "If that card is a magic card, I can activate it. Guess what?" He revealed Disruption Sonata.

Carlos gasped as his face-down trap card shattered and his equipment and continuous trap cards reappeared in his hand. ("Plus with a music card removed from my graveyard, Ricardo loses 200 attack points!") (1600/1000)

Ichigo opened his field magic card slot once more. "Now that we're done here, it's time to take us to the last battlefield! I activate the field magic card Immortal Clocktower Hideout." All around them the City of Shadows disappeared, replaced by an outside view of a giant stone Clocktower, towering high into the sky. Its face bathed their fields with a golden light. "Whenever a Final Shadow or Final Shadow God battles with a stronger monster, they gain 1000 attack points during the damage step."

Carlos crossed his arms across his chest. "You have one hand card left, so I'm not so certain you'll show me very much. Where's this music of the night?"

Ichigo pointed at his Midnight Romancer, which bowed to Carlos. "I activate Gentleman's Aura! This is the effect of Moonlight Romancer. First you draw a card."

Carlos pulled the top card off of his deck and added it to his hand. "And then what?"

Ichigo grinned as his body was covered in a green glow. "Then I gain 3000 life points."

Carlos- 3500

Ichigo- 4300

This didn't impress Carlos. "I'm hoping I haven't missed this great play, because if all that was it then…"

"You're an awfully impatient guy, you know that?" Ichigo flipped the last card in his hand up. "I activate the magic card Moonlight Tango!" His Moonlight Romancer whipped a red rose out of nowhere and bit down on the stem. "This card allows one Final Shadow or Final Shadow God in play to attack as many times as I pay increments of 1000 life points during this turn." He tapped his life point counter, which suddenly plummeted down to 300. "Moonlight Romancer, attack Legendary Mariachi Ricardo now!" The caped thief danced across the field and kicked the monster right in the chest, shattering it. (2400/1200)

Carlos- 2700

Ichigo- 300

"Moonlight Romancer, triple Mariachi take-down!" Ichigo grinned playfully as his monster proceeded to dropkick the three 700 attack monsters into the floor. (1400/1200)

Carlos- 600

Ichigo- 300

Carlos just looked right into the eyes of Ichigo's monster, amazed. "This is the music of the night?"

Ichigo nodded. "Silent and deadly, this is the music of the night! Now for the finale! Moonlight Romancer, attack his life points directly!" His monster bowed to the musician duelist. "I hope this helped."

Carlos- 0

Ichigo- 300

Carlos watched with stunned eyes as the Moonlight Romancer disappeared. "Those movements and that unlikely setting flowed together perfectly. Senor Ichigo…you were just the duelist I needed to play to get my creative streak back on track." Walking across the clearing, he offered his hand to Ichigo.

Taking it firmly, the half-demon smiled widely. "It was my pleasure."

Glancing back at his guitar, Carlos suddenly had an idea. "Would you care to join me for a little…" He pondered, trying to remember the Japanese word. "…jam session?"

Ichigo laughed. "Sure, I'd love to. I hope you know how to duo with a flute though."

_To be continued…_


	7. Electrical Malfunction

Disclaimer: You already know what I'm going to say.

The Infinity Chronicles-Second Semester Arc

Chapter 7: Electrical Malfunction

Adriel yawned and rolled out of bed, stretching out his back and feeling the warmth of the sun on his face. ("It's morning already?") Fixing up his sheets, he sleepily looked out at the beautiful lakeside view afforded to him by his Obelisk Blue room. "Oh well, we have another week before classes start. I could sleep in, but I feel like making my presence known across campus again. They will learn to fear the name of Adriel Zaytel once more." Stumbling into the bathroom, he stripped down and hopped into the shower, turning on the waterproof radio that hung under the shower mouth.

A few minutes later he was soaping himself up while listening to one of his favorite Duelist Academy student-run radio stations.

The radio crackled and the DJ, who didn't sound much older than Adriel, came on with the ending of the song that had been playing. _"It's the top of the hour, and you know what that means right? Yup, it's time for Rumors and Gossip."_

Sighing, Adriel reached up to flip the off switch. He wasn't interested in hearing about potential budding romances across campus.

"_Well, first off I'd like to welcome all of the new student body members to Duelist Academy. We hope you all find happiness here and experience the variety of things that make life great. And as to our returning students, let's give a review as to who some of the top players here at the school are, shall we?"_

His hand faltered, and he waited patiently. "Mention my name…mention my name…"

"_Of course, with this being a new school year Duelist Academy currently lacks a Kaiser. With the graduation of the big three top-ranked duelists of the school, those being Kenshin Anderson, Hitokage Seijitsu, and Davis (…), our most likely candidates would have to be the previously fourth and fifth ranked students Adriel Zaytel and Erika Amero."_

Adriel pounded his fist into his other hand. "Hah, they know of my power!"

"_Between the two of them, I'm not sure who would win. Zaytel has some serious power, but Amero's one scary girl when she duels!"_ The DJ laughed, while the sound of paper being rustled could be heard in the background. _"Oh yeah, and today we have a special guest with us!"_ The sound of a door opening nearby could be heard, followed by another microphone coming on. _"Sorry to interrupt Rumors and Gossip, but I forgot about the scheduled interview. This guy, ladies and gentlemen, is the real deal. He's won at least one duel against the top twenty-ranked duelists in the school."_

Adriel stared at the radio. "Who…" Then it hit him. "Oh…what?"

"_Ichigo Pilkington, the Blue Osiris, welcome aboard."_

A few seconds later Ichigo's voice came on over the speakers. _"It's…it's a…"_ His voice sounded strangely monotone. _"What's this word say?"_

The DJ sighed. _"Mr. Pilkington, did you bring note cards to this interview?"_

"_Of course not!"_ Ichigo sounded offended. _"These are just…umm…"_

Adriel turned off the radio before he could hear more. "What kind of idiotic…" The radio crackled again. "Huh?" He flicked the switch on, and then off. Once more, the speaker continued to crackle, even though it was off. "Weird…" Suddenly a bolt of electricity shot from the radio, hit the water of the shower, and immediately electrified it.

Needless to say, the Obelisk Blue dorm got to hear a very loud string of curses that morning.

----------------------------------------

"What's this?" Ichigo approached the Osiris Red dorm, only to see that all of the students were gathered outside and were all chatting amongst themselves about something. "Hey, what's going on?"

Erian turned to look at his roommate. "A bunch of guys came into the dorms and said something about a power circuit overload."

"Power circuit overload?" Ichigo sighed. "Man, I need to go shower though! That interview was scheduled way too early in the morning."

"I don't think that will be possible." The smell of something that had been charbroiled hit Ichigo's sensitive nose, leaving him reeling. He turned to come face to face with Adriel. "They've kicked all students out of the dorms because of a problem with the electricity."

Ichigo leaned in and sniffed his rival deeply. "You smell weird…"

Adriel sighed. "I was the first to come across this problem. My shower radio overloaded and started discharging while I was in the water. Had I been a normal human being I'd be dead right now. Luckily, I reported it immediately and the principal cleared out the dorms immediately."

Ichigo whistled in amazement. "That's some story. So…who's hungry?" Erian raised his hand, while Adriel face-fell immediately. "What's with that reaction, Adriel? Did you just eat or something?"

Leaping to his feet, the half dragon demon bashed his rival on top of the skull with his right fist. "What exactly do you store in your head? I'm telling you that electrical devices of all kinds have been malfunctioning all at the same time! Doesn't that maybe make you wonder if something is afoot?"

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, you mean the Blood Children? Why would they do stuff like that?"

Adriel sighed. "How should I know? However, isn't this worth investigating? The source of this disturbance has to be somewhere on the island, and we should try to stop it if we can."

"A disturbance?" Erian stepped forward. "Oh, you mean like that weird source of energy I've felt since last night?"

"…." Adriel just stared at Erian angrily. "You're telling me that you've sensed something wrong since last night, and you didn't tell anyone?"

Erian shrugged innocently. "It felt like a big build-up of electricity, so I just thought it was some kind of machine made by Duelist Academy."

Adriel glared, even angrier than before. "Show me where you felt it from this instant."

---------------------------------------------

A half an hour later they were in front of an old cave that was in the side of the mountain on Duelist Academy. Though there weren't any discernible landmarks to tell them specifically where they were, but Erian said that he was one hundred percent sure this was where the energy was coming from.

"It doesn't look like there's anything here." Ichigo stepped up to the mouth of the cave.

Adriel face-palmed and walked inside the cave. "Do you really think that the disturbance would be out in plain sight, stupid?"

Grumbling angrily at how mean Adriel was, Ichigo followed.

Erian was about to enter the cave, but he felt a strange pulse of energy appear at the stone opening right before he did so. ("A blockade?") Sighing, he sat down on a nearby stone. "I guess I'll just wait here for them."

----------------------------------------------------

Adriel's eyes immediately adjusted to the darkness, and he walked through the cave without fear. "Ichigo, you are behind me, correct?" When he got no response he didn't even need to turn around to know what had happened. "Forget it, I don't care."

The cavern winded down different directions, but the whole time the half dragon demon could sense a lingering heat in the air that seemed to mark a path to his senses. ("Someone or something has been waiting for me, it seems.") Dropping down another tunnel, he landed in a dimly lit cavern of massive proportions. "The trail stops right here, so that means you are nearby. Come out now!"

"_I see that one of the Saviors has found me rather quickly."_ A voice which sounded like the crackling of electricity echoed across the open space. _"I'm glad you have come."_

"You're the one behind all of the electrical disturbances on campus?" Adriel didn't appear nervous, those inwardly he was suddenly wishing he had transformed beforehand. ("It's too late now though.")

"_I wish to offer you a deal, Savior."_ The voice grew quieter as a ball of electricity appeared at the other end of the cavern, hovering a few feet off the ground. "I'd like to duel you."

"A duel?" Adriel didn't look amused at this. "You're telling me you did all this so you could challenge one of the Saviors to a duel? What kind of stupid…"

"I am Yusio." The ball's form pulsed in rhythm with the voice.

"Explain your stakes, since I doubt the duel challenge is just for fun." Adriel didn't mind now, but he disliked the idea that this thing led him around by the nose.

Yusio pulsed rapidly. "If you win, I will swear my allegiance to you. If I win, I want the Infinity power source you carry with you. I can sense its energy, and that energy is something I need to feel at least once."

"A hungry alien?" Adriel threw off his bag, removing his Duel Disk from it in one pull. "Very well, I'll take your challenge Yusio!" His Duel Disk hummed to life and folded out into dueling mode. "Duel!"

Yusio- 4000

Adriel- 4000

Yusio pulsed and six panels of pure light appeared behind its 'body'. "I begin." One of the panels disappeared and a cat-girl holding a pair of drums appeared in play. "I summon Thunder Nyan Nyan (1900/800) in attack mode." His monster banged on the drums and meowed loudly. "Also, I set one card face-down. End turn." A face-down card appeared in front of it.

"So you've started with a 1900 four star monster? Not bad." Adriel snickered. "Draw!" He threw a card onto his duel disk. "Emerge now, Sapphire Dragon!" A large sapphire-covered dragon appeared on his field, roaring loudly. (1900/1600) "Also, I place two cards face-down on the field and activate the magic card Last Will!"

Yusio continued to hover in the air, its pulsing slowed.

"Sapphire Dragon, attack Thunder Nyan Nyan with Sapphire Fang!" Adriel watched as his dragon and Yusio's monster collided, both of them exploding. "At this time the effect of Last Will triggers." His magic card reappeared on his field and started glowing. "When a monster on my field is sent to the graveyard, I may special summon one monster from my deck that has 1500 or fewer attack points to the field!" A torrential explosion of water came from his field, forming into a serpentine dragon shape. "My choice is Raging Tides Dragon!" (1500/1000)

"Your strategy is sound, but this hasn't won you the game." Yusio suddenly was pulsing again, bobbing up and down in the air in agitation at the destruction of its monster.

"You're right, I haven't won the game." Adriel smirked. "However, I have just pushed you into a corner! Raging Tides Dragon, attack directly! Torrent of Divine Might!" His dragon roared and released a drill-shaped blast of water that crashed into the light ball.

Yusio- 2500

Adriel- 4000

Removing one of the cards he had placed face-down, Adriel pointed at Yusio again. "The effect of Raging Tides Dragon allows me to sent a magic or trap on my field to the graveyard to let it attack again. However, when it uses this effect it loses 500 attack points until the end of the turn." (1000/1000) "Torrent of Divine Might!" Once again his dragon fired another drill-shaped blast of water that pounded into the ball.

Yusio- 1500

Adriel- 4000

"End turn." Adriel knew that he could have discarded his other set card to attack again, but the damage would only have been 500. It wasn't worth the waste of a card.

Yusio was making strange pained noises now.

"What's the matter?" Adriel crossed his arms across his chest. "Is that all you can take?"

"At the end phase of the turn, I activate Thunder Condenser!" Yusio's voice grew in strength, as did the light coming from it. "This continuous trap card allows me to special summon a level four or lower thunder type monster from my deck during each of my standby phases." A new panel of light appeared to indicate that Yusio's hand size was five. "During my standby phase, I special summon Batteryman AA!" A little orange battery with arms and legs appeared in play. (0/0)

Adriel stared at the creature. "Is that…a battery?"

"Yes. A battery is the container of electricity for humans. And it is the perfect tool for me." One of Yusio's panels of light faded and turned into a magic card on his field. "When Batteryman AA is special summoned, I chain the quickplay magic card Inferno Reckless Summon." The magic card's holographic representation appeared on the field and started to glow. "When a monster with 1500 attack points or less is special summoned to my field and you have a monster in play, I may special summon as many copies of that monster from my deck, hand and graveyard to the field. After which you select a monster on your field and do the same." Two more Batterymen AA appeared in play. (0/0x2)

Adriel pointed at his field, where two torrents of water sprang to life. "I special summon two more of my Raging Tides Dragons!" (1500/1000x2) "Thank you for the gift."

"You should enjoy it while you can." Yusio pulsed brightly as the three battery monsters started exchanging electricity between one another. "When all Batteryman AA on my field are in attack mode, they gain 1000 attack points for each of themselves there is." (3000/0x3)

Adriel's eyes widened at the three monsters his opponent had in play. ("He managed to summon a trio of 3000 attackers in one turn?")

"Batterymen, attack his water dragons!" Yusio was shining even brighter than his powered up monsters were. "Voltaic Backlash!" Three bolts of lightning exploded across his field and crashed into Adriel's three monsters.

"Reverse card open!" Adriel's face-down card flipped up. "My face-down trap is called Bahamut's Blessing. For every dragon type monster I have in play, my life points increase by 500 points!" His trap released a golden glow that fell over his body. Then that glow disappeared as his three dragons were destroyed and he took one lightning bolt to the chest after another.

Yusio- 1500

Adriel- 5500- 4000- 2500- 1000

"So you survived my assault. Very well then, I summon Batteryman D in defense mode." A large cylindrical battery appeared on its field in a crouching position. (0/1900) "This monster, while in play, prevents you from selecting any other thunder type monster on my field as a target. End turn."

("What does that matter?") Adriel looked at the trio of 3000 Batterymen worriedly. ("There's nothing I could summon that would be able to defeat those three monsters.") Drawing, he glanced at the two cards in his hand worriedly before placing the drawn card face-up on his disk. "I summon Rumbling Granite Dragon in defense mode." A large grey boulder-like dragon appeared on Adriel's field in a crouching position. (200/2000) "Also, I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"It's my turn." A panel appeared behind Yusio. "Activating the effect of my Thunder Condenser, I special summon a Thunder Nyan Nyan from my deck to the field." Another cat-girl appeared in play. (1900/800)

Adriel clenched his fists slowly, waiting for the right opportunity to use his set cards. If he failed then he would lose the power to follow his path of the hero. ("That is unacceptable. I'll fight you until my last breath!")

"Your defense is useless against my Batterymen." Yusio swelled larger, glowing like a miniature sun. "Batteryman AA, attack his dragon now! Voltaic Backlash!" A blast of lightning exploded from the battery monster and shattered the stone dragon easily.

"Reverse card open!" One of Adriel's face-down cards flipped up. "The trap card Death Cycle activates when a monster on my field is destroyed in battle. I select one magic or trap card with a special summon effect from either player's graveyard and activate it! That card's requirements are bypassed! And my choice is your Inferno Reckless Summon quickplay magic card!" Two more Rumbling Granite Dragons appeared on his field in defense mode. (200/2000) "And because your monster zones are all full, you are unable to special summon additional monsters through the effect of Inferno Reckless Summon."

"While that was very impressive, it's still not enough!" Yusio's other two Batterymen unleashed blasts of lightning that shattered the half dragon demon's dragons. "This is the end. When Thunder Nyan Nyan attacks, your life points will be gone. Thunder Drum!"

Adriel's remaining set card flipped up. "I activate Soul Resurrection!" There was a flash of light and his Sapphire Dragon reappeared in play in a crouching position. "This continuous trap card lets me special summon a normal monster from my graveyard to my field in defense mode!" (1900/1600)

The Thunder Nyan Nyan banged on her drums and a bolt of lightning crashed into the dragon, shattering it.

Yusio hovered silently, no longer speaking. Finally after a few seconds its voice returned. "I can see why you were chosen to be a Savior. However, I'm not done yet. I play the continuous magic card Battery Recharger." A magic card appeared on its field. "While this card is face-up in play I gain 500 life points for every Batteryman monster on my field during the end phase of my turn. Also, I play two more of this card and end my turn." All three of its continuous magic cards released blasts of electricity that fed into it.

Yusio- 7500

Adriel- 1000

Adriel felt sore already, as the damage from those triple lightning blasts started to settle into him. ("At this rate I won't last. If I don't draw a saving card this turn, then during the next turn his batteries will finish me off.") "What are you? Why do you want the Infinity sources of power?"

Yusio throbbed, seeming deep in thought. "It is because I feel it is necessary to keep powerful items such as them from the hands of creatures which do not have the strength to command them."

"Are you calling me weak?" Adriel shook off the pain, refusing to let this thing see his weakness.

"No. You are strong. However, there are varying levels of strength in this universe." Yusio grew dimmer. "I can already smell one of my siblings on your body, which means that you must know what is going on. The Blood Children want the Infinity sources of power, and if the wielder of those sources cannot protect it then I will not allow them to keep it!"

"You wish to see strength?" Adriel placed his hand on his deck. "Then let me show you the true strength that I wield." He bared his fangs, angry that any refugee to this planet would dare to question whether he was fit to follow the path of a hero or not. "It's my turn! Draw!" Flipping his drawn card up, he sneered. "I activate the magic card Turnabout Treasure, which activates when I have no cards in play and no cards in my hand except this card. For every face-up card you have in play, I draw one card. Your continuous trap, your three continuous magic cards, and your five monsters equal nine!" Drawing nine cards off of his deck, he grinned at the results. "I'll show it now, the strength that makes me worthy of this power!"

"Then come, show me what brought you one of the infinite sources of power." Yusio contracted and expanded, as if it was breathing.

"I play the magic card Polymerization!" A swirling vortex appeared above Adriel's head. "I fuse Mighty Gale Dragon and Melting Magma Dragon together!" A bright green wind dragon and a deep red fire dragon appeared in the air above him and were pulled into the vortex. "Come out now, Gale Magma Dragon!" (2100/1200) A large green and red dragon appeared on his field.

Another card left his hand. "Now I play Fusion Recovery, adding the Polymerization I played and my Mighty Gale Dragon to my hand." Removing the two cards from his graveyard slot, he held up Polymerization again. "This time I play the magic card Draconic Legacy, returning one dragon type monster from my graveyard to my hand." One of his graveyard Raging Tide Dragons slid out of the graveyard slot. "I then fuse Mighty Gale Dragon and Raging Tide Dragon together!" The two named dragons appeared in the air above his field and were sucked into a vortex. "I fusion summon Gale Tide Dragon!" (1900/2300) A green and blue dragon appeared on his field and roared loudly, sending a spray of wind and water across the field.

"Finally, I normal summon Spear Dragon." A strange blue-nosed dragon appeared on his field. (1900/0)

Yusio couldn't express emotion, but its voice said it all. "Despite your display of summoning power, I am so far not impressed."

"You will be." Adriel snapped up two cards. "These are my Dragon's Roar quickplay magic cards. With their effect, if I have a dragon type monster in play, I may switch the mode of one monster on your field! Since I activated two, my choices are one of your Batterymen AA and your Batteryman D!"

Yusio let out a confused gasp-like noise as one of its slimmer battery monsters dropped into a crouch and its larger battery monster stood up.

Adriel snickered. "I found the weakness to your monsters. You said when all Batterymen AA on your field are in attack mode, they all gain 1000 attack points for each of themselves in play. Well, I thought, what happens if one isn't in attack mode?" He rapped a knuckle on his own skull. "Duh, their attack would be zero." (0/0x3)

"Still, can you defeat me in this turn?"

Adriel pointed at the Batteryman D. "First thing's first, Gale Tide Dragon may attack two times per battle phase! Crushing Storm Burst!" His oceanic dragon unleashed a funnel of water that swallowed up the Batteryman D and destroyed it.

Yusio- 5600

Adriel- 1000

"Once more!" Adriel's monster unleashed its attack on one of the Batteryman AAs, blowing it up next.

Yusio- 3700

Adriel- 1000

"Now for my Spear Dragon! Attack his defense mode Batteryman with Spear Flash!" The blue-nosed dragon spat out a green spear of light that pierced the body of the battery monster and then slashed into Yusio's sphere-like body. "When Spear Dragon battles with a defense mode monster, and its attack is higher, the difference is dealt in battle damage to your life points!"

Yusio- 1800

Adriel- 1000

"When Spear Dragon's attack finishes, it switches to defense mode." Adriel's dragon folded its wings in on itself. "Now for the last 1800! Gale Magma Dragon, attack Batteryman AA with Burning Storm Burst!" His last monster opened its jaws, powering up a ball of fire within them.

"It's too bad your attack won't finish this." Yusio's last Batteryman was surrounded by electricity. "Since my last Batteryman AA is the only one in play, it gains 1000 attack points for every one of itself on the field." (1000/0)

"I don't care!" Adriel pointed at his dragon. "Gale Magma Dragon's special ability triggers when it destroys a monster as a result of battle! You take that monster's attack in damage!" Then his monster unleashed its fireball, burning the Batteryman to a crisp. "After damage calculation you'll have 700 life points, and my dragon will deal you 1000."

Yusio- 0

Adriel- 1000

As the field cleared, Yusio's form started to grow much dimmer. It was almost like a light bulb turning off. "You have won against me, and for that you have earned my allegiance." It turned into a bolt of lightning that hit Adriel's duel disk and vanished into the device. _"I will come if you call for me."_

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Adriel started to head back out of the cave. ("This was but a test to make sure I was worthy of the path of a hero. I'll assume I passed, this time. However, just how many of the Infinity Travelers are actually here at this school? And how many have forms like Yusio's?")

_To be continued…_


	8. New Objective

The Infinity Chronicles

Chapter 8: New Objective; Unlock the three souls

Somewhere within a shadowed room, a single old-fashioned rotary phone rings. A hand, also shadowed, reaches over from where its body is seated and picks up the receiver. "Hello." On the other end is a voice not human. It is some kind of strange code.

"Of course, I haven't forgotten what you have assigned me to do. My target is one of three remaining sources of the Infinites power, correct?" The sound on the other end persists. "Oh, is that what is worrying you? Psh, relax. I already found out how we're supposed to bring it out of its dimension without the help of the Infinity Mind."

Hanging up the phone, the male speaker sits up his chair and picks his hat up off a nearby hanger. "It's time to get to work."

--------------------------------------------

"Come on Ichigo! I never ask you for favors!" Eri followed the half-demon around as he tried to speed-walk away from her. "I know you can hear me, damn it!"

"I said no!" Growling, Ichigo glared at her and then ran away.

"Why not?" She chased after him, waving her hands like she was trying to flag down an airplane. "It's not like this is going to take too much of your time or effort! Come on, do it!"

Reaching the second floor of the Osiris Red dorm, he turned around and pulled down his right eyelid with his right index finger, while sticking his tongue out at her. "Bleah! I said no!" Then he proceeded to grab the overhang of the dorm's roof and pull himself up. "This isn't what it was meant for!"

"I know you're full of it now!" Eri proceeded after him, climbing up onto the roof just as easily as he had. "I'll share half of the profits with you!"

"Leave me alone!" He was about to leap off the roof when she grabbed him into a headlock, clamping her arms around his neck tightly. "Ack!"

She lowered her head down to one of his ears and whispered quietly. "Do you know how many girls there are in the Starlight Savior fan club at this school? Do you really? It's more than half the student body. Do you know how much money I could make just by getting a few clear pictures of what Starlight Savior actually looked like? All the shots of you so far have been pretty poor."

"…I'm not a hero for money!" He tried to throw her away, but her grip on his neck was far too strong. "Eri…I'm choking…let…" He started to turn blue.

"You know I have no qualms about killing you when you oppose me, right?" She sneered coldly. "Or perhaps I could let you live after making public quite a bit of information about your past adventures I've found out. I'm sure your times as Alahandra must be worth a few laughs to some people."

The half-demon's blue face turned blue-white, indicating even while he was choking he could become pale.

"I'll take that as a yes. Just show up tonight at the Obelisk Blue girl's dorm, and don't worry about security." Releasing him, she hopped off the roof and then walked away from the Osiris Red dorm whistling to herself.

---------------------

Ichigo stared at his lunch looking thoroughly depressed. Then he looked over at Adriel, who looked to be just as depressed. "She came to you too?" When his rival nodded slowly he cried the streaking tears only an anime character could duplicate. "This is wrong…we're heroes, right?"

Adriel sighed once more. "Screw it; let's just get this stupid crap out of the way. If we don't, then she'll make our lives not worth living. Besides, if we can get a little bit of pocket cash out of it too then all will be well, right?"

Ichigo banged his head against the wooden bench they were eating on. "Okay…fine." Suddenly he leapt to his feet dramatically, using the bench to emulate a great dramatic stance. "But if I'm going into this then it won't be half-assed!" He pointed up at the sky. "I will make this evening one those fans of mine will never forget!"

Adriel sighed, as he didn't even have to look to know what Ichigo had done. "You stepped in your lunch." A few seconds later he heard Ichigo's quiet whimpering to indicate he was right.

------------------------

The two rivals stood across the river from the Obelisk Blue girl's dorm, both dressed in all black. Nodding to each other, they both leapt behind some bushes.

Ichigo looked up at the half-moon in the sky and sighed. "Alright, here goes!" He snapped his right hand into the air. **"Awaken, Soul of the Stars!"**

Adriel did similar with his hand. **"Awaken, Soul of the Void!"**

--------------------------

Eri glanced at her wristwatch and then out at the moon. Behind her sat at least fifty female members of the Obelisk Blue dorm, all of them loitering about right outside patiently. They had paid good money to be allowed out here at this time of night, since Eri had previously told their dorm master, Miss Harding, beforehand that this was going to be a simple star-watching activity for most of the members of the dorm.

Miss Harding had joined them all, as well. She was a very strong woman, both physically and mentally. With her black pony-tail and green eyes she reminded Eri of her mother. Plus she was wearing a simple pair of grey sweat-pants and a grey sweat-shirt which both meant that she was relaxed for the evening. This boded well with Eri, because the demoness knew that Miss Harding was also part of the Starlight Savior fan club.

All in all, it was a very profitable night to be Erika Amero. ("They'll be here in about five, four, three, two, one…") A loud click came from the top of the Obelisk Blue girl's dorm, and she pointed up at the roof. "Hey, what's that?" It was obvious the surprise in her voice was fake, but all of the girls knew that and Miss Harding was already focusing on where the click had come from moments before Eri had said anything.

A bright circle of light lit up the edge of the roof, illuminating a dark and light blue armored male form. "I am the hero of the heavens!"

Off to the first's side, another circle of light appeared and illuminated a dark purple and black armored male form. "I am the hero of the darkness!"

"I…I…" Starlight Savior froze as he realized his usual love and justice line wouldn't make any sense here. "Errr…"

Eri face-palmed. ("Did he get stage-fright or something?")

Vortex Savior seemed rather uncomfortable as he waited patiently for his rival to continue his lines. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath. "What's the hold-up?"

"What should I say?" Starlight Savior muttered back. "I mean, I can't say I'm here to right wrongs they haven't even committed yet…"

Vortex Savior's right eye started to twitch. "You…you mean you actually think about those stupid lines before you say them? They don't just come naturally?"

"Of course! One has to sound cool if he intends to be a hero." Starlight Savior nodded, while all of the girl's down below were wondering what the heck had happened.

Eri couldn't take it anymore. ("You choose now to be stupid?") Grabbing a pair of binoculars from another girl, she wound up and with the accuracy of a professional pitcher hurled the item upwards.

"Maybe… 'In the name of…" Starlight Savior noticed something was approaching him from the ground rapidly. "What's…" His head snapped backwards as the binoculars struck him right on the chin. For a few seconds he didn't move, and then he tumbled right off the roof, falling three stories right into the bushes.

Vortex Savior poked his head over the side of the roof. "Hey? Hey? Are you dead?"

Miss Harding patted a very pale Eri on the back. "Good job bringing down that weirdo, Amero."

"Heh, just doing my job…" Eri watched as Starlight Savior stumbled out of the bushes dizzily, apparently unable to see straight. ("That or he's walking funny just to make me even madder.") "Hey, snap out of it!"

Slapping the side of his own head, Starlight Savior got his senses back and without skipping a beat thumbed at his own chest. "I think you know my name, but just in case let me remind you! I am Starlight Savior!" Then he was blinded by about fifty flashes of light as he suddenly had dozens of pictures taken of him.

Vortex Savior glanced down once more. ("Hmm, it looks like they forget me. Perfect…") He was about to leave when he felt a pair eyes burning holes in his back. Sighing, he waved Eri's glare down and hopped off the roof. "Coming!"

----------------------------------------------

Ichigo Pilkington always wondered what it was like to get mobbed by a group of girls asking for autographs, and now he knew. It sucked. Of course, as Starlight Savior he couldn't be rude like that though. "And your name?" He didn't even really hear her. He just wrote what the girl's lips sounded off.

Miss Harding, who was clutching her autographed picture tightly, glanced over at Eri slyly. "You knew this was going to happen, I assume."

"On the record?" Eri feigned an innocent expression. "Whatever are you talking about?"

Vortex Savior wasn't getting quite as much attention, and while that relieved it him he also felt kind of angry about it. ("What makes him so popular? He's the one spouting stupid stuff off…and what's worse is actually thinks it through beforehand!") Suddenly he felt a meek tap on his shoulder. Glancing behind him, his eyes widened as he spotted a head full of silver hair and a pair of innocent amber eyes. "Ambience?" Turning, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at the first Infinity Traveler to form a bond with him. "You're part of Ra Yellow, so what brings you here?"

"Well…I heard…that…well…" The girl flushed bright red.

"Well…" Out of the absolute blue, Erian seemed to just pop out from behind her. "She heard about the whole event thing from some other girls and it occurred to her that you might show up in your…how did she put it…" He snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! In your ultra-cool Infinite Guardian form. Am I right?" He looked over at Ambience, who was magma red and looking at the ground. "I guess I got it right!"

Vortex Savior had his eyes closed and his eyes were twitching. "I have two questions for you, Erian. One, how did you get here? Two, you do understand that you're not allowed at the girl's dorm during this time of the night, right?"

Erian blinked. "I'm not?" Suddenly he was hefted off of his feet, and he found himself looking into a pair of dark green eyes. "Oh, you're Miss Harding right?"

The teacher glared back, holding the short boy up easily. "You understand I'm going to hurl you right into the lake, correct?"

"That sounds fair enough." Erian waved to his 'sister' and Vortex Savior as she walked off towards the lake with him in tow. "Bye you guys! I'll see you tommorow I guess!"

Starlight Savior was still busy getting mobbed, so he didn't notice that his roommate had been here.

-----------------------------------------------

Miss Harding snapped her arm back and casually tossed Erian into the lake. "And don't come back! Also, consider yourself lucky that since I made an exception with those two I feel it would be wrong to report this to your dorm master." Turning, she started to walk back towards the dorm yard.

She stopped when she heard quiet applause coming from the wall of the building. "That was a good show of power. You're a strong woman, aren't you?" Resting his back against the wall was a spiky orange-haired man wearing a leather jacket and jeans. His eyes were covered by sunglasses and he was chewing on what looked to be a lollipop. "Miss Alicia Harding, transferred from America to Duelist Academy to teach the students about self-defense, correct?"

She narrowed her eyes, immediately sensing that this man was dangerous. "Leave here before I call security. You're not even a student."

"Exactly right!" He pulled the used up lollipop stick out of his mouth and flicked it away. "However, I don't need to be a student to gain something precious from you." Suddenly he was standing directly behind her. "Open your dreams, good and bad to me." Pressing his hand against her back gently, he sneered. "Particularly the bad ones." Then they both disappeared within an explosion of black flame.

A few moments later the fire disappeared, revealing the man snickering over Miss Harding, who was curled in the fetal position. In his hands rested a glittering pink/red crystal. "One down, and two to go!" Turning, he started to walk towards the lake.

Erian pulled himself out of the lake and ran up to the man, stopping a few feet in front of him. "What are you doing? Put that back!"

"Oh? You know what this is?" The man licked his lips. "You've got to be one of the Travelers, aren't you? That's good. Well, would you care to come with me quietly, or should I kill you and leave it at that?"

"I said put that back!" Erian growled angrily. "Don't you know what you have done to her? Don't you care?"

"Sure I care. I care that this is one of the pieces I'm looking for to assemble the Infinity Dream. And with it under the control of the Blood Children, the Infinites' strongest weapon will be useless." The man flicked the jewel into the air and caught it once more, shoving it into his pocket. "What will you do? I'm sure you actually meant that without that in her body she will die, but without the actual container where will I put the key energy?" He tilted his head and listened to nothing. "Oh, no answers? Exactly. There's no way to store the key energy without a crystal container meant specifically for it. So sorry, but it's all over for her." Snapping his right hand out, a long knife appeared in it. "Now then, Traveler, are you ready to die?"

Erian stepped back, still growling. "You are beasts who don't care about anything but your own greedy desires! However, I won't let you have your way!" His hands flexed as he felt his special power come forth. ("The power of negation will buy time until Starlight Savior shows up and…") Suddenly he realized that the man was gone. "H…huh?"

"I'm behind you." The man already had the knife above his head, ready to slash the little idealist into pieces. Suddenly something shot past his face, knocking the knife from his hands and sending it into the water. "Who did that?"

A circle of light lit up the steps to the dock, and it also lit up the form of Starlight Savior. "I am the hero of the heavens!" His right index finger was pointing up into the sky. "In the name of love and justice, I will fix whatever damage you caused that poor woman!" His hand snapped down and he thumbed at his chest. "I am Starlight Savior!"

Behind him another circle of light appeared, revealing Vortex Savior. "I am the hero of the darkness. That peaceful void has been disturbed by your actions, and as such I have no choice but to show you the cold of space!"

The man laughed. "What kind of stupid nonsense is this?" He watched as Erian ran up past the two Saviors. "Oh, you're the guardians? Psh, how sad. I can't believe Meredith lost to a couple of clowns like you."

Starlight Savior smiled wryly. "I assume you're a Blood Child?"

"Of course." The man sneered at the hero. "Why? What are you going to do about it?"

"I'll do this." Snapping up his hand, Starlight Savior closed his eyes. **"Awaken Aries, Soul of Assertion!"** A dark blue sword made of crystal appeared in his right hand. **"Let the dark blood be cleansed from this Miracle World!"** The weapon transformed into a much more elaborate multi-jeweled form.

The man glanced to both sides of him as everything turned pitch black, leaving only him and Starlight Savior visible. "Ooooo, this is a cute trick. What's next?"

Dropping the weapon to his side, the hero met eyes with the Blood Child, even though the latter was wearing sunglasses. **"Infinite Starlight Slash!"** He snapped the blade of his sword upwards, creating a dark blue crescent that hurtled towards the suddenly slow-moving man.

The man eyed the approaching crescent, and then suddenly returned to normal speed, stepping out of the way of the attack and watching as it hurtled off into the darkness. Whistling, he looked back at the astonished Starlight Savior. "Oh, was that supposed to hit me?"

("How…how did he escape my time ability?") The hero growled and got ready to do it again.

The man sighed and snapped his fingers. "Oh dreamless husk, awaken they vengeful self." All around them the pitch black faded back to normal reality, and from behind Starlight Savior Miss Harding started to scream in pain. "There's a challenge for you, hero. How will you save the woman without cutting her down? After all, in this case the darkness you'd remove would be her essence. So your sharp little toy will be useless." Waving his hand, he grinned right before disappearing. "Bye!"

Vortex Savior noticed that they had acquired an audience while this had been happening, and that audience was gathered around their now screaming dorm mistress. "No, get back!" He nearly threw himself at the lot of them, scaring them back. "Don't get near…" Because his attention was diverted, he wasn't ready when Miss Harding suddenly cracked him across the face with a jab which left him reeling.

Starlight Savior ran up the woman and locked her arms behind her back. "Knock it off!" Her leg snapped back and threw the hero off-balance, letting her hurl him into his rival.

Miss Harding clutched at her sides and gasped in pain, eyes wide but pupils reflecting emptiness. And then she exploded in a burst of black flame. "I am Street!" The fire cleared to reveal a ten-foot tall dark-skinned female humanoid wearing simply white clothing meant specifically for full mobility.

Both Saviors just stared at the Amazon that stood before them. Then they looked at each other worriedly. Neither of them stood a chance against this kind of Vengeance in a straight-up fight.

Street laughed boomingly and pounded her chest. "Don't worry, little men. Folding either of you in half doesn't sound like too much fun. However, I do want to duel one of you!"

They both looked at each other again, and then Vortex Savior stepped forward. "I'll be your opponent! Of course, this will be an Infinity Trial!"

Street smirked. "Good, I like a game with a bit of danger." A heavy iron-cast Duel Disk appeared around one of her burly arms.

Erian, from amongst the other Obelisk Blues who stood nearby, watched in silence. Suddenly he glanced off to his side and noticed that Ambience was holding something. "Huh, what's that?"

Meanwhile, Vortex Savior had already summoned his Duel Disk and was shuffling his deck. ("From what that guy and Erian said, apparently this Vengeance will die soon without that gem.") He looked at Starlight Savior meaningfully. ("Before this duel ends, figure out a way to save her or to get that damned jewel back!") Then he looked at the creature. "Duel!"

Vortex Savior- 4000

Street- 4000

Vortex Savior snapped the top card off of his deck and fanned out the cards. ("For now I'll play defensive.") "I summon this monster in defense mode." A face-down monster appeared on his field. "With that I end my turn."

Street flexed one massive arm and drew. "I summon Amazoness Paladin in attack mode!" (1700/300) A female monster built similarly to her appeared in play, this one holding a single sword and wearing holy garments. "Its effect activates now! For every Amazoness in play it gains 100 attack points!" (1800/300) "Attack now! Dance of the Sacred Sword!" Her monster slashed through Vortex Savior's set monster. "Also, I place two cards face-down in play and end my turn."

Vortex Savior drew the top card off of his deck and frowned. ("So far my defense failed, but I'm far from done.") "I summon Twilight Golem!" A large golem monster made of black crystal appeared in play on his field. (1900/2000) "Battle! Twilight Golem, attack Amazoness Paladin!" His monster rumbled and charged forwards, tackling the female monster and crushing her under its arm.

Vortex Savior- 4000

Street- 3900

Street pointed at one of her set cards. "I activate the trap card Pride of the Whole Family! This trap activates when an Amazoness monster on my field is destroyed! I may special summon any Amazoness monster from my deck to the field!" Another Amazon like herself appeared in play, this one holding a blowgun. "I special summon Amazoness Blowpiper in attack mode!" (800/1500)

Vortex Savior grimaced and inserted two cards into his duel disk. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Street chuckled and drew. "During my standby phase, the power of my Blowpiper lets me lower the attack of one monster in play by 500 points!" His monster shot a small dart across the field that hit the Golem in the chest. (1400/2000) "Also, I summon Amazoness Fighter in attack mode!" (1500/1300) Another Amazon appeared on his field and pounded her fists together. "Attack the golem now!" Her monster leapt across the field and kicked the golem in the side of the head, shattering it.

Vortex Savior- 3900

Street- 3900

The hero threw up his arms to block against the backlash. "I…I reveal my face-down continuous trap card, Twilight Stone!" A large formation of black crystal appeared on his field. "Every time a monster on my field is destroyed in battle, a counter is placed on this card. I may sacrifice this card in place of monster sacrifices for summoning a high level monster, as long as it has a number of counters equal to the number of sacrifices for the summon!" A single counter appeared over the card.

"Very amusing, but I will still crush you! Blowpiper, direct attack!" Street smirked as her monster shot a dart across the field that hit the Vortex Savior in the chest. "Also, I place one card face-down in play and end my turn."

Vortex Savior- 3100

Street- 3900

Vortex Savior drew. "You're not bad, but you're not exactly great either. For all of your cards, my life points haven't fallen by much. And I'm finally ready to make a counterattack! There is currently one counter on my Twilight Stone, and that will be enough!" The crystal formation cracked, and then shattered. "I tribute my Twilight Stone to summon Nexus Glider!" (2300/2000) A large gold-streaked black steel dragon appeared on his field. "I activate the effect of Nexus Glider right now. When Nexus Glider attacks, I may select one magic or trap card in play. During this battle phase that card cannot activate!" He pointed at her left card. "That is my choice! Now attack the Blowpiper! Dark Zone Burst Stream!" His dragon released a swirling fireball made of black energy that slammed into the Amazoness, shattering it easily.

Street barely budged from the backlash. "Impressive, but still nothing but cute! I reveal another Pride of the Whole Family!" Her other set card flipped up. "Once more I'll special summon an Amazoness from my deck. This time it will Amazoness Swordswoman!" (1500/1600) A female Amazon holding a single curved sword appeared on her field.

The hero glanced at the cards in his hand and grumbled something under his breath. ("So far I'm unimpressed by the power of this deck.") "End turn."

Street drew. "I summon Amazoness Tiger in attack mode!" A large collared tiger appeared on her field and roared. (1100/1500) "For every Amazoness monster in play, my tiger gains 400 attack points!" (2300/1500)

"You summoned a monster on equal footing with my Glider?" Vortex Savior was smiling inwardly. ("Unfortunately for you, Nexus Glider cannot be defeated by monsters with the same attack as itself. Let's see what you can do to get around it, shall we?")

Street flipped a card from her hand over. "I activate Amazoness Spellcaster." The holographic statistics over her Fighter and Vortex Savior's monster flickered, and suddenly their attack points changed. "This magic card can only be activated when I have an Amazoness monster in play. The attack of one of your monster's in play and the attack of one of my Amazoness monsters switches for the turn. (Amazoness Fighter: 2300/1300) (Nexus Glider: 1500/2000) "This is the end! Amazoness Fighter, attack Nexus Glider!" Her warrior jump-kicked into the dragon and it exploded. "Your monster is defeated!"

Vortex Savior- 2300

Street- 3900

"And your monster made a mistake!" Vortex Savior pointed at her Amazoness Tiger. "When Nexus Glider is destroyed as a result of battle, I may send one monster in play to the bottom of its owner's deck!" The tiger roared and disappeared.

She laughed loudly and pointed at him. "Amazoness Swordswoman, show him his error!" Her remaining monster leapt across the field and slashed its sword across his chest. "With that your life points are only 800. My battle phase ends, but now I play the magic card Amazoness Ritual. This magic card allows me to select one player with less than 1000 life points and cut their life in half."

The hero dropped to one knee as he felt the life being sucked out of him.

"And after that, I gain whatever life you lost." She pounded her chest triumphantly. "It's nearly the end for you, little man. Learn that simply being a hero doesn't mean that you will win. You have to have the strength to earn what you desire!"

Vortex Savior- 400

Street- 4300

Ambience stared at the fallen Savior with wide eyes, while the item she had been hiding from her brother was now gripped tightly in her pale fingers.

Erian noticed that it was a flag. Grabbing it, he picked up a nearby stick and tied two ends of it to the piece of wood. "Alright everyone, let's cheer for him!" He addressed the whole group of girls behind him. Holding the flag, he blinked up at what was sewn into the purple fabric. In black lettering it said 'Vortex Savior Fan Club'. "Hey Ambience, did you sew this?"

His 'sister' currently had literal steam coming from her forehead, as any sweat she produced instantly was evaporated by red heat her face was giving off. "Yeah…"

"Heh! Alright then!" He started the flag wildly above his head. "Go Vortex Savior! Ambience is your number one fan, and she believes that you can do it!"

Ambience made a strange squeak noise and covered her face with her hands.

The hero was already standing, his back to the crowd of now cheering students. "That's not necessary." He turned and gave them all a thumbs-up. "I won't let any of you down." He smiled, and for a few moments one of his teeth gained a bright glimmer to it. "After all, that's what a hero does, right?"

Starlight Savior nodded. "That's right. It's not a matter of strength, it's a matter of purpose and will." He suddenly glared at Street. "A monster like yourself would never understand such a thing though!"

Vortex Savior turned to face his opponent. "Exactly! For this world's sake, I will not fall!" He drew. "I activate the field magic card Dark Zone!" All around them everything turned pitch black. "Within this place, all dark type monsters gain 1000 attack points and have zero defense."

"So what?" Street motioned to her Amazoness Swordswoman. "My Swordswoman deals all battle damage I would take to you, and my Fighter simply negates any battle damage I would take. You can't touch me by attacking them."

"Then I won't attack them." He inserted a card into his duel disk. "I activate Dead Zone Rebirth! When Dark Zone is in play, I may special summon one monster from my graveyard!" His Nexus Glider reappeared in play. (3300/0)

"It's still a useless effort. You can't beat me." The Vengeance flexed once more. "My strength is absolute!"

"Strength is good, but it cannot defeat the skill of a good stealth maneuver!" Vortex Savior flipped the second to last card in his hand. "I activate the equipment magic card Axe of Despair! The equipped monster gains 1000 attack points!" His monster started to glow. (4300/0) "That's exactly enough to finish you off! My last card is the face-down trap on my field. Go Dark Sinkhole! This trap lets me discard a card from my hand to allow one dark monster on my field to attack directly during this turn!" His Nexus Glider disappeared. "Also, because of Nexus Glider's special ability you cannot activate your set card once again! Dark Zone Burst Stream!"

Street looked around her warily…and then a blast of dark energy crashed right down on top of her head.

Vortex Savior- 400

Street- 0

Everyone started to cheer wildly, right up until Street emerged from the smoking explosion that had engulfed her. "Excellent play, but I will still run you down!" Roaring out a battle cry, she charged him.

Vortex Savior lifted his hand up into the air. **"Empty Demise."** A ball of darkness appeared above his head. "Be pulled into your end." A powerful force of gravity sucked her into the ball, somehow fitting her into a space that shouldn't have been able to hold her. "Do you have an idea how to fix this problem, Starlight Savior?"

Starlight Savior rubbed the back of his head. "Uh…" He had acquired the powers of Aquarius, Libra, Pisces, and Aries. ("Purification, Balance, Time and Assertion. None of them will be able to fix this problem.")

**("In this situation, you need not worry.")** A calm voice echoed in his mind. **("The Zodiac has amongst it a power that will fix this. In the case that a being is missing a part of itself, or you cannot force out the darkness of it, simply call my name.")**

Starlight Savior extended his hand out in front of him. **"Awaken Virgo, Soul of Restoration!"** His hand started to move rapidly, creating a number of shapes in the air. Finishing his hand movements, he nodded to Vortex Savior. "Let her go!"

"I don't have a choice!" Releasing his Empty Demise, the dark-haired hero leapt back right as Street crashed down where he had been standing.

The Vengeance leapt to her feet angrily. "How dare you try to lock me away, you insolent fool! I'll break your head off!"

Starlight Savior felt it now. It was a power that was waiting for a physical form. ("Restoration? What kind of shape should something with a restoration power take? Well, maybe…") He suddenly had an idea. Focusing on that idea, an item made of dark blue crystal formed in his hands. It flowed and slowly took the shape of a long thin stick. "Alright, here goes nothing!"

Street turned when she heard him yell. "What are you talking about?"

Grasping the stick with both hands, he rested it at his hip. **"Starlight Support Shot!"** His hands did something similar to what someone playing pool does to make a shot. At the end of the stick a ball of dark blue light exploded forth and pierced Street's chest.

The Vengeance stared at the hole in her chest. "Impossible…" Then she disappeared within a pillar of dark blue light. A few moments later Miss Harding fell out of the pillar, unconscious.

--------------------------------------

Ichigo sighed and looked out the window of his room at the stars. "Man, that was insane. If it wasn't for Virgo coming out and letting me use its power, Miss Harding would be dead by now."

Erian shrugged. "Yeah, but since it all worked out it's fine."

("The real question is, who was that guy, and what did he want with someone like a teacher?") Even though the half-demon mentally asked the stars, they didn't offer an answer. He would have to figure out this mystery on his own.

_To be continued…_


	9. Plots in Motion

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

Ichigo stood on the dueling field. Everyone was applauding him and he was bowing. He had just defeated the greatest ranked duelist in the world, and now it was time for his coronation speech. Grabbing the microphone from the announcer, he started to speak into it. "My opponent put up an excellent fight, and he was a top-right-good ol' duelist the whole way through!"

The applauding crowds were now a group of finely dressed men wearing tuxedos, all of them having white handlebar mustaches and a top-hat under one arm.

"Furthermore, I fell down the stairs yesterday and bruised my kidney." Ichigo had a white mustache now too, and was wearing a mauve cowboy hat for some reason. "Luckily, the bruise resembled a taco so it was quickly eaten by penguins."

Off to the side of the stage, Eri, dressed like a game show host, spoke into her own microphone. "That was the secret word! Tell him what he's won!" Followed by which a car fell on his head.

------------------------------------------

Ichigo snapped his head up and looked around his room, sweating profusely. After a few seconds he looked around nervously, wondering where the men in top hats had gone. Then he realized his head was outside of his bunk, and therefore was an open target to any falling cars. After which he curled up under his covers and went to bed, since it was still dark outside.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 9: Plots in Motion

"So that's him?" A Duel Academy student wearing a Ra Yellow uniform looked through a pair of binoculars from his hiding spot behind a cluster of trees. He had coke-bottle thick glasses and his brown hair was cut into a rather odd bowl shape.

"Yeah, that's him." Another student, this one also wearing a Ra Yellow uniform as well said. He looked just like the first one, except his hair was black. "He's the one who formed a bond with Erian."

From behind the two short boys a much taller and absolutely beautiful blond-haired girl with pink-colored eyes stepped forward. Crossing her arms across her chest, she licked her lips at what she could see even from this far distance. "Ichigo Pilkington, one of the most highly sought after boys in school." She wore an Obelisk Blue uniform.

From next to her another Obelisk Blue student snickered. "You'd have to contend with Erika Amero if you wanted him, you know? And from what I've heard she's in that same realm of 'look, but don't touch'. After all, to the human beings of this school those demons are a dangerous breed, albeit beautiful." He was a very round-bodied young man, with a crew cut and brown eyes. "Don't you agree, Resshin?" When no answer came he realized that Resshin was already gone. "You know, we should put him on a leash. For all his claims that he's our leader, he seems to walk off a lot on his own."

The black-haired boy gasped, looking through the binoculars. "He's approaching the Blue Osiris!"

-------------------------

"Come again?" Ichigo asked.

Ichigo and Erian, both of which had been enjoying a little game of morning Frisbee right outside the Osiris Red dorm, had suddenly been approached by an Obelisk Blue student with extremely long and wild orange hair and eyes of the same color. That alone wouldn't have been too strange, but he had walked right up to Ichigo and asked a rather odd question.

"I said…" The student's face was a lot like Ichigo's, except he had a scar going down one cheek. "Are you strong?"

Ichigo shrugged. "I can lift a motorcycle…is that what you mean?"

The orange-haired student's eyes reflected only a strange animal-like sense of evaluation. "No. Dueling. Are you a strong duelist?"

"Of course!" Ichigo pounded his chest a couple of times. "I love to duel, and if you love something then you have to be good at it, right?"

The Obelisk Blue student smirked and turned around, looking directly at a far-away group of trees. "Forward, come here now." Then he turned to face Ichigo, still smirking. "Would you mind dueling against a friend of mine? He told me that you were terrible and that he could beat you any day of the week. I just wanted to see who the liar was."

The trees rustled and the black-haired bowl-cut boy walked out. "You called, Resshin-san?"

"Yeah." Resshin grinned, revealing a pair of lengthened canine teeth that were much like the fangs of a canine demon. "I wanted you to duel this guy. I'm not sure whether he's worth the effort yet, and I'm sure you wouldn't mind dueling in my place, would you?" Glancing back at the boy, his orange eyes flashed for a few seconds.

Gulping, the boy walked past Resshin and bowed to Ichigo. "Pleasure to meet you, Ichigo Pilkington-san. My name is Forward."

Ichigo, out of reflex, bowed back. "The pleasure…is mine?" Realizing what he was doing, the half-demon stood up straight again and ran towards his dorm room. "Hang on, let me get my disk!"

Resshin noticed that Erian was giving him a strange look, and returned the look with a cold sneer. "Forward, make sure to go at him full force, alright? I'll have Reverse nearby in case you need him." Then he went over to a nearby tree and sat against it.

-------------------

A few minutes later Ichigo and Forward were facing off, both about twenty feet from the other and both with their Duel Disks already loaded. "Duel!"

Forward- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Forward readjusted his glasses and drew the top card of his deck, which seemed awfully big in his rather small hands. "First I summon Masked Dragon in defense mode." A red and white dragon appeared on his field in a crouching position. "Then I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo rubbed his chin for a couple of seconds, and then drew the top card of his deck. ("A Masked Dragon, when destroyed in battle, let's the owner search their deck for a dragon type monster with 1500 or less attack points and special summon it. I wonder what kind of dragon he wants me to give him.") "I place one card face-down." A card appeared face-down on his field. "Come out now, Final Shadow Void Mercenary!" A black-suited warrior wearing a black steel helmet appeared on his field. (1700/1600)

"When Void Mercenary is summoned I may send one card from my field back into my deck." Removing his set card, he shuffled it back into his deck and removed a different card. "After I have done this I may equip one magic card from my deck to my Mercenary! My choice is Void Quantum Cannon!" A silver bulky-looking laser appeared in the hands of his monster. "The monster equipped with Void Quantum Cannon gains 500 attack points." (2200/1600) "Quantum Shooter!" The warrior fired a blast of pulsing purple-lined black energy that pierced the dragon's chest and blew it apart.

Forward inserted the monster into his graveyard. "When Masked Dragon is sent to the graveyard as a result of battle, I choose to special summon Armed Dragon LVL 3!" A little orange and brown bipedal dragon with fore-claws getting suited to punching that slashing appeared on his field. (1200/900)

Ichigo was still rubbing his chin, thinking about this. ("A level monster? Let's see, level monsters transform depending on different circumstances. It's a shame I can't remember how Armed Dragon levels up.") "Oh well. For this turn, I'm done."

Forward smirked. "I begin my turn then." He drew. "And during my standby phase, Armed Dragon LVL 3 triggers its special ability. By sending it from my field to my graveyard during my standby phase, I can special summon Armed Dragon LVL 5 from my deck or hand to the field!" The little dragon disappeared within a burst of red light. "Come out now, Armed Dragon LVL 5!" A much larger red and black dragon appeared on his field. (2400/1700) "Armed Dragon, attack Void Mercenary with Armed Buster!" The creature wound up one of its 'fists' and punched the warrior right in the chest, blowing it apart.

Forward- 4000

Ichigo- 3800

Forward rubbed an index finger under his nose. "You made a big mistake by letting me destroy your Void Mercenary. During my end phase, since my Armed Dragon LVL 5 destroyed a monster as a result of battle, it levels up!" The dragon disappeared within a pillar of red light and emerged nearly three times as large as before. (2800/1000) "This is my Armed Dragon LVL 7, and he will bury you in this duel!"

Ichigo looked up at the giant dragon and whistled in amazement. "Wow…that is a really big monster." Drawing the top card of his deck, he smiled. "Of course, when it comes to big monsters like that only one method will work!" His field magic card slot opened. "I activate the field magic card Fusion Gate!" The air above them changed, turning into a swirling vortex of black smoke. "With this field in play, I can fuse monsters without the need of a Polymerization card."

"That's interesting…but hardly enough." Forward crossed his arms across his chest. "My dragon is at 2800 attack points. Do you even have fusion that can beat it?"

"Oh, of course I do." Ichigo held up a card. "First, I play Warrior Returning Alive to bring my Void Mercenary back to my hand." Picking the warrior card back up, he grinned. "And now, I fuse Void Mercenary, Night Slasher, and Ebony Ninja together." Three balls of dark light appeared on his field and combined. "Come on out, Final Shadow Lord of Knives!" A trench-coat wearing warrior appeared on his field. (2800/2300)

Forward laughed. "Their attack is the same. Do you intend to sacrifice your monster just to beat mine?"

Ichigo shook his head. The last card in his hand flipped over, and a glowing full moon appeared in the sky. "The magic card Moon of Legend raises the attack of one monster on my field by 700." (3500/2300) "Lord of Knives, attack Armed Dragon LVL 7 with Infinite Knife Barrage!" His monster pulled back the folds of its trench-coat to reveal rows upon rows of throwing knives.

Forward gasped right before his dragon was buried under a wave of sharp metal, instantly destroyed. "But still, you're out of hand cards. The damage I have taken isn't anything serious either!"

Ichigo 'tsk'ed and held up a finger. "When Lord of Knives deals you life point damage, you discard the top five cards of your deck. For every card discarded in this way, you lose 500 life points." Five cards appeared over Forward's head. (Masked Dragon, Stamping Destruction, Level Modulation, Armed Dragon LVL 5, Level Down) "Darn, only a thousand?"

Forward threw up his arms just in time to protect himself as a flurry of holographic knives pounded his body.

Forward- 2300

Ichigo- 3800

Ichigo shrugged. "Oh well, nothing I can do about that. End turn."

From his spot against the tree, Resshin rubbed his own chin just like Ichigo had been when he was trying to remember the effects of the Armed Dragons. ("He's pretty good, at least so far. Of course, I wonder how well he will do when Forward brings out his ultimate monster…")

Readjusting his glasses, Forward coughed a couple of times. "Well yes, perhaps I underestimated your skill." He drew. "However, you have no cards in your hand now, so the chances that you will be able to defeat me are slim once I have gotten rid of your fusion."

Lord of Knives smirked. _"Please try. So far your dragons haven't pushed me too far."_

Forward at the monster for a few seconds, and then blinked. "What was that?"

Ichigo grinned. "Lord of Knives is glad to finally get to see some action after so long. Don't mind him though; he can get a little smug because he can deal so much damage in a turn."

Forward coughed again, regaining his composure. "Ah, I see. Very well then, let me show your Lord of Knives that I can win against him! First I play the magic card Pot of Avarice! This card lets me select five monsters from my graveyard and shuffle them back into my deck." Pulling five cards out of his graveyard, he shuffled them into his deck. "I chose two Masked Dragons, Armed Dragon LVL 7, Armed Dragon LVL 5, and Armed Dragon LVL 3."

Putting his deck back in place, he drew two cards. "After shuffling the five cards back into my deck, I may draw two cards." He glanced at his hand and then inserted a card into his disk. "I play the quickplay magic card Reload, shuffling my now six card hand back into my deck and drawing an equal number of cards."

Ichigo watched his opponent doing this a smile on his face. "Your hand wasn't that good, huh?"

"That's part of it." Forward drew six cards. "Also, I'd prefer not to be forced on the defensive by your Lord of Knives." Looking at his new hand, he saw the perfect combo forming. "It looks like you're in for a treat! I summon Armed Dragon LVL 3 in attack mode!" Another of the under-developed dragons appeared on his field. (1200/900) "And now that it is in play I reveal my trap!" His face-down card flipped up. "Armed Drill Recovery can only be activated during my turn and when I have an Armed Dragon of any level in play. I may discard two cards from my hand to add one card from my graveyard to my hand!" Discarding a pair of traps, he removed a card from his graveyard. "I choose the Level Modulation card that you discarded earlier with your fusion's effect. And I'll activate that card now!" His field shuddered and the hulking form of his Armed Dragon LVL 5 appeared in play. "Level Modulation lets you draw two cards, after which I special summon a level monster from my graveyard regardless of its summoning requirements."

Ichigo drew two cards from his deck, glanced at them, and then folded them up. "That's not bad, but it isn't enough to defeat my Lord of Knives."

"I know that." Forward smirked. "I play the magic card Level Up!" His Armed Dragon LVL 5 started to glow. "I tribute a level monster in play to special summon a monster from my deck or hand that's name is in the sacrificed monster's text. My only choice is Armed Dragon LVL 7!" The already large dragon exploded and the giant form of his monster's final reappeared in play. (2800/1000) "And now I tribute Armed Dragon LVL 7 to summon the Armed Dragon LVL 10 in my hand to the field!" The giant form of the Armed Dragon LVL 7 exploded, replaced by a dragon that was somehow even larger and even more heavily armored. (3000/2000)

Ichigo grinned at the towering dragon. "Wow, there's a level monster that powers up that far?"

"Of course!" Discarding the last card in his hand, Forward pointed at Ichigo's field. "And now the effect of Armed Dragon LVL 10 activates! By discarding a card from my hand I can destroy all face-up monsters on your field!" His dragon roared, the shockwave washing over Ichigo's Lord of Knives and shattering it. "This will be the end of your life points! Both of my Armed Dragons attack you directly! Armed Big Banisher and Armed Fist!" His two dragons brought their fists slamming down onto Ichigo.

"You've lost, Blue Osiris!" He started to laugh loudly…until he realized that something was wrong. The field had changed. They were now standing amongst a series of large white structures which resembled temples. "What is this place?"

The smoke cleared to reveal a phantasmal version of Ichigo. "This is the Afterlife."

Forward's eyes bulged out of his head. "I killed you! I'm sorry, I…"

Ichigo shook his head, and the ghostly shape of his body returned to solidity. "I didn't mean that Afterlife. I meant the field magic card. When my life points hit zero I may activate the field magic card Afterlife if it is in my hand. When I do so, my life points become set at 1000 and life point damage to me for the turn is zero." He grinned. "Sorry, but if it wasn't for you using Level Modulation I would have lost probably."

Forward- 2300

Ichigo- 1000

From his seat, Resshin nearly started laughing. ("Even I thought he was defeated too. Hmmm, perhaps he is worth it after all.")

Ichigo placed his hand on top of his deck. "Since you have no cards in your hand, I'll assume it's my turn!" He drew. "During my standby phase Afterlife removes itself from the game." The white buildings disappeared. "I play Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and then discarding two." His new hand looked much better. "Heh, this should be interesting. I have yet to find out whether or not this is a valid fusion. So let's find out together, shall we?"

Forward narrowed his eyes. "You only have two cards in your hand. How can you possibly have the necessary cards to make another fusion?"

Ichigo winked and flipped one of his hand cards over. "Dimensional Burial is a quickplay magic card that returns all removed from play monsters to my graveyard." His three removed Final Shadows that had formed Lord of Knives were slid back into his graveyard slot. "And my last card is Night Fusion."

"Night…Fusion?" Forward suddenly figured it out. "That card allows you to remove monsters from your field and graveyard to special summon a fusion monster?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Ichigo's graveyard spat out four cards. "I choose to remove Void Mercenary, Night Slasher, Ebony Ninja and the Final Shadow Soul Blader I discarded through Graceful Charity!" The four cards disappeared. ("Come on…be what I think you are…") Suddenly a portal opened in the sky and a dark form slowly lowered onto Ichigo's field. "Whew, I was worried for a second that nothing would come out." He pointed at the dark form, which threw back the edges of its cape to reveal Lord of Knives. "Allow me to introduce Lord of Knives Version Two!" (2800/2300)

"Lord of Knives again?" Forward shook his head sadly. "That guy was beaten by my Armed Dragon LVL 10 before, and he'll be beaten again."

"Not this time." Ichigo smiled. "Because he's different than the first Lord of Knives. Lord of Knives Version Two's special ability is that when he is summoned all face-up monsters on your field are destroyed." The new fusion opened its coat to reveal rows upon rows of shiny new knives. "Infinite Knife Barrage, Second Version!"

Forward stared wide-eyed as his two dragons were pierced by a wave of knives, instantly destroyed. "But…but…"

"Lord of Knives Version Two, attack his life points directly!" Ichigo flashed the victory sign while his monster hurled a pair of knives across the field that passed through Forward's body.

Forward- 0

Ichigo- 1000

As the field cleared, Resshin stood up and clapped his hands together gently. "Very impressive, Ichigo Pilkington. I see that all of the rumors about your legendary dueling skill are true."

"Legendary?" Ichigo turned red in the cheeks. "I'm not really legendary per say…just pretty good."

Patting Forward on the head, Resshin chuckled. "You're also modest too. A rarity at this school. Regardless, I hope to see you tommorow at the Ice-Breaker Tournament." When he saw the confused look on Ichigo's face, he smiled. "It wasn't called that last year, I assume? Well, you must remember that it is the tournament they had to help the students get to know one another, and it was also to help new students establish high rankings early."

Ichigo snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah! That was fun last year. They're having it tommorow?"

"That they are. And this year they'll be splitting it up into four tiers. The first three will be by grace of what dorm you are in only, but the fourth will be held on the day after tommorow. The only way to get into that one is to either win one of the previous dorm tournaments or to be ranked as one of the top in the school. It sounds like a lot of fun." Inwardly Resshin was smirking. "I hope to see you there tommorow." He walked off with Forward in tow, already hearing Ichigo celebrate what he was sure the fool thought to be a fun time. ("I'd like to see just how strong you really are though.")

Forward looked up at Resshin. "Resshin-san, are we really going to be participating tommorow?"

"Of course." The orange-haired young man suddenly had a very interesting idea. "Tell your brother to come see me. I am in need of his talents…" By the end of tommorow he would see whether Ichigo Pilkington was worthy of holding a bond with an Infinity Traveler or not. ("And if not, then I have no qualms with killing you.")

_To be continued…_


	10. Resshin's Inferno Part 1

Disclaimer: I'll post it, but I don't even know why. No, I do not own Yugioh GX. If I did, you'd know it because I'd wear a t-shirt that says "I own a freaking anime, what can you say you've accomplished?"

Yes, I have my shallow moments from time to time, why do you ask?

The Infinity Chronicles-Second Semester Arc

Chapter 10: Resshin's Inferno (Part 1)

The sun poured into Ichigo's bedroom, showing that his alarm clock said it was nine. And next to the clock there was a big post-it note with "Tournament at one" printed on it. Suddenly the peaceful silence was broken as the alarm clock started to screech into the air.

Groaning, Ichigo reached out from his bunk to hit the snooze button. After a few seconds of grasping at air, he wondered how he was missing something that should have been only a few inches from his head. Finally giving up on hitting the button, he proceeded to sleepily grab his pillow and throw it on top of the alarm, stifling the noise. Letting out a yawn, he rolled out of bed and landed on the floor in his normal undignified position…though this time something felt wrong. It was like the drop to the floor had taken a lot longer than it normally did, and it actually hurt a little bit this time.

Erian had already left a little earlier this morning, saying he had something or other to attend to. Ichigo really hadn't been listening at that time, since he had been half-asleep.

Stumbling to his feet, his blanket wrapped around him like some kind of impromptu toga, Ichigo wandered into his bathroom. About three seconds later a dull thud sounded from inside the bathroom, like someone had nearly fallen over. There were a few more seconds of silence, followed by a scream that was rather high in pitch.

--------------------------------

Eri ran her brush through her hair a few more times, making sure her raven-black hair was perfectly straight. ("Today's the Ice-Breaker Tournament, and at the moment I hold the highest official score in the whole school.") She looked over at the deck lying next to her vanity mirror. "We'll show them the real power you possess. I finally found my ultimate deck, one that will fight on the same standing as Ichigo's Final Shadows and beyond." She was brought out of reverie as a beeping came from her door. Putting her deck and brush away, she walked over and hit the intercom button. "Yes, what is it?"

"Miss Amero?" The voice on the other end was that of the security. "You have a guest…sort of."

"What do you mean?" Normally security never sounded quite as unsure as it did right now. "Did they declare themselves a guest?"

"Yes ma'am."

"And they are unarmed?"

"Yes ma'am."

She sighed. "Then send them up please."

A few minutes later a knocking came from the door. Opening it, she blinked when there was no one there. Sticking her head out to check again, she still saw no one in the hall. "Hello?" Something tugged on her skirt. "Hmm?" Looking down, she blinked a few times and stared at what was standing there. From her current point of view she could only see a head of brown hair and a pair of little wolf ears atop that head. "….." Taking a big step back, she took in the full picture. It was a hazel-eyed child wearing what looked to be a shrunken Osiris Red uniform, though it still seemed a bit big on him. "You're…not…"

The very red-faced boy, eyes closed, nodded slowly. "Yeah…it's Ichigo."

-----------------------

Eri sighed and searched about her room for her address book. "You know, most people tend to get sick sometimes, or have a bad day. Why is it that you keep winding up looking different all the time instead? You should start carrying something for good luck, Chibi Ichigo."

"Stop calling me that…" Ichigo's face was still numerous shades of red. Standing at 4'8" and considering how he currently was a little kid, the fact that his blushing struck a nerve in the demoness' mind as being 'cute' had brought about her new nickname for his current size. "I just came to you because I woke up like this, and I don't have Ryu-san's phone number memorized."

"You think he'll be able to help you?" Eri stuck her head under her bed for a few seconds. "And how old did you say you felt?"

"Yes and ten." Ichigo was sitting at the foot of her bed, trying to look serious.

Lifting her head up from under the bed, Eri giggled. "You're short for a ten-year old. Are you sure you're not lying?"

"One hundred percent." Ichigo sighed again, for what must have been the tenth time today. "I was short for a kid, that's all."

"Whatever you say, Chibi Ichigo." The demoness stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Now where's my address book?" She realized something. "Wait, where did you find a uniform near your size?"

"I've had this uniform since the first time I did laundry at the Academy." Ichigo's blushing had died down a little bit. "For the first time ever I'm glad I made the mistake of leaving it in the drier for so long."

She walked past him, stopping a second to ruffle his hair and wolf ears. "Don't worry about it too much. I'm sure Ryu will be able to fix this problem for you." Then she kept moving, going over to check her other chests of drawers.

Ichigo stared at her back in confusion. She was never this nice to him. "Do you pity me right now?"

"It'd be hard not to." She started rifling through the contents of each of the drawers. "Your luck in general is horrible, as it seems that every strange event at the academy likes to hunt you down. Then again, I guess that's the price you pay for being such an amazing duelist, right?" She glanced back at him and smiled sweetly. "Actually, I'd pity you even more if stuff like this stopped happening to you. You'd become boring."

Ichigo laughed and hopped off the end of the bed. "I guess so, but this…" He blinked. "Wait, the tournament is today! I need to go watch!" He was about to run out the door when Eri's hand snapped out, grabbed him by the collar of his coat, and pulled him off his feet. "Let me go Eri!"

She sighed, easily holding him up with one hand. "There's no chance you're going out to watch those duels as you are now. It didn't take me long to figure out who you were, and it won't take anyone else that long either. Sorry, but you'll be staying here or in your room."

He stopped squirming and turned to glare at her. "And where will you be while all of this is happening?"

She winked and sat him back down on the bed. "I'll be out at the Obelisk Blue tier destroying the opposition, that's what I'll be doing."

He sat there for a second, and then grinned. "I know how I can go!" Hopping off of the bed again, he threw one hand up into the air. "Awaken, Soul of the Stars!" Nothing happened. "…or not."

Eri patted him on the head. "Sorry Chibi Ichigo, you'll just have to wait here for now. The competitors need to be at the tourney really soon." Giggling at the disappointed look on his face, she winked again. "Just hang out here for now, okay?" When he nodded she ran out the door to her room. "Don't worry; I'll be back right after the tournament ends!"

-----------------------------------------------

Trumpets played in the background, and lights flashed down onto the illuminated dueling rings as picture after picture was taken of the three dueling arenas which indicated the three different levels of duels.

Standing at the Obelisk Blue field, Eri smiled and glanced up at the first row of the stands. ("It's a shame Adriel didn't participate in the Ice-Breaker Obelisk Blue tier, but I guess he didn't want to lose to me. Oh well, just one more duel before I'm the winner.") What was the best part was that she hadn't even used her new deck for this tournament. She intended to keep it a surprise for the tournament tommorow when she dueled against the best in the school.

Up in the stands, Adriel crossed his arms across his chest and sat back. ("It's a good thing for Eri that I didn't enter. I'd prefer to not have to beat her in a duel, since then she'd get really angry.")

"_And in the Obelisk Blue dueling arena, the final duel of the tier three battle begins now! Our current holding champion is Erika Amero, who at the moment is the top-ranked duelist in the entire school!"_ The announcer motioned to the other end of the dueling ring, where her opponent stood. _"And the challenger for our school's current top-ranked duelist is a newcomer who just arrived at the school this year. His entrance into Obelisk Blue was by special request of his examiners! Ladies and gentlemen, let's here it for one of the most sensational new duelists to enter the academy! I present to you Resshin!"_

Standing at the other end of the dueling field was the orange long-haired young man from before. His orange eyes glimmered slightly, even in the bright lights of the dueling ring. "Erika Amero, is it?" He sneered, baring his fangs. "This will be interesting…so you're ranked number one in the school, are you?"

The demoness nodded. "For the time being I am. Why, do you intend to 'strip that honor away from me' in this duel?" She was obviously returning his sneer at the moment.

"What are you talking about?" Resshin brushed back some of the locks of his hair, which had been hanging down in his face. "I entered this to make sure that I got into the tier four tournament tommorow, that is all. You are but a stepping stone on the way to my real duel against Ichigo Pilkington."

Eri felt her blood boil for a few moments, and then cool warmth took its place. "You're a pretty smug bastard. Do you know that?"

"Stop wasting my time with talking." Resshin activated his duel disk. "I don't have the patience to waste my breath with one as weak as you!"

Eri activated her duel disk as well. "I'll enjoy cleaning the floor with your tears when I crush you underneath my deck's raw power!" She drew her opening hand. "Duel!"

Eri- 4000

Resshin- 4000

Resshin flexed his hand a couple of times. "Is that so? Crush me with raw power? Even as a joke that's not funny." He drew his opening five cards. "I am raw power. It is impossible to defeat me in that way."

"I'll be the judge of that! I draw!" Eri drew and fanned out her hand. "I begin with my Pyramid Turtle (1200/1400) in defense mode!" An undead turtle with a stone pyramid for a shell appeared on her field in a crouching position. "Also, I place a card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Resshin drew from his deck, even though he didn't bother to look at what he had drawn yet. "At this time, the effect of my monster activates now."

"Monster? What monster?" Eri wondered if he had summoned a monster that she had yet to see. But there was nothing. "Where is it?"

He removed a card from his deck. "When I have no cards on my field during my standby phase, I may special summon Burst Brawler from my deck or hand to the field!" (?) Nothing appeared in play, but there was a holographic statistics counter over his head. "Burst Brawler's first special ability removes all monsters in my hand from the game." Flipping his hand over, he revealed a single monster card that burned to ash. "Next is its continuous effect. As long as this monster remains face-up on my field I may not summon, and all monster cards I draw are sent to my graveyard immediately."

"So far, even if I can't see your monster, I can tell that it's weak." Eri smiled. "Or was the point?"

"Weak?" He laughed. "You are an idiot. Burst Brawler is the strongest monster of them all. Its third effect is that its attack and defense are equal to the number of cards removed from the game times 200."

"Where is this monster you keep talking about?" Eri was tired of waiting his monster to show up so she knew what it looked like.

Resshin smirked…and pointed at his own chest. (200/200) "I am Burst Brawler."

"You're your own monster?" Eri stared at the new Obelisk Blue like he was crazy. "You're willing to take all that damage directly?"

"What damage? So far you haven't injured me." Resshin inserted a card into his duel disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Blazing Bonfire. This card selects one fire monster on my field with less than 1000 attack points and raises its attack points by 1000." (1200/200) "When that monster's original attack exceeds 1000, then Blazing Bonfire removes itself and the top two cards of my deck from the game." Another two cards from his hand was inserted into his duel disk. "Now then, I place two cards face-down on my field and end my turn."

Eri drew. ("In just one turn his monsters will overwhelm mine!") She pointed at her turtle, which stood up. "I switch my Pyramid Turtle into attack mode and attack Burst Brawler! Go Undead Trample!" The creature rumbled and charged, while the demoness smirked. ("He'll try to trap my monster, and when he does my face-down Tutan Mask trap card will negate his trap!")

Resshin pointed at his set card. "I reveal my face-down trap card, Bunsen Burner!" A piece of alchemic equipment appeared on his field. "This trap sends itself to my graveyard after activation. While it sits in my graveyard, all cards that are sent on top of it are removed from the game." The piece of alchemic equipment then disappeared into his graveyard. "Now then, Burst Brawler counter-attacks with Inferno Strike!" Lifting up his free hand, he released a fireball that swallowed up the turtle at the same time it tackled him. He slid back about five feet, while the turtle was burned to ash. "This means my Burst Brawler was removed from the game, as it was sent to the graveyard atop my Bunsen Burner."

Eri reached for her deck. "When Pyramid Turtle is sent to the graveyard…"

"Who says it was sent to the graveyard?" Resshin removed his Blazing Bonfire continuous magic card from its slot and removed it from the game, since it was going to be sent on top of his Bunsen Burner trap card. "Any monster that is defeated in battle by Burst Brawler is removed from the game."

Eri growled and threw a card onto her disk. "I place a monster face-down then. End turn."

Resshin drew and pointed at his set card. "I activate the continuous trap card Inferno Revival. This continuous trap card can only activate if I have a Burst Brawler removed from the game and no monsters in play. During my standby phase I may discard a card from my hand to return my Burst Brawler to the field." This time a flaming version of the kanji symbol for fire appeared on his chest. "Good, my attack is approaching a level where I actually emit its strength." (800/800) "Here I come, Inferno Strike!" Another fireball leapt from his bare hands across the field and melted Eri's face-down monster card. "A Des Lacooda? Was that the best you could do?" (500/600) "And because Burst Brawler defeated it, it is removed from the game." (1000/1000) "End turn."

Eri drew. "This time I won't hold back! I summon Regenerating Mummy in attack mode!" A legless floating mummy appeared on her field. (1800/1500) "Attack Burst Brawler now! Dark Retribution!" The monster punched forwards and struck Resshin in the chest, the flaming kanji on his chest disappearing. "End turn."

Eri- 4000

Resshin- 3200

Resshin brushed his chest off and drew. "At this time my Burst Brawler revives, while I discard another card from my hand into the graveyard, which in turn gets removed from the game." The flaming kanji once more appeared on his chest. (1200/1200) "Your attack was good. However, your overall skill still lacks." He flipped one of the cards in his hand up. "I play the magic card Dragon Mark Saiha!" The magic card he revealed had a picture of a dragon made entirely of flame on it. "When this card is played it is sent to my graveyard. It cannot be removed through any effect as long as Burst Brawler remains in play!" A flaming mark appeared on his right arm. "As long as this card remains in my graveyard, Burst Brawler gains 500 attack points and can deal damage through the defense of a defense mode monster it attacks!" (1700/1200) "And my final hand card?" He sneered and flipped it over. "I activate the magic card Upstart Goblin, which gives you a 1000 life point gain in return for me drawing a card." As he did so, Burst Brawler's attack points increased because his Upstart Goblin was removed. (1900/1400)

Eri- 5000

Resshin- 3200

Eri snarled at the insult he had just given her. "You just gave me an advantage. There is no reason for a deck like yours to play that card…"

"It's there to let my opponent live a little longer. I don't like tearing down weaklings." Resshin leapt across the field, a blazing scythe made of fire extending from his arm. "Shin En!" Then he passed through the Regenerating Mummy, the undead creature burning away as it lit on fire. (2100/1600)

Eri- 4900

Resshin- 3200

Resshin stopped right before he ran into Eri, his face just inches from hers and his fangs bared wildly. "So far, I don't see what makes you special!" Then he leapt back to his side of the field in one jump. "However, maybe you're just building up suspense? Regardless, I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Through the still smoldering fire that had been her Regenerating Mummy, Eri could see the inner fire that Resshin was emitting. ("This guy isn't human…") "What are you?"

"It's your turn." Resshin's tone was forceful, showing he had no intention of answering her questions until he thought higher of her.

"Very well, then I'll beat the answers I want out of you!" Her hand rested on top of her deck. "I will show you the power of the Dark Demoness of Duelist Academy right now!"

_To be continued…_


	11. Resshin's Inferno Part 2

_Through the still smoldering fire that had been her Regenerating Mummy, Eri could see the inner fire that Resshin was emitting. ("This guy isn't human…") "What are you?"_

"_It's your turn." Resshin's tone was forceful, showing he had no intention of answering her questions until he thought higher of her._

"_Very well, then I'll beat the answers I want out of you!" Her hand rested on top of her deck. "I will show you the power of the Dark Demoness of Duelist Academy right now!"_

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 11: Resshin's Inferno (Part 2)

Glancing at her drawn card, Eri quickly evaluated the field. She had no monsters in play and one face-down trap that would protect one of her zombie monsters from one targeting magic or trap card.

Resshin had no cards in his hand but his strongest monster, Burst Brawler, was in play. (2100/1600) Also, he had the face-up continuous trap Inferno Revival in play, which would revive his Burst Brawler during his standby phase every time it was destroyed. Finally, there was one set card on his field.

"I play the magic card Pot of Greed, letting me draw two cards from my deck." Adding two cards to her hand, Eri grinned. "Alright, now the big monsters in my hand will get a piece of you! I play the continuous magic card Call of the Mummy!" A card appeared on her field, with a picture of a group of mummies awakening from their tombs. "This card allows me to special summon a zombie monster from my hand once per turn when I have no monsters in play! Emerge, Ryu Kokki!" A giant bone snake appeared on her field. (2400/2000) "Attack Burst Brawler now! Death Poison Blast!" Her monster sprayed Resshin with a purple poison that exploded against his body.

Eri- 4900

Resshin- 2900

Resshin frowned and drew. "It's my turn then, and during my standby phase I will activate the effect of Inferno Revival. By discarding one card from my graveyard, I can special summon my Burst Brawler from my removed from play pile to my field!" The kanji sign for fire appeared on his chest once more. (2300/1800) "End turn."

Eri drew. "I activate the magic card Dimensional Disappearing Act!" Her Ryu Kokki shimmered and disappeared. "During this phase, my Ryu Kokki is removed from the game. During the next phase, it returns. Since I have no monsters in play I will activate Call of the Mummy to special summon my Vampire Lord!" (2000/1500) A blue-skinned vampire dressed in finery appeared on her field and laughed. "I proceed to my battle phase!" Her Ryu Kokki reappeared. "Attack Burst Brawler now, Ryu Kokki!" Her monster sprayed Resshin with poison and the kanji symbol on his chest disappeared.

Eri- 4900

Resshin- 2800

"And then Vampire Lord attacks directly!" Eri sneered as her Vampire Lord waved his hand and a storm of bats appeared, swallowing up Resshin for a moment. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Eri- 4900

Resshin- 800

Resshin emerged from the cloud of bats appearing to be unharmed. "It seems I've let you gain more than enough of an advantage." He drew. "I choose not to trigger the effect of Inferno Revival."

Eri blinked at that. "You don't intend to return your Burst Brawler to the field?"

"Of course I do, but I don't need that effect when the card I drew will do it much better." He pointed at his set card. "I reveal my continuous trap card. Its name is Gas Canister and when a Pyro type monster is special summoned it is destroyed and I draw two cards. Now I play Monster Returned! This magic card special summons one monster from the removed from play pile!" The kanji reappeared on his chest and his Gas Canister exploded. "Now I draw two cards." (2700/2200) "Now then, I attack Ryu Kokki with Burst Brawler!" A blazing scythe of fire exploded out of his arm. "Shin En!" Leaping across the field, he slashed the weapon through the snake's body and it exploded. (2900/2400)

Eri- 4600

Resshin- 800

Standing only a couple of inches from Eri, Resshin brushed himself off again. "Well, now that I've let you gain the advantage for a couple of turns I hope you can offer a bit more of a challenge, my dear number one." Then he back-flipped all the way back to his spot on the field. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Eri snarled darkly and drew. "You're full of crap. You think to treat me like I'm weak and nothing to you, eh? Then let me show you the full power of my deck, since you only have 800 life points left! I summon Black Heart Reaper!" A cloaked reaper appeared on her field. (800/1600) "When all the monsters on your field are in attack mode, this monster may attack you directly! Black Assassination!"

"Reverse card open!" Pointing at one of his set cards, Resshin smirked. "The quickplay magic card Dragon Mark Madoka sends itself to the graveyard. Like Saiha, it cannot be removed from the game. However, unlike Saiha, while it is in my graveyard I may send two cards from my removed from play pile back into my deck to negate an attack! Kekkai En!" A glowing barrier of fire appeared between him and Eri's monster. "Your attack is negated." (2500/2000)

"That's fine!" Eri pointed at her set card. "I activate my Dark Vampiric Touch trap card!" She discarded two cards from her hand. "By offering cards from my hand, I can select a monster on your field and reduce its attack by 800 for the turn that I activate this card!" A black mist exploded from the card and bathed Resshin from head to toe. (900/2000) "Vampire Lord, attack Burst Brawler!"

Resshin snickered. "You must have forgotten about the power of Madoka. Or then again…" He pointed at his set card. "I reveal the quickplay magic card Dragon Mark Setsuna! This card activates when Burst Brawler is attacked and destroys one monster in play!"

Eri sneered and her face-down Tutan Mask flipped up. "Denied! Tutan Mask is a counter trap that activates when a zombie type monster on my field is targeted by a magic or trap card. It negates that card and destroys it!" The card exploded. "And since you cannot chain Madoka's effect to my counter trap, the game is finished!" Her Vampire Lord leapt in…and suddenly gasped in pain as it exploded into flames. "That's…impossible…"

"Impossible?" Resshin sighed. "Far from it, my dear number one. The effect of Setsuna triggers while it is in the graveyard." From behind him a giant serpentine dragon made of flame appeared. It roared and slowly lowered its head to point its snout at her. "When he is in the graveyard and my opponent would defeat Burst Brawler in battle, once per game I may destroy that monster and deals its attack in damage to my opponent." The dragon roared once more and a large eye opened on its forehead.

Eri could only stare at that eye in fear. Through it, she could see flaming death…and then that flaming death came to life as she was swallowed up by a blast of fire.

"Those who look into Setsuna's eye suffer the consequences…" Resshin chuckled. "Sorry dear. Anyway, while Setsuna is in the graveyard Burst Brawler gains 400 attack points. However, his graveyard effect lets you draw three cards." (1300/2000)

Eri- 2600

Resshin- 800

Eri gasped for air as the fire finally extinguished. Shakily, she drew three more cards. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Resshin drew. "At this time, Burst Brawler's attack returns to normal." (2900/2000) "And now I attack your Reaper! Shin En!" That flaming scythe appeared on his arm and he leapt across the field, slashing through the undead monster and destroying it. (3100/2200)

Eri- 500

Resshin- 800

Resshin inserted one of his hand cards into his duel disk. "I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Eri looked down at her duel disk. ("My life points are only 500…since his Burst Brawler can deal damage through defense this may be my last turn to make a difference.") Up above her, she heard the cheers of the crowd. ("I cannot fail here. It's not a matter of losing or winning now, but it's a matter of proving that I'm not number one just by default!") She drew. "Reverse card open!" Her face-down card flipped up. "Haunted Carol's special ability allows me to sacrifice a magic or trap card on my field besides itself to special summon a level six or lower zombie type monster from my graveyard to the field regardless of summoning requirements!" A howling long-haired monster appeared on her field. "I special summon Dark Dust Spirit from my graveyard to the field!" (2200/1800) "This is a spirit monster that normally cannot be special summoned, but the special ability of my Haunted Carol bypasses that. And when Dark Dust Spirit is summoned, all monsters other than itself in play are destroyed! Dark Curse of Dust!" The zombie howled and Resshin's kanji symbol shattered.

Resshin pointed at his set card. "I activate the trap card Fire Wall. During the turn that a Pyro monster on my field is destroyed, all battle damage to me is zero."

Eri just smiled. "I'm ready for you now." She flipped one of her hand cards up. "I activate the magic card Flute of Calling Life. This card allows me to select one card from your graveyard and add it to your hand. My choice is your Bunsen Burner trap card!"

Resshin scoffed and removed the card from the bottom of his graveyard. "That's fine with me. Just because I can't remove my graveyard anymore doesn't mean that I cannot crush you next turn by discarding a card and reviving Burst Brawler."

"That won't happen!" Eri flipped up another card and her Dark Dust Spirit dissolved away. "I tribute one zombie monster on my field to activate the magic card Dead Eternity! This card sends all removed from play cards back to their owner's graveyards!" She tapped the side of her nose. "That means your entire deck just got shut down. I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Resshin just stood there…and suddenly he started to laugh. It was the kind of laugh one made when they saw someone make a fool out of themselves. "Shut my deck down?" He drew, and looking at the card he sneered. "I place one card face-down on my field. And then I'll show you just how stupid you are for thinking that my deck is shut down because I cannot revive my Burst Brawler! Go Inferno Soul!" His Inferno Revival card shattered. "This magic card sacrifices one magic or trap card on my field. During my next turn I may special summon a Pyro type monster from my graveyard. End turn."

Eri snapped the top card off of her deck and growled at the sight of Despair from the Dark. (2800/3000) "I end my turn." Then she remembered her face-down trap card, which she had placed in her deck for occasions such as this one. ("A Hero Emerges activates when the opponent attacks, and it forces them to select a card from my hand at random. If that card is a monster card, then it is special summoned.") This meant that when his weakened Burst Brawler came back, he would lose.

Resshin drew. "My Burst Brawler returns." (900/0) The flaming kanji appeared on his chest. "And your face-down A Hero Emerges doesn't frighten me either."

Eri's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Resshin sighed and crossed his arms across his chest. "If you thought that kind of half-hearted protective measure would stop me, then you're wrong! I activate the magic card Flare Cyclone! This card, when Burst Brawler is in play, removes one magic or trap card from the game and also removes three cards at random from your graveyard!" A tornado of fire burned Eri's field card and three cards out of her graveyard into dust. (2100/1200)

Eri's eyes closed slowly and she took a deep breath. "You're not…" Her eyes cracked open just in time to realize he was already in front of her. Then the breath was blasted out of her as he punched her right in the midsection as hard as he could, holographic fire around his hitting fist.

Eri- 0

Resshin- 800

"Oh, I'm sorry." Resshin noticed that the crowd had gone silent, and a lot of them were staring at him in fear. "Were you about to say something?"

Eri couldn't reply, as she was too busy trying to regain her breath. That punch had hurt as if his fist had really been on fire.

"I guess not. If you can stand, then I'll see you tommorow…" He turned and started to walk away. Suddenly he stopped as he noticed a flicker of light from the crowd he was facing. After a few seconds he sighed. "That's sad…Pilkington lost to Mitosha…"

"W…what?" Eri stumbled to her feet, trying to ignore the smell of burnt flesh and blood that was coming from his midsection. "Y…you have to lying! There's no way he would he lose!"

A few seconds later Resshin made a little summoning motion with his hand and the beautiful blond-haired girl from before dropped down from the stands and walked over to him. "Tell her what happened exactly. I'd like for her and this school to hear it." Then he glared at the announcer. "Bring your microphone here now!"

The announcer gulped, but was quick to respond by running up and handing the microphone to the orange-haired duelist. "Here you go."

Resshin handed it to Mitosha. "Begin, but avoid the parts I'm sure the audience wouldn't understand."

The girl nodded and started speaking. "Ichigo Pilkington had recently gotten sick, and was unable to duel properly. I arrived to challenge him, and as a gesture of good faith brought a friend who had some medicine for Pilkington's illness. After he was feeling better, he and I dueled." She giggled to herself, as if the mere mention of the duel was amusing. "He spouted some stupid nonsense about not tolerating something, and actually was impressive for a turn or two. Then he lost though." She sighed. "Honestly…what problems had all of you been having with him? I beat him without having to use any drastic measures either."

Up in the stands, Adriel's fists clenched tighter and tighter. "Quit screwing around with your lies!"

"Oh, a non-believer?" Mitosha grinned, as she already knew exactly who it was. "Adriel Zaytel, you can't believe that your rival was defeated by me?" She could hear the different reactions of the audience. Many of the Osiris Red students couldn't believe, and many of the Obelisk Blue students who had lost to Ichigo last year were not so silent with their cheering. "Come on down and see my proof."

Adriel dropped down from the stands and ran over to Eri's side. "Alright, let's see your proof!"

Mitosha grinned and snapped her fingers. From the entrance to the dueling arenas, Forward came walking in carrying something the size of a small television, its body covered by a blanket. Stepping up to Mitosha, he offered the item to her. Taking it, she turned to face Eri and Adriel and pulled back the blanket slightly. "Is this proof enough?"

Adriel's eyes widened and his pupils contracted to slits, fangs bared in anger. "Impossible…unless…unless…"

Eri had her mouth covered with her hands, trying to control her eyes so she didn't let the emotions that were flowing in her mind come out.

Mitosha released the blanket and bowed gently. "If you'll excuse me, I must be off. It will be fun to duel one of your tommorow." She turned and walked off.

Resshin took the microphone and motioned to the two stunned Obelisk Blue students. "If you doubt what had occurred here, just take a look at their faces. There is no way they could hide it…Ichigo Pilkington lost. So the real question is…" He walked away, stopping at the entrance to the arena. "…can either of you possibly stop me?" When neither of them replied, he sighed and threw the microphone back to the announcer. "See you tommorow…if you even show up."

_To be continued…_


	12. Adriel versus Riddle

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles-Second Semester Arc

Chapter 12: Adriel versus Riddle; Guesswork Duel

"_Where am I?" Eri looked around her, and saw nothing but pink and red fire. "What's going on?"_

"_**Dreams suffer…dreams of love, futures, and otherwise…"** The voice came from everywhere at once, and the fire burned brighter. **"I feel that my time comes soon. I am nearby, and I need you soon."**_

_-----------------------_

Eri's eyes opened, and she stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom. ("Was that a dream?")

The banging on her door got louder. "Eri, open up already! It's time for the tier four!" The voice was Adriel's.

Looking at her bedside cabinet, Eri sighed and picked up the deck box that sat there. "I'll defeat you, Resshin. For the sake of my pride, my new deck will win."

---------------

"_Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!"_ The announcer from yesterday's three tournaments yelled into the microphone, while sitting back in his chair that overlooked the duel ring. _"Today is the day for the big top tier four tournament, also known as The Big Hello Tournament, named as such because it allows the top duelists of the school to welcome new students the best way they can, with a bunch of great duels!"_ Up above the stands a group of holographic boards lit up.

_Match Ladder_

_1st Round: Adriel vs. Riddle_

_2nd Round: Resshin vs. Forward _

_3rd Round: Mitosha vs. Ichigo Pilkington _

_4th Round: Eri vs. Reverse _

The announcer grinned and pointed up into the air. _"Let the greatest eight duelists in the school begin!"_

Adriel glanced up at the screen and growled under his breath. ("Those bastards…they entered Ichigo into the tournament to make sure that it was just us and them. That means it's four against two in the end. However…") He inserted his deck into his duel disk and looked across the dueling field. "Since Resshin seems so hot to duel us, I'm guessing that he's the boss of your little gang, correct?" He readjusted his new personalized Obelisk Blue uniform, which had golden dragons embedded into the chest area.

From across the field, the large-bodied Obelisk Blue from before shrugged his shoulders. "He might be, he might not be, what do you care?"

Adriel drew his opening five cards. "I care because he's the guy I'm going to wipe out in the next round. You won't last very long against me when I'm serious!"

"_A shocking declaration made by Adriel Zaytel, the currently second-ranked duelist of the academy! Let's see if he can back up his claims!"_ The announcer pointed down at the two of them. _"Begin now!"_

"Duel!" Both of them yelled at each other and drew their opening hands.

Riddle- 4000

Adriel- 4000

Riddle drew the first card. "I will begin, if you're so confident!" Adding the drawn card to his hand, he inserted a card into his graveyard. "I discard a card from my hand to special summon The Tricky (2000/1700) from my hand to the field!" A spellcaster with a question mark instead of a face appeared on his field. "Then I place one card face-down on my field. End turn."

"_Amazing and to be expected of a duelist of Obelisk Blue, Riddle summoned a level five 2000 attack monster in his first turn!"_ The announcer seemed rather excited today, since yesterday had been rather boring.

Adriel drew. "I'll break your monster right now!" He threw a card onto his disk. "Come out now, Lunar Dragoon!" A pale gold-armored warrior holding a spear with a crescent-shaped blade appeared on his field. (1600/1300)

Riddle chuckled as he noticed the color of the card. "That's a normal monster, so what can it possibly do to my 2000 The Tricky?"

Adriel inserted a card into his duel disk. "I activate Dragon Mount! This equipment magic card raises the attack of a Dragoon in play by 500 points!" A pale gold dragon appeared on the field and the warrior leapt onto its back. (2100/1300) "Lunar Dragoon, attack The Tricky!"

"Reverse card open!" Riddle's face-down card flipped up. "My trap is called The Tricky's Riddle." Taking a card from his hand, he held it up in front of his face. "The Tricky's Riddle forces you to guess the type of a card in my hand. If you guess incorrectly, then your monster is destroyed and you take 500 points of damage. Guess correctly and my trap is negated. So, what is this card?"

Adriel shrugged. "A magic card?" A loud buzzer sounded. "Crap…"

"Too bad." Riddle flipped the trap card he was holding over. "Therefore…" The Lunar Dragoon and its mount exploded. "The effect of The Tricky's Riddle also returns it to my hand after activation, at the cost of you being allowed to draw a card."

Riddle- 4000

Adriel- 3500

Adriel drew and Riddle returned the trap to his hand. "I place two cards face-down on my field and end my turn."

Riddle drew. "I place two cards face-down on my field and attack you directly! The Tricky, attack his life points now!" His spellcaster flew right at Adriel's body, crashing into the half dragon-demon. "What's this, no good trap?"

Riddle- 4000

Adriel- 1500

Adriel brushed himself off and then pointed at one of his set cards. "I activate the trap card Dragoon Order!" There was a flash of light as a green dragon-armored warrior holding a spear with feathers attached to it appeared on his field in an explosively windy entrance. "Dragoon Order activates when I am attacked directly. After the attack completes, I special summon a level four or lower Dragoon type monster from my deck to the field! My choice is Aero Dragoon!" (1100/1100)

Riddle laughed. "Pitiful…you're running out of life points and you bring out another normal monster? What happened to your other monsters? I thought you ran Raw Element Dragons?"

"Raw Element Dragons are strong, but they are also far too base for this kind of duel." Adriel drew. "I place two cards face-down on my field and switch Aero Dragoon to defense mode." His monster dropped to one knee and held its spear up in front of it. "End turn."

From up in the stands, Resshin frowned. ("So far I'm not impressed. A pair of normal monsters and a couple of weak cards is the best you have, Adriel Zaytel?")

Riddle drew. "You're pitiful if this is your best." He inserted a card into his duel disk. "I place one card face-down and attack with The Tricky!" His monster tackled the Aero Dragoon and shattered it. "End turn."

Adriel drew, and suddenly smiled. "Thanks for underestimating me for the first couple of turns. You're already done."

"….." Even the announcer didn't know what to say to that. Everyone in the entire audience had gone silent, and Riddle blinked at Adriel like he had lost his mind. "Come again?"

"You heard me." The half dragon-demon flipped the drawn card in his hand up for everyone to see. "I activate Giant Trunade!" A powerful blast of wind blew all magic and trap cards off the field. "This card returns all magic and trap cards to their owner's hands." Flipping one of the returned cards over, he smiled. "Treasure Map activates when it is sent back to my hand from the field. I discard it to the graveyard and draw two cards!" Now that he had six cards in his hand, he was sure of it. "Yup, you'll be beaten during the next turn." Throwing a card onto his disk, he pointed at his field as a blue dragon-armored warrior holding a trident appeared on his field in an explosion of water. "I summon Aqua Dragoon in attack mode!" (900/900) "When this monster is summoned and I have no cards in play, I draw two more cards from my deck." Adding two cards to his hand, he had to smile even more. "I play the magic card Dark Factory of Mass Production!" Two cards left his graveyard. "This magic card lets me add two normal monsters from my graveyard to my hand!"

"You're gathering your monsters, but for what reason? There's nothing they can do to beat me alone…" Riddle suddenly figured it out. "Wait a second…"

"You figured it out?" Adriel sighed. "Sheesh, took you one turn too long!" A magic card appeared on his field. "I activate Polymerization!" The Aero Dragoon and Lunar Dragoon appeared on his field again. "I fuse Lunar, Aero and Aqua together to create Storm Moon Dragoon!" The three monsters disappeared, replaced by a caped dragon-armored warrior holding a long pike. Its green and blue armor shimmered in the light of the dueling arena. (2900/2700) "Also, I equip it with the equipment magic card Dragon Legacy Spear!" The monster's spear was replaced by a multi-colored spear. "The equipped Dragoon monster gains 200 attack points for each of its level stars! Storm Moon Dragoon's level is eight!" (4500/2700)

Riddle gasped at the amazing attack points of the fusion. "Still…still it can't beat me this turn!"

"You're right." Adriel pointed at his graveyard. "Dragoon Mount activates now, allowing me to pay 500 life points to return it to my hand once per turn." The Storm Moon Dragoon leapt into the air and when it landed it was standing on the back of a magnificent green and blue riding dragon. (5000/2700)

Riddle- 4000

Adriel- 1000

Adriel pointed at The Tricky. "Get rid of that thing! Storm Slash!" The Dragoon flew in on its mount and slashed through the monster easily.

Riddle- 1000

Adriel- 1000

Riddle braced himself and frowned in displeasure. "You're getting way too happy about this…"

Adriel inserted a card into his duel disk. "I play the magic card Super Dragoon Jump!" His Storm Moon Dragoon yelled out a battle cry and leapt skywards, disappearing from sight. "My monster is removed from the game, and during my second turn it will return." The riding dragon and Legacy Spear shattered. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Riddle drew. ("When it returns some kind of effect must trigger…") "I activate the magic card Question! What is the bottom monster in my graveyard?"

Adriel tapped his chin. "The Tricky?" A buzzer sounded. "I didn't think so. It would be whatever you discarded to special summon The Tricky, right?"

Riddle frowned even deeper. "That's correct. It is The Excite." A spellcaster with an exclamation point for a face appeared on his field in a crouching position. (1700/2000) "Also, I place four cards face-down and end my turn."

Adriel snapped his fingers. "I activate my face-down Pyro Clock of Destiny, increasing the turn rate by one!" He drew and grinned. "Game over, my friend. At this time my Storm Moon Dragoon returns, and deals you half of its original attack in damage to your life points."

Riddle and the audience gaped as the blue and green dragoon dropped out the sky and rammed its original spear through the Obelisk Blue's body. "…That's...impossible…"

Riddle- 0

Adriel- 1000

"_And Adriel Zaytel is the winner!"_ The announcer shouted in excitement into his microphone, nearly breaking the speakers. _"That means the next duel is Resshin against Forward…"_ He blinked as a Ra Yellow student tapped him on the shoulder and handed him a slip of paper. Opening it, he blinked at what it said. _"Oh…kay…well, Forward withdraws from the tournament at this time, so Resshin wins by default!"_

The crowd booed loudly, while Resshin just smirked calmly as he looked at Adriel, who was walking away from the dueling ring. ("Interesting…perhaps I will enjoy dueling you more than I thought I would.")

"_Fine, the next duel is what everyone is actually looking forward to anyway!"_ The announcer pointed up into the air. _"Ichigo Pilkington, the Blue Osiris, versus the newcomer Mitosha!"_ The same student tapped the announcer on the shoulder and handed him another folded of piece of paper. Reading it, the announcer let out a scream of frustration. _"This is ridiculous! I have here in my hand a signed forfeit note by Ichigo Pilkington! However, since the rules say that if this is somehow a trick we are to disqualify Mitosha, I'll simply let her advance for now."_ He looked to the Ra Yellow student. "Contact the main office and ask them to please locate Ichigo Pilkington. We need his vocal confirmation on that note." The student nodded and ran off.

Resshin just kept smiling. ("She'll be disqualified, but not before she gets to duel whoever wins in the next duel.")

"_Very well!"_ The announcer clapped his hands together. _"Our last top eight duel, Erika Amero versus Reverse!"_

Eri was already walking onto the dueling ring, and the brown-haired Ra Yellow student stepped out onto the field, his duel disk already in place.

Up in the stands most of the students were unsure how this was possible, since unlike Ichigo, Reverse had just arrived at the academy.

Reverse looked up at the groups of students and smiled, readjusting his glasses. "They're wondering how it is possible I'm here, of course. It's simple…I challenged the top students and defeated them in duels the first two days I was here. That boosted my rank enough before the tournament roster was decided."

Eri growled low in her throat. "You're with Resshin…"

Reverse adjusted his glasses, the light reflecting off them. "Let me tell you something interesting too. Well, it's actually a question. How did you enjoy my present to you?"

She looked at him questioningly. "What present?"

The boy snickered. "A little brown-haired one with cutest ears…" His eyes appeared past the light shining from his glasses. "He got what was coming to him for beating my brother like that." Those cold grey eyes glimmered suddenly with a malicious look. "And by order of Resshin, this is where I get to place upon you a fun little handicap." He glanced up at the front row of stands and at Adriel. "That guy was lucky that Riddle didn't get a chance to use his confusion ability, because if he did then your friend would still be down here, not even sure what his cards were anymore." He tapped the collar of his yellow jumper. "My power is a little more straight-forward…"

"I've heard all I needed to hear from you." Eri inserted her duel disk into her deck and activated it. "Duel!"

Reverse- 4000

Eri- 4000

"_Let it begin! Who will win in this duel, I wonder! Will it be Erika Amero, the current number one duelist in the school, or will it be Reverse, the mysterious Ra Yellow who with his brother Forward tore into the top eight rank at the school in under three days?"_ The announcer's hands started to shake. _"I can't handle the suspense! Hurry up and get started!"_

Reverse just glanced up at the announcer. "Relax, my friend. Very shortly this duel will be getting very…interesting." His grey eyes flashed and he looked at Eri. "Very…very…interesting." The tone sent shivers up the spine of everyone who listened to it.

_To be continued…_


	13. The Fountain of Youth Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX

The Infinity Chronicles-Second Semester Arc

Chapter 13: The Fountain of Youth (Part 1)

_Reverse adjusted his glasses, the light reflecting off them. "Let me tell you something interesting too. Well, it's actually a question. How did you enjoy my present to you?"_

_She looked at him questioningly. "What present?"_

_The boy snickered. "A little brown-haired one with cutest ears…" His eyes appeared past the light shining from his glasses. "He got what was coming to him for beating my brother like that." Those cold grey eyes glimmered suddenly with a malicious look. "And by order of Resshin, this is where I get to place upon you a fun little handicap." He glanced up at the front row of stands and at Adriel. "That guy was lucky that Riddle didn't get a chance to use his confusion ability, because if he did then your friend would still be down here, not even sure what his cards were anymore." He tapped the collar of his yellow jumper. "My power is a little more straight-forward…"_

"_I've heard all I needed to hear from you." Eri inserted her duel disk into her deck and activated it. "Duel!"_

_Reverse- 4000_

_Eri- 4000_

"_Let it begin! Who will win in this duel, I wonder! Will it be Erika Amero, the current number one duelist in the school, or will it be Reverse, the mysterious Ra Yellow who with his brother Forward tore into the top eight rank at the school in under three days?" The announcer's hands started to shake. "I can't handle the suspense! Hurry up and get started!"_

_Reverse just glanced up at the announcer. "Relax, my friend. Very shortly this duel will be getting very…interesting." His grey eyes flashed and he looked at Eri. "Very…very…interesting." The tone sent shivers up the spine of everyone who listened to it._

Reverse drew his sixth card. "So then, dear Erika-san, shall I show you my abilities as well?"

The demoness hissed low and angrily, her fangs bared and her ears at attention. "I've already seen what your abilities are firsthand…now hurry up and make your move!"

The short boy looked at his hand cards and sighed in disappointment. "Don't be like, Erika-san. I like to have fun in my duels that is all." Fanning out his hand, he smiled and placed a card face-down on his duel disk. "I'll place one monster face-down on my field and then I'll set two cards face-down behind it. Go ahead Erika-san…try to enjoy yourself."

Eri slid the top card off of her deck and glared at the Ra Yellow student. "For what you have done to Ichigo, I can't ever forgive you! And for that I'll unleash the power of my new deck!" One of her hand cards was thrown down onto her field. "I summon Apprentice Momonga Ninja in attack mode!" (600/700) A little pink-clothed ninja girl appeared in play.

Reverse's normally evil gray eyes suddenly melted as he looked at the ninja monster. "That's so cute!" She could almost feel the sudden rush of emotion from him. "What a cute little girl…"

"Hey Reverse!" Resshin yelled down at his subordinate from his place in the stands. "Don't lose your focus!"

Gulping at the angry tone in his leader's voice, the Ra Yellow returned to normal. "R...right, Resshin-san!" He looked at Eri. "Well, what will your little monster do?"

Eri smirked and opened her field magic card slot. "I activate the field magic card Apprentice Academy!" All around them a large school building appeared. It looked like some kind of elementary school. "While this field card is in play, all Apprentice monsters on my field can attack you directly! Apprentice Momonga Ninja, attack his life points directly!" The demoness' little monster disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Reverse gritted his teeth in pain as he was slashed in the back.

Reverse- 3400

Eri- 4000

Closing her fist and holding it up, Eri smirked. "At this time the effect of Apprentice Momonga Ninja activates now! When this monster deals you life point damage, one card at random is discarded from your hand!"

Reverse gasped as the little girl ninja was suddenly standing in front of him, giggling and holding her hand out patiently. "Oh…sorry." Kneeling down so she could reach his hand of cards, she selected one card and then disappeared back onto Eri's field.

Crossing her arms across her chest, the demoness frowned at the weakness of the cards in her hand. ("I have no traps to protect my ninja, but it can't be helped.") "End turn."

Reverse drew. "Let's rewind the clock, shall we? Reverse card open!" One of his face-down cards flipped up. "Enchanted Memories is a continuous trap card that while face-up on my field will once during each player's standby phases return a single card that was sent to their graveyard by an opponent's effect or attack to their hand." The card he lost last turn to the Ninja's effect slid out of his graveyard and he added it to his hand.

Eri growled angrily at the fact that her card had done little good. "Fine, you get your cards back. But that means I do too."

"That you do, but it doesn't matter." Reverse inserted a card into his duel disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Fountain of Youth!" A large ivory fountain appeared on his field, crystal clear waters bubbling from its lion-shaped spouts. "While this card is in play, a duelist gains 500 life points whenever a card goes from their graveyard to their hand." He seemed strangely happy such a simply effect. "Now then, I activate my set magic card!"

His face-down card flipped up to reveal a picture of a smiling old woman bouncing a pair of babies in her lap. "Continued Legacy allows me to select one monster on my field and send it to the graveyard." His face-down monster flipped up to reveal a strange dark lizard. "Des Feral Imp's special effect isn't activated, but it is a level four monster." The lizard howled and shattered. "At this time, I special summon a monster from my deck that is one level higher than the destroyed monster."

"You get to special summon a level five monster from your deck?" Eri's eyes widened as a large grandfather clock appeared on the field. "What is that thing?"

"This is my Embodiment of Time; Lord Chronos." (1000/3000) Reverse pointed at Eri's Apprentice Ninja. "Lord Chronos, master of time, attack her monster now with the Flow of Time!" The monster made a groaning noise and released a rolling wave of power that hit the little girl and blew her apart.

Reverse- 3400

Eri- 3600

"At this time…" Reverse smirked and pointed at his monster, which started to chime. "Lord Chronos triggers his effect. When he destroys a monster as a result of battle that monster is returned to your hand. Also, that monster's original attack and defense are increased by 1000 points for the remainder of the duel."

Eri's eyes widened as the monster she lost was spat out of her graveyard. "That's...wait, what?" (Apprentice Momonga Ninja's stats: 1600/1700)

Reverse just smirked and pointed at Eri. "Also, when Lord Chronos deals you life point damage you then must discards two cards from your hand! Also, one of those cards cannot be a monster that has been affected by the power of Lord Chronos."

The demoness frowned and inserted two of her hand cards into the graveyard. "There, are you happy?"

"Not just yet." He pointed at her. "At the moment you got your ninja back from the graveyard, you gain 500 life points from my Fountain of Youth." A glittering glow of crystal light fell over her head. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Reverse- 3400

Eri- 4100

Eri drew dramatically, eyes locked on her enemy. "At this time one of my lost cards returns!" A card was spat out of her graveyard and she added it to her hand.

Reverse smirked at this time. "And at this time, you gain back 500 life points."

Reverse- 3400

Eri- 4600

The demoness felt a little strange now, but she shook it off simply as the wound she had suffered from Resshin yesterday. "I resummon my Apprentice Momonga Ninja!" Her ninja reappeared, but it looked much older. (1600/1700) "Attack Lord Chronos now!" Nothing happened. "Then attack directly!" Still nothing happened. "What's going on?" Then she noticed her ninja was struggling to move.

Reverse tapped the side of his head. "She is in the grasp of Lord Chronos, and as such while he is in play she can no longer attack."

Eri's eyes widened. "So that's why you don't care about her attack increase?"

"That's correct." The Ra Yellow smiled suddenly. "Also, each of your standby phases that she is in play, she gains 500 attack and defense points." His face-down card flipped up. "I reveal my continuous trap card Stalemate Pressure. While this card is in play at the end phase of a turn you have not attacked at all then you must discard a card from your hand."

The demoness didn't get it. "That just means I'll get it back and gain life points, right?"

"That's correct." Reverse just kept smiling. "Well, what are you waiting for? Ending your turn or what?"

The demoness nodded slowly and discarded a card from her hand. "I discard one card from my hand into the graveyard. End turn."

Reverse drew. "I didn't lose any cards from your effects, so I simply have to bypass my trap's effect this turn. So therefore I'll just play this." His Lord Chronos shimmered and started to glow. "Mistobody is an equipment magic card that makes the equipped monster unable to be destroyed as a result of battle. End turn."

Eri drew again. "At this time the card you banished to my graveyard returns!" The discarded card came back to her hand.

"And once more…" Reverse watched as that glitter fell over her body again. "You gain 500 life points from Fountain of Youth."

Reverse- 3400

Eri- 5100

"Why are you so freaking excited about the fact I keep gaining life points…" Eri blinked and rubbed her throat. Was her voice always that high in pitch? ("Wait…")

Reverse chuckled. "So you figured it out?" He spoke loudly now, so that the audience can hear. "The holographic effect of my Fountain of Youth card changes the opponent's appearance to represent that with each sip of its waters they are getting younger."

Up in the stands the students all looked on in amazement at the fact that it was true. Eri was just a little bit shorter.

The demoness wanted to yell how much of a lie that explanation was, but she knew the truth of why he had said that. ("A cover-up for the fact that their abilities are being used on other duelists. Does he intend to erase me from existence though? No…it can't be that simply or he would have done it somewhere else other than here…")

Reverse's voice lowered so that only she, with her advanced hearing, could pick up what he was saying. "I'd more than willing to reverse the effect if you simply surrender."

("So that's how beat all of those top rank students so quickly…he used his power on them and then in their confusion offered to take the win in return for restoring them to normal?") Her fangs bared themselves without her realizing it. "Dream on!" Fanning out her hand cards, she nodded at them and placed a card on her duel disk. Her grown-up ninja disappeared in a burst of green light. "I may not be able to attack with my ninja, but I can tribute her to summon Academy Teacher Rascal!" (2200/1700) The pillar of light dropped to reveal a male human with long black hair that covered one side of his face. He sternly looked at Reverse and from out of nowhere he produced a long bull-whip. "Since he isn't an Apprentice, he can't attack directly. However, the effect of Apprentice Academy powers up all Academy Teacher monsters on my field by 400 attack points!" (2600/1700) "Stampede Whip attack!" The teacher cracked his whip, striking the grandfather right in the 'face'.

Reverse- 1800

Eri- 5100

Reverse braced himself against the painful backlash, while his glasses were nearly knocked off his face from the sheer strength of the blow. "You're using your demon energy to somehow increase the force of the blows your monster's deal?"

She snickered calmly. "That's just the prescense of my Academy Teacher and his fearsome whip, that's all. It's all part of the hologram, that's all. Isn't that right, Reverse?"

The Ra Yellow snickered back. ("I suppose I had that coming.")

The demoness removed a card from her deck suddenly. "When Rascal deals you life point damage, I may add a level three or lower Apprentice name monster from my deck to my hand." Adding the searched for card into her hand, she winked. "Alright, it's your turn. Since your monster is so weak in attack power, all you can do is switch it to defense now, right?"

Reverse drew the top card of his deck and added it to his hand. "Not exactly." He inserted a card into his graveyard. "I discard one card from my hand as a cost for the magic Tribute to the Doomed." A spray of mummy wrappings swallowed up the teacher and pulled him out of sight. "This card destroys one monster in play. Lord Chronos, direct attack!"

Eri braced herself as that blast of energy washed over her again.

Reverse- 1800

Eri- 4100

Reverse pointed at her. "At this time you discard two cards from your hand." She did so. "End turn."

Eri drew and one of her graveyard cards returned. "Damn you…I won't be surrendering!"

Reverse- 1800

Eri- 4600

Reverse readjusted his glasses with a hand. "That's cute and all, but let's do the math. One year is shaved off for every time the effect of Fountain of Youth works on you, right?" Holding up four fingers, he smirked. "Your profile in the school records said you were sixteen, so that makes you twelve right now."

Eri couldn't argue, though her body didn't show it that well. ("The real difference age in my life was between ten and nine. I need to try and avoid letting him use that effect on me beyond two more times.") Fanning out her hand, she realized there might be a problem with that. ("If I summon this monster, then he'll blast it with Chronos next turn. Maybe I should just summon in defense mode then?")

"Feeling indecisive?" Reverse smirked smugly. "That's to be expected when your age is rewinding like it is, eh Erika-chan?" His voice was low so that only she could hear it again. "Perhaps you really should just give up, because at this rate you're going to wind up unable to duel."

That burned into Eri's mind. "I won't back down from this duel! For what you did to Ichigo, I'll show you the power of my Childhood Memories Deck!" Her hand clenched at the edges of one of her hand cards. "Here I go!"

_To be continued…_


	14. The Fountain of Youth Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 14: The Fountain of Youth (Part 2)

"_Feeling indecisive?" Reverse smirked smugly. "That's to be expected when your age is rewinding like it is, eh Erika-chan?" His voice was low so that only she could hear it again. "Perhaps you really should just give up, because at this rate you're going to wind up unable to duel."_

_That burned into Eri's mind. "I won't back down from this duel! For what you did to Ichigo, I'll show you the power of my Childhood Memories Deck!" Her hand clenched at the edges of one of her hand cards. "Here I go!"_

Reverse just laughed as she threw a card on her disk and a little brown-haired boy wearing a simple dark blue robe with a white collar appeared on her field. "You summon another of those apprentices?

"Of course." The demoness pointed at her monster. "Apprentice Young Magician (400/800) attacks your life points directly thanks to my field magic card! Magic Fist Stick!" The young spellcaster on her field waved his hand and a large rubber fist attached to a wooden stick appeared in his grasp.

Reverse's eyes bulged out of his skull as the boy ran in and smacked him in the back of the head with the strange weapon.

Reverse- 1400

Eri- 4600

While her monster returned to her field, Eri pulled the top card off of her deck. "When Apprentice Young Magician deals you life point damage, I look at the top card of my deck. If that card is a magic card it activates now!" She smiled at what she saw. "It's the magic card School Textbook." A green glow fell over her spellcaster. "This equipment magic card raises the attack power of the equipped Apprentice by 1200 points, but it can no longer attack directly through the effect of Apprentice Academy." (1600/800) "End turn."

Reverse drew. ("I can't beat her monster, but I can do this!") "I activate the magic card Dian Keto the Cure Master." A green glow fell over him. "At this time I gain 1000 life points. Then I place card face-down in play and end my turn." He had no space left for magic and traps, but that didn't seem to worry him.

Reverse- 2400

Eri- 4600

Eri drew the top card of her deck. "Since I didn't lose any cards, you can't use the Fountain of Youth on me!" A card was thrown onto her field and a blue-haired boy wearing a green t-shirt and brown pants appeared in play. "I summon Apprentice Werewolf in attack mode!" (500/400) "According to my field magic card, I can attack directly!" The boy ran across the field so fast he left a dust trail in his wake, getting ready to tackle the Ra Yellow student.

Reverse points at his set card. "I reveal Spirit Barrier!" A yellow barrier appeared between him and his field. "While this face-up continuous trap card is in play all battle damage to me is zero while I have a monster in play!" He laughed as the Apprentice Werewolf crashed into the barrier and rolled head over heels all the way back to Eri's field, his eyes spinning.

Eri looked at her hand cards and bit her lower lip. "I…end my turn."

Reverse drew. "Go Lord Chronos, attack her monster now with Flow of Time!" A blast of energy washed over the girl's monster and blew it apart. "Your monster returns to your hand and you discard two cards from your hand that aren't the returned monster." (Apprentice Werewolf's stats: 1500/1300) "Then I end my turn."

Reverse- 2400

Eri- 4100

Eri growled and drew, while a card was spat out of her graveyard. "Damn you…" She felt the change this time, though since her clothes adjusted to her changed body it still wasn't very noticeable.

Reverse- 2400

Eri- 4600

Looking at the cards in her hand, the demoness realized there was nothing she could do this turn. "I simply set a monster face-down on the field. End turn."

Reverse drew. ("I know that is her Apprentice Werewolf, so there's no point in attacking.") "I suppose you'll have to enjoy a temporary reprieve…" Her just smirked to himself and placed a card face-down on his disk. "I set one monster face-down in play. End turn."

Eri drew. "Go Apprentice Young Magician, attack his set monster now! Magic Fist Stick!" The boy created his strange weapon again and charged in, slamming it down on the set card which in turn exploded. "So take that!"

"I'll gladly take it." Smirking, Reverse held the card up for her to see. "Morphing Jar's special ability sends all cards from our hands to the graveyard, and then we both draw five cards." Both of them did so. "Anything else?"

Eri inserted a card into her duel disk. "I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Reverse drew and placed a card onto his duel disk face-up. "I summon Recovery Driver in defense mode." (0/2300) A large crane-like machine appeared on the field. "When it is summoned I discard all cards in my hand to the graveyard." Discarding his hand, he pointed at her. "Now five cards are returned to your hand from your graveyard!" He sneered. "And I draw five cards from my deck."

Eri's eyes widened right everything suddenly got a whole lot bigger all of a sudden.

Reverse- 2400

Eri- 7100

All of the student body stared as the dark demoness of duelist academy was replaced by an adorable six-year-old girl in a miniature Obelisk Blue uniform.

Adjusting her stance repeatedly, Eri tried to keep a handle on the nine cards in her hand while adapting to the fact that her Duel Disk was suddenly quite a big heavier.

Up in the stands Adriel pounded his fists into the railing. "Damn you, play fair you bastard!"

Reverse glanced up at half dragon-demon and sneered coldly. "What are you talking about? I'd think Erika-chan would be happy to gain so much life points and hand cards, wouldn't you?"

Adriel was suddenly gripped by a wish to leap down there and tear the Ra Yellow's face right off. ("I'll…I'll…") A hand gripped his shoulder firmly. Spinning around to snarl at whoever it was, he faltered as he looked right into a pair of yellow eyes. "Erian?"

The multi-colored boy looked deathly serious. "Calm down." Walking past him, he leaned over the railing and looked Reverse square in the face. "It looks like you guys decided to actually follow someone as crazy as Resshin, huh?"

Reverse scoffed. "Would it have been better if we followed someone like you? You were as much as a fool as our caretaker!"

Erian sighed. "Eri-san, don't worry about it anymore. The limit on the holographic system has been reached, it won't make things any harder for you."

Reverse growled and then snapped his around to look at the little demoness darkly. "Forget it, she's nearly to the point of being unable to duel! In fact, I think I'll just make her disappear." He felt his powers awaken. "Disappear!" Snapping his free hand at her, he felt the building power of his abilities…dissolve. "What?"

Up in the stands, Erian simply watched his 'brother' with a look of displeasure on his face. "You've abused your abilities, Reverse. As your eldest brother, I refuse to allow you to continue."

"You would dare to defy Resshin-san?" Reverse turned his head up at the other side of the stands to look at Resshin. "He's far stronger than you are!"

"I don't care about whom is stronger…" Erian looked to Eri, and his expression melted back to his normal stupidly clueless smile. "Eri-san, would you please forgive my brother? He's a very spiteful guy, but deep down he doesn't mean it."

The little demoness smiled slightly. "We'll see. First though I need to defeat him and move on."

At this point most of the audience was absolutely confused…but for the second-year and beyond students this wasn't so bad. Last year weird things like this happened just as often.

Reverse just laughed loudly. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to excuse the fact that I doubt that. You're locked, Erika-chan. End turn."

She drew, somehow keeping her balance despite the weight of the Duel Disk and the fact that her little hands were having difficulty holding onto so many cards at once. "It's my turn." The card she had drawn brought a smile to her face. "I first reverse summon Apprentice Werewolf!" (1500/1300) The blue-haired boy reappeared, though he looked quite a bit older than normal. "And then I summon Apprentice Red Riding Hood in attack mode!" (300/400) A little blond-haired girl wearing a red riding hood appeared on her field.

"Another weakling that Lord Chronos can crush easily…" Reverse chuckled. "Your deck can't defeat me like that now and you know it!"

"Is that so?" Eri somehow managed to insert a card into her duel disk. "I activate the magic card Holy Triad-Love!" Her Apprentice Red Riding Hood lifted into the air, and from under the collar of her hood a golden necklace lifted itself forward, red light coming the center jewel. "This card's special ability allows me to activate Holy Triad-Courage from my hand!"

A beam of red light shot from the little girl's necklace and flew towards the Apprentice Werewolf. He lifted up his arm to reveal a golden bracelet with a green jewel which caught the red beam and started to glow brightly. "The effect of Holy Triad-Courage allows me to activate Holy Triad-Hope from my hand!"

A beam of green light leapt from the jewel of his bracelet over to the Apprentice Young Magician, who lifted his hand to reveal a golden ring with a blue jewel attached to it. The blue jewel caught the beam of green light and absorbed it.

Reverse and the rest of the audience in amazement as the beam of light shot between the three monsters in that same continuous loop, moving faster and faster until it was three beams of light instead of one passing between them. "What are you doing?"

Giggling, Eri held up one more magic card from her hand. "I'm setting up for the big finish. The effect of Holy Triad Completion lets me send Apprentice Werewolf, Apprentice Red Riding Hood, and Apprentice Young Magician to my graveyard!" Her two male monsters disappeared, and the Apprentice Red Riding Hood became surrounded by the three beams of light, which formed into a flowing pillar of light which engulfed it. "Now I can special summon my ultimate monster from my deck!"

"Ultimate…monster?" Reverse covered his eyes to block out the incredibly bright light.

"That's right!" Eri smiled as the light engulfed her. "The ultimate weapon against evil!" When the light dropped a fifteen-year-old blond-haired girl wearing a strange red, blue and white dress was standing on her field. In that girl's hands rested a weird bow that almost seemed like some kind of plastic kid's toy.

Reverse gaped at the new monster, as did a good number of the male student body.

From behind her monster, a normal-aged Eri smiled sweetly. "When Holy Triad completes itself, Magical Princess Holy Up is special summoned from my deck or hand to the field." (1900/1300)

"Magical Princess Holy Up?" Reverse growled and stomped his foot into the ground. "Don't play games with me! How did you return to normal?"

The demoness shrugged innocently. "A dramatic arrival can cancel some of the silliest things."

"……" He just glared at her angrily.

"When Holy Up is special summoned by the effect of Holy Triad…" Eri pointed at Reverse's field. "All cards on your field are destroyed!" With one loud explosion the Ra Yellow's whole strategy disappeared.

Reverse frowned, but quickly recovered his composure. "How stupid are you? During my next turn I'll just restore my lock and set up my field to finish you off afterwards!"

Eri and Holy Up both smiled at the same time, and the latter lifted up her bow to take aim at the boy.

"Smirk all you want, but I'll still have 500 life points remaining!" Reverse was growing weary of being looked down upon by people like this girl, who just until his annoying older brother had shown up was on the verge of losing to him.

Eri pointed at her Magical Princess. "For every Apprentice type monster in my graveyard…" Pink energy started to flow out of her graveyard. "Holy Up gains 300 attack points. That makes 1200 attack points extra." (3100/1300) "Beauty Serene Arrow!" Pink light started to build up at the firing point of her monster's bow. "And for the finale….Magical Shoot!"

Reverse tried to block, but the pink arrow of energy Eri's monster launched slammed right into the center of his chest, blowing the air out of him and sending him sliding right out of the dueling ring.

Reverse- 0

Eri- 7100

"_Erika Amero is the winner!"_ The announcer was nearly hanging over the edge of his booth in his excitement.

While the crowds cheered, Resshin smirked calmly. "Interesting…so you beat him despite his lock, eh?" Walking towards the dueling ring, he prepared his deck. ("Regardless, now it's time to see if Adriel Zaytel is worth my time.")

Adriel had already leapt down from the stands and was standing next to a grinning Eri. "That was amazing!"

"Never underestimate the power of a princess!" Eri flashed the victory sign to the audience. "Just two more wins and I'll be at the top!"

"Those two wins will be very hard to get." Resshin leapt from the stands right into the middle of the dueling ring, which was at least a forty foot jump. "However for the time being you have proved that your resolve to win is strong. Feel proud of that much."

She pointed right into his face. "After I take down that blond-haired bimbo, you're on my hit list, jerk!" Then she placed her hands on her sides and started laughing like she had already beaten him.

Adriel sweat-dropped and grabbed her arm, pulling her off the dueling ring. "I think you're getting a little too happy from your win." With her out of the way, he walked up to Resshin and smirked. "So, looks like I get to see how well your Burst Brawler will do against my deck, huh?"

Resshin shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm interested as well. Let's see just how strong you are, mister dragon-demon."

"_Let the semi-finals begin!"_ The announcer said this loudly into his microphone while he tried to pull himself back into his booth. In his excitement he had fallen out of it.

"Duel!" Both boys drew their opening hands.

_To be continued…_


	15. Explosive Collision

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 15: Explosive Collision

"_Let the semi-finals begin!" The announcer said this loudly into his microphone while he tried to pull himself back into his booth. In his excitement he had fallen out of it._

"_Duel!" Both boys drew their opening hands._

Adriel snapped the top card off of his duel disk. "I'll begin, draw!" He glanced at his hand cards and then at the smirking Resshin. ("His Burst Brawler can special summon itself when he has no monsters in play during his standby phase. Therefore, I have to be careful with this!") "I summon Aero Dragoon in defense mode!" A green dragon-armored knight holding a feathered-spear appeared on his field in a crouching position. (1100/1100) "Also, I place two cards face-down on my field and end my turn."

Resshin drew and was swallowed up by in a pillar of orange-red fire. "During my standby phase because I have no monsters in play Burst Brawler is special summoned from my deck!" A flaming kanji symbol that stood for fire appeared on his chest. (?) "At this time all monsters in my hand are removed from the game." Two cards in his hand disappeared in a burst of flame. "For every removed from play card there is, the original attack and defense of my Burst Brawler is 200 times that number." (400/400)

Adriel just smirked calmly. ("My deck will hit him so hard that he won't have time to amass…") His eyes widened as Resshin's body started to glow brightly. "What's happening?"

"The two monsters that were removed are called Fire Emblems." (0/0) Resshin thumbed at his chest. "When a Fire Emblem is removed from the game, the attack of Burst Brawler is increased by 400." (1200/400) "And now I attack!" He released a blast of fire from his hand that swallowed up Adriel's dragoon and burned it alive. "Any monster defeated by Burst Brawler is removed from the game." (1400/600) "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Adriel drew and licked his lips. ("I'm betting that set card must be Bunsen Burner…") "From my hand I activate Giant Trunade!" A powerful wind swept across the field and blew all the set magic and trap cards off the field. "This magic card returns all magic and trap cards in play to their owner's hands."

Resshin chuckled calmly. "I suppose this is your free shot then?"

"Something like that." Adriel tossed a card onto his disk and a blue dragon-armored knight wielding a trident appeared on his field. "I summon Aqua Dragoon (900/900) in attack mode! When this monster is summoned and I have no cards in play, I draw two cards." Adding two cards to his hand, he flipped one of them face-up to reveal a magic card. "I activate Monster Returned to special summon Aero Dragoon!" His wind dragon knight reappeared in play next to his Aqua Dragoon. "And then I use Polymerization to fuse the Lunar Dragoon in my hand with the Aqua and Aero Dragoons on my field!" A pale gold dragon knight appeared in the air and was pulled into a swirling vortex along with his other two monsters. "Emerge now, Storm Moon Dragoon!" (2900/2700) A blue and green armored dragon knight appeared on his field. "Attack Burst Brawler with Storm Slash!" His monster leapt high into the air and came down spear-first into Resshin's body, shattering the kanji mark on his chest.

Adriel- 4000

Resshin- 2300

Smirking, Resshin brushed his blue blazer of some dirt. "Not bad, at least for a starting move."

"I'm not done yet." Adriel inserted a card into his duel disk and his monster leapt high into the air, disappearing from sight. "I play the magic card Super Dragoon Jump! In two of my turns my monsters will return to play and deal you half of its original attack in life point damage." Two face-down cards appeared on his field. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Resshin drew from his deck. "You expect me to not attack?" He inserted a card into his disk. "I activate the magic card Volcanic Explosion! All other cards on my field are destroyed, and one Pyro type monster from my graveyard is special summoned." The flaming kanji reappeared on his chest. (1400/600) "Also, I activate the magic card Flare Cyclone, which can only activate when Burst Brawler is in play. One magic or trap card on your field is removed from the game, along with three random cards from your graveyard!"

Adriel's held in his breath as one of his set cards burned away, the heat warming his face. Then from his graveyard Monster Returned, Lunar Dragoon, and Giant Trunade were removed."

Resshin cracked his knuckles as the kanji on his chest grew brighter. "Also, I play the magic card Dragon Mark Saiha, which when in my graveyard raises the attack power of Burst Brawler by 500 points!" (2700/1400) "Now then, feel my rage!"

"Not a chance!" Adriel pointed at his set card. "I activate Threatening Roar! During the turn this trap card is activated you cannot attack!"

Resshin snickered and inserted the last two cards in his hand into his duel disk. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Adriel drew the top card of his deck, calmly evaluating this situation. ("During my next standby phase my Storm Moon Dragoon will return and deal him 1450 points of damage. If in this turn I can lower his life points to below that number, I'll have won!") "I play Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." Adding two cards to his hand, he fanned them out. "Now I place one card face-down and activate the magic card Dragon Training. This card lets me add one Dragoon type monster from my deck to my hand." Placing the added card onto his duel disk, he nodded to Resshin. "End turn."

The orange-haired Obelisk Blue student drew. "I activate Dragon Mark Homura!" Fire exploded along his body. "While Homura is in the graveyard, my attack power is increased by 300." (3000/1400) "Also, when I battle with a defense mode monster that monster is destroyed!" Leaping across the field he punched through the set monster on Adriel's field and shattered it. "End turn."

Adriel drew and his Storm Moon Dragoon crashed down through the sky to plant its spear in Resshin's gut. (Burst Brawler's attack power: 2800/1200)

Adriel- 4000

Resshin- 850

Up in the stands Eri cheered loudly. "Go Adriel, waste that jerk!" From next to her Erian nodded in agreement.

Cracking his knuckles, Adriel pointed at his opponent. "Here's the final blow, Storm Slash!" His monster charged in towards Resshin rapidly.

Resshin pointed at his set card and it flipped up. "Awaken, Setsuna…" The card exploded. "What?"

Adriel smirked. "I told you it was the end." His face-down card flipped up. "Afterimage Speed activates when a Dragoon on my field is targeted by an attack or a magic or trap effect. That targeting is negated." The quickplay magic card Resshin had activated was destroyed.

"Then I activate Counter Burst!" Resshin's other set card flipped up. "While Burst Brawler is in play, one monster that attacks it will be destroyed!" He pointed at Adriel's Storm Moon Dragon. "Disappear from my sight!"

"Sure." Adriel flipped the card he had drawn over. "I activate Dragon Driver! This card activates when the opponent destroys a monster on my field with a target effect! At that time, one of their monsters is destroyed as well!" Both his fusion and Resshin's flaming chest kanji shattered. "Now neither of us has cards left to use. It comes down to who will have the better draw."

Resshin grasped the top card of his deck. "That's true…" Suddenly he smiled. "That is an interesting deck you have, considering how quickly you forced the endgame. However…" He drew. "This ends here."

"What?" Adriel smiled back. "If you haven't noticed, my life points are a whole lot higher than yours."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Resshin inserted the drawn card into his duel disk. "I activate Final Duel. This card triggers when both player's have no cards in play or in their hands. At this time, we both select a trap from our decks and set it face-down."

Adriel removed a card from his deck and inserted it into his duel disk. "And then what?"

"During this turn that trap card be activated." Resshin removed another card from his deck. "Now select a magic card."

Adriel did so. "I don't understand what the point of this is."

Resshin wasn't listening. "Now that magic card activates." His flipped over to reveal Soul Release. "I remove all but my three Dragon Marks from the graveyard."

Adriel's card flipped over. "I chose the magic card Soul of Dragons. This revives one Dragoon monster back to the field!" His Storm Moon Dragoon reappeared.

"Finally, we both special summon a monster from our decks!" Resshin pointed at his chest and the flaming kanji from before reappeared. "I choose Burst Brawler." (4200/2600)

Adriel pointed at his field and a silver dragon-armored knight holding a pair of spears appeared in play. "Then I choose Silver Dragoon!" (2300/2300)

Resshin placed his hand on top of his deck. "Now we both take this turn simultaneously. The winner is the one who loses their monster!"

Adriel placed his hand on top of his deck as well. "That sounds like fun. Alright then, let's do it!"

They both drew at the exact same time. "Draw!"

Resshin inserted the card into his duel disk and charged at the Storm Dragoon. "Let's end this with one final bang!" The card he inserted into his duel disk appeared behind him. "Rush Recklessly raises the attack of one monster on the field by 700 points!" (4900/2600)

Adriel smirked as his Storm Moon Dragon started to glow. "Since you said we take our turns at the same time that means the Rush Recklessly I drew from my deck can be activated as well!" (3600/2700) "Also, I reveal Dream Shield!" His Silver Dragoon disappeared. "I tribute a monster on my field to add its defense to the attack of a monster on my field!" (5900/2700)

Resshin's face-down trap flipped up. "I reveal Raging Battle! When Burst Brawler battles with a stronger monster during this turn it gains 1000 attack points! Also, it cannot be destroyed as a result of battle for the turn!" (5900/2600) "When my attack finishes, that means I'll win!"

Adriel pulled five cards off of his deck. "Actually…" He pointed at his Storm Moon Dragoon. "Once per turn I can discard the top five cards of my deck to make Storm Moon Dragoon unable to be destroyed as a result of battle!" Then their monsters clashed with an explosive collision that shook the entire stadium. "So it's a draw."

"In the case that neither of us have a monster destroyed by the end of the turn, the duel ends in a draw." Resshin ran his hands through his hair slowly and smiled. "That was pretty impressive…"

DUEL OUTCOME-DRAW

Both duelists shook hands slowly, smirking calmly. Then Adriel broke the silence that was hanging in the air. "Can you return Ichigo to us safe and sound please?"

Resshin shook his head. "That guy's fate isn't mine to decree. Mitosha's got that choice, and I doubt she'll let him go easily. Of course, that's not to say that it can't be done." He looked up at the stands and at Eri. "That girl might be able to do it."

Adriel nodded slowly and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'll give the match to you then. If everything works out alright then I can only guess that Pilkington is going to want to duel you. I already know just how good you are in a duel, but he must be dying inside to go against you." Leaving it at that, he walked away.

Resshin snickered. "What a guy…" Turning around, he walked towards the stands as well. "It looks like I'll be proceeding to the top ranks today." Then he noticed that Mitosha was glaring at him angrily. Shrugging it off, he returned to his stands.

The announcer was amazed. _"In an unlikely turn of events, Adriel Zaytel has withdrawn from the tournament. This means that Resshin will be proceeding to the finals! But now it's time for our self-named princess to duel against the mysterious Mitosha! Ladies, to your places!"_

Eri was already standing in place on the dueling field, while the pink-eyed Mitosha was walking up the steps. "I have a deal for you."

"I'm listening." Brushing her blond hair back, Mitosha smiled coldly.

"If I win this duel, you let Ichigo go. If you win, then I'll accept any punishment you have for me." The demoness was calm, but her eyes reflected a future violence that would occur if Mitosha did not say yes.

"Very well." Inserting her deck into her duel disk, the pink-eyed girl giggled suddenly. "Are you sure you want to duel me though? Aren't you afraid of my power? Resshin says that it makes me very scary…"

Eri's eyes reflected no fear, only a determination. "I will win this duel, that's all there is to it. For the sake of everybody the lot of you has hurt…" She slammed her deck home into her disk. "I have to win!"

"_Begin!"_ The announcer yelled into his microphone.

_To be continued…_


	16. Scary Girl versus even more Scary Girl

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 16: Scary Girl versus Even More Scary Girl

"_If I win this duel, you let Ichigo go. If you win, then I'll accept any punishment you have for me." The demoness was calm, but her eyes reflected a future violence that would occur if Mitosha did not say yes._

"_Very well." Inserting her deck into her duel disk, the pink-eyed girl giggled suddenly. "Are you sure you want to duel me though? Aren't you afraid of my power? Resshin says that it makes me very scary…"_

_Eri's eyes reflected no fear, only a determination. "I will win this duel, that's all there is to it. For the sake of everybody the lot of you has hurt…" She slammed her deck home into her disk. "I have to win!"_

"_Begin!" The announcer yelled into his microphone._

"I'm first!" Eri drew. Suddenly an image of Ichigo flashed in her mind. "I changed my mind…I won't forgive you even if I do beat you!"

Mitosha giggled coldly. "You don't expect to scare me, do you? I won't make the same mistakes Reverse did."

"I don't care whether I scare you or not!" The demoness slammed a card onto her duel disk. "Come out now, Apprentice Red Riding Hood!" (300/400) A little blond-haired girl wearing a red hood on her head appeared in play. "Also, I place one card face-down in play. At the end phase of my turn the effect of Apprentice Red Riding Hood lets me flip a coin. If the outcome is heads, then her attack is doubled. If the outcome is tails, her attack is cut in half." A large golden coin appeared in the air and came crashing down on the field. "Heads." (600/400) "End turn."

Mitosha stretched her body out a little out, and smiled calmly as she got the effect she wanted. Most of the boys in the audience had their attention on her body. "It's so easy, don't you think?"

"What are you talking about?" Eri didn't like the smug tone to this girl's voice at all.

"Oh?" The pink-eyed girl giggled innocently. "I'd think someone like you would use that body of yours to get what you wanted out of the males of your race. I'm assuming that's why you want Pilkington back so badly?" Sweeping her hand out at the audience, she smiled sweetly. "All it takes is a pretty smile and you get exactly what you want from them…you draw them in…" Suddenly her sweet smile turned cold and dark. "And then they're yours. It's like a game really, wouldn't you agree?"

Eri clenched her fist extremely tight. "You pissed me off when I heard you talking before, and now I know why. I hate deceptive people like you!"

"Is that so?" Mitosha drew. "Then let me play my Bug-Catching Jar for your little red annoyance." A large glass jar appeared on her field. "When I play this continuous magic card I select one monster in play with less than 1000 attack points and remove it from the game."

Eri gasped as her Apprentice Red Riding Hood disappeared in a puff of smoke. "No!"

Mitosha pointed at her field, where a much tinier Apprentice Red Riding Hood was trapped inside the jar and pounding on the walls futilely. "I'm sorry, did you not like that?" Placing a card face-down on her disk, she nodded to the demoness. "I'll just set a monster and let you have a crack at me then."

Eri snapped the top card off of her deck roughly. "Come out now Apprentice Young Magician!" (400/800) A brown-haired little boy wearing a plain blue robe with a white collar appeared on her field. "Attack the set monster with Special Magic Bullet!" Her little spellcaster released a burst of magical energy that shattered the set monster.

Mitosha inserted her monster into the graveyard. "Micro Jar's special ability is that when it is flipped up the attacking monster has its attack cut in half." (200/200)

Eri gasped again as her Young Magician suddenly shrank to half his normal size. (200/800) "I…I end my turn."

Mitosha pulled the top card off of her deck calmly. "I play another of my Bug-Catching Jars, just for your little boy." Eri's monster disappeared into the new glass jar in a puff of smoke. "Also, I place a card face-down in play and end my turn."

Eri drew, her teeth clenched tightly in anger. "I activate the magic card Class in Session! This lets me normal summon one Academy Teacher monster from my hand to the field without sacrifice if I have no monsters in play!" Slapping a card onto her field, a blond-haired fair-looking man in a white formal suit appeared on her field and cheerfully waved to the audience. "I summon Academy Teacher Barabaraman!" (1800/1700)

Mitosha laughed at the stupid-looking monster. "What kind of silly creature…"

"Barabaraman-sensei, direct attack!" Eri pointed at the girl and the teacher suddenly caught notice of her. He happily rang up to Mitosha and hugged her. "At the time when Barabaraman-sensei attacks he gains 1000 attack points for the damage step!" (2800/1700)

Mitosha screamed in pain as rose thorns exploded out of the teacher's skin, stabbing her.

Eri- 4000

Mitosha- 1200

Eri smirked coldly while her teacher monster danced back to his position in play. "I'm sorry, did that hurt? Take it as part of your punishment for opposing me then. Also, I place one card face-down on my field. End turn."

Mitosha slowly stood up, and her eyes narrowed angrily. "You insolent bitch…" Removing the top card of her deck, she snarled in anger. "You're really testing my patience now!"

From up in the stands, Resshin whistled in mock amazement. "Wow, you really got her steamed up now, number one."

Back down on the field, Mitosha pointed at her two jars. Both of them shuddered and exploded. "At this time I tribute my Bug-Catching Jars to special summon Bug Collector!" (?) A hunched old man holding a butterfly net appeared on her field. "This monster's attack and defense are equal to the number of Bug-Catching Jars sacrificed to summon it times 1000!" (2000/2000) "Also, monsters that were captured in those jars return to your hand!"

Eri glanced at her hand as her Apprentice Red Riding Hood and Apprentice Young Magician appeared there.

Mitosha pointed at her set card. "At this time I play the trap card Jar Recovery, selecting up to three cards in my graveyard with jar in their title and adding them to my hand!" Her two Bug-Catching Jars and her Micro Jar returned to her hand. "Bug Collector, attack Barabaraman now!" Her monster leapt across the field with its net above its head.

Eri's monster saw the attacker coming and let out a girly scream, cowering at the approaching opponent. (800/1700) Then the net dropped down over him and he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Eri- 2800

Mitosha- 1200

Eri grimaced at the loss of her monster. "The downside to Barabaraman is that when he is attacked his attack drops by 1000 during the damage step."

Mitosha smirked coldly. "I guessed as such, and that's why I attacked like I did. Because when Bug Collector defeats a monster with less than 1000 attack points, I may play a Bug-Collecting Jar from my hand and use it to trap that monster!" Another of her glass jars appeared in play, this holding a silently crying tiny version of Academy Teacher Barabaraman. "Also, for every Bug-Collecting Jar I have on the field my Bug Collector gains 500 attack points!" (2500/2000) "I place a card face-down and end my turn."

Eri snapped the top card off of her deck angrily. "I see the theme you have going on here, and it irritates me to no end!" Flipping the drawn card up, she pointed at her chest. "I activate Snack Time! When a Academy Teacher named monster is in play, I gain 1500 life points." She pointed at the trapped Barabaraman. "And in this case my captured monster counts as being in play."

Eri- 4300

Mitosha- 1200

Grasping one of her hand cards, the demoness tossed it onto her disk in a horizontal position. "I summon Apprentice Red Riding Hood in defense mode!" Her little girl monster appeared in a crouching position. "Also, I place two more cards face-down. End turn."

Mitosha snapped the top card off of her deck. "You really are worried about that boy, aren't you?" She laughed loudly. "He lost to me, and as such he lost his freedom. Take a hint and leave him in my capable hands, alright?"

"How about you shrivel up and die instead, you heartless bimbo!" Eri pointed angrily right at her opponent's face. "Someone like you doesn't deserve a thing beyond pity from people who actually care about the hearts of others!"

"Oh my." Mitosha covered her mouth in mock surprise. "Such strong words from such an unfeminine beast like yourself really don't mean too much, you know?" Then she inserted a card into her duel disk. "I activate another Bug-Catching Jar, sealing up your little annoyance!"

"Not this time!" Eri pointed at one of her set cards. "I activate the counter trap card Trail of Breadcrumbs! This card activates when an Apprentice monster on my field is targeted to be removed from the game! That removing card is destroyed and negated!"

Mitosha gasped as her Bug-Collecting Jar shattered into dozens of pieces. "You're a stubborn beast, aren't you?" She pointed at Apprentice Red Riding Hood. "Attack now, Bug Collector!" Her monster jumped across the field with its net above its head to capture the little girl.

"Not so fast!" Eri pointed at her set card. "I activate the trap card Path to School, which triggers when you attack an Apprentice monster on my field! During my next standby phase I may add one Apprentice Academy field magic card from my deck to my hand! After this card's effect completes itself, battle resets but continues as before. And this time in response to your new attack I activate the trap card Shenanigans!"

"Huh?" Mitosha blinked as Eri's monster disappeared. "What did you do?"

Eri grinned. "Shenanigans activates when an Apprentice monster on my field is attacked. That monster is removed from the game for a turn, and your attack is negated. Also, your battle phase ends."

Mitosha sighed. "That's just an annoyance, so I don't mind it. I'll just put a monster face-down on my field and end my turn."

Eri drew and her Apprentice Red Riding Hood appeared back in play, the little girl laughing happily. "At this time I add Apprentice Academy from my deck to my hand." A slight smile crossed her face. "I activate the field magic card Apprentice Academy!" A large elementary school exploded into existence around the field. "While this card is in play all Apprentice named monsters on my field can attack directly, and all Academy Teacher monsters I have in play gain 400 attack points!"

Mitosha laughed at the strange surrounding they stood in now. "What a silly card to play. Then again, I find it hard to take this deck of yours seriously."

Eri pointed at her Apprentice Red Riding Hood. "I tribute Apprentice Red Riding Hood to summon Academy Teacher Rascal!" A man in a plain pair of black pants and a pale violet shirt appeared on her field. He had long black hair that covered over one side of his face and his expression was stern. (2200/1700) "Also, because my field magic card is in play Rascal-sensei gains 400 attack points!" (2600/1700) "Rascal-sensei, attack her monster with Stampede Whip!" The teacher monster pulled a bullwhip out of nowhere and snapped it across the body of the hunched over Bug Collector, blowing it apart.

Eri- 4300

Mitosha- 1100

Eri grinned and removed a card from her deck. "When Rascal-sensei deals you life point damage, I may add one level three or lower Apprentice named monster from my deck to my hand." Now she was ready. ("If I draw the right card in the next turn, I'll be able to finish you off with the same thing that took down Reverse.") "End turn."

Mitosha drew the top card of her deck angrily. "You and your kindergarten playmates won't beat me!" She placed a card face-down on her disk. "I set a monster face-down in play and end my turn."

Eri drew. "During the standby phase after I have sacrificed Apprentice Red Riding Hood to summon an Academy Teacher monster, she is returned to my hand!" The named card left her graveyard and she added it to her hand. "Good, I get to shut you up finally! Reverse card open!" Her face-down card flipped up and a bell sounded somewhere in the distance. "Recess Time is a trap that can only activate when Apprentice Academy is in play. This card allows me to play as many Apprentice monsters from my hand as I can, but three turns they all return to my hand if they are still in play!" She placed three cards onto her disk. "Emerge now!"

The first summoned was her Apprentice Red Riding Hood. (300/400) Second was her Apprentice Young Magician. (400/800) Third was a blue-haired boy wearing a green shirt and brown pants. "My third summon is Apprentice Werewolf!" (500/300) "At this time the effect of my field magic card lets them attack directly!"

"Reverse card open, Butterfly Screen!" Mitosha's set card flipped up and a net fell over her field. "This trap card prevents all monsters on your field with less than 1000 attack points from attacking this turn!"

Eri smiled and inserted a card into her duel disk. "I place my last hand card face-down and end my turn. I know all too well that at least one your set monsters are a Micro Jar, and there's no point in me attacking it right now."

Mitosha drew the top card of her card angrily. "I've grown weary of looking at you, beast."

Eri snickered and pointed at her set card. "Go Sign of Eternal Friendship!" Her card flipped up to reveal the three Apprentice monsters on her field holding hands and marching down a road together. "This trap can only activate when Apprentice Red Riding Hood, Apprentice Werewolf and Apprentice Young Magician are in play. At that time if I have no cards in my hand I can add one Holy Triad-Love, Holy Triad-Courage, and Holy Triad-Hope from my deck to my hand." Three cards left her deck and entered her hand. "Alright, please continue."

Mitosha nodded slowly. "I see, so you intend to somehow activate the combo that finished off Reverse during your next turn? It will never happen." However, she didn't intend to leave that to chance. "It looks like I'll have to show you my power after all." Pointing at her two set monsters, she sneered. "I sacrifice these two creatures to summon Master Bug Collector!" (2000/1600) A humanoid insect holding a giant butterfly net appeared in play. "At this time, the effect of my monster activates." She discarded three cards from her hand. "I may discard any number of cards from my hand, and for each one discarded I may remove a monster in play with less than 1000 attack and at the same time raise the attack of my monster by 300 points!"

Eri and Rascal-sensei gasped as the three Apprentices on her field all disappeared in three puffs of smoke.

Mitosha grinned as the jars hanging at her monster's side suddenly were filled with its three little hostages. (2900/1600) "Also, for every Bug-Collecting Jar in play my monster gains 500 attack points." (3400/1600) "Now destroy her annoying monster!" The insect leapt in the air and dropped its butterfly net over Rascal-sensei's head. A few seconds later the teacher monster exploded. "I'll end the turn there, but before we continue let me ask you something interesting…"

Eri- 3500

Mitosha- 1100

Eri hissed darkly, suddenly feeling the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. ("There's energy in the air…but it's not directed at me just yet…")

Mitosha stepped forward once. "Have you ever felt what its like to literally crush someone under your heel?"

Eri felt on the edge now, because it was like that energy was focusing on her now. It had yet to touch her, but it was like a finger near skin. She could feel the mere vibrations in the air that dictated it was there.

Mitosha took another step forward. "It feels so interesting to feel them squirm right before that satisfying crunch…"

Eri had sweat building up on her forehead now. Her nerves were so wound up, and now she was calculating if she could reach Mitosha and knock her out before she was stricken down or not.

Mitosha smiled slowly. "I've always wondered it felt like from the other way around…" Suddenly she tapped her chin as if she had an idea. "Perhaps maybe you could tell me from first-hand experience?"

_To be continued…_


	17. Declarations

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 17: Declarations

_Mitosha stepped forward once. "Have you ever felt what its like to literally crush someone under your heel?"_

_Eri felt on the edge now, because it was like that energy was focusing on her now. It had yet to touch her, but it was like a finger near skin. She could feel the mere vibrations in the air that dictated it was there._

_Mitosha took another step forward. "It feels so interesting to feel them squirm right before that satisfying crunch…"_

_Eri had sweat building up on her forehead now. Her nerves were so wound up, and now she was calculating if she could reach Mitosha and knock her out before she was stricken down or not._

_Mitosha smiled slowly. "I've always wondered it felt like from the other way around…" Suddenly she tapped her chin as if she had an idea. "Perhaps maybe you could tell me from first-hand experience?"_

-------------------------------------------------------

Ichigo groaned and rolled to his feet, glancing around in confusion. ("Alright…where am I now?") It was dark, and there was lots of strange smells in the air. ("Maybe I'm locked up somewhere? I don't quite remember…") He rubbed the back of his head to try and collect his thoughts. "Man, where am I?" Suddenly the ground beneath him started to shake rapidly. "Now what is it? An earthquake?"

Suddenly he heard something. "Hmm?" Even though he still couldn't see, he did manage to stumble over to what felt like some kind of metal bars. ("Okay, so I am caged up. But that doesn't explain where the noise is coming from.") His wolf ears flicked a couple of times, taking in as much information as they could considering his current situation and the fact that he was disoriented. ("I swear that I can hear Eri nearby…but it sounds weird.") Reaching past the still unseen bars, he felt thick fabric. ("Weird…")

Deciding that doing something was better than just sitting there doing nothing; he took a deep breath and filled his air with lungs. "HEY! IS ANYONE OUT THERE?"

----------------------------------------------------------

"Well?" Mitosha took another step forward. "Would you like to help me with my little idea?"

Eri was about to lunge in and try to bite her opponent's throat before that could happen, but suddenly her ears perked up. ("I hear something nearby…it sounds like Ichigo's voice. But where is he?") She started looking around cautiously. ("Where?")

Mitosha noticed that she suddenly no longer had the demoness' attention. "If you don't have any argument then I'll just assume you'd like to participate!" Her hands started to glow. "Prepare yourself!" Her energy extended itself…and then dissolved.

Glancing off to her left, she saw Erian sitting in his seat calmly. However, she could feel the strain of energy coming from him. ("Good luck, dear brother. You can't stop me forever and I will eventually hit her.") "Well, it is your turn."

"Huh?" Eri came out of her search half-heartedly. "Oh yeah…" She drew. "I play Pot of Greed." Drawing two cards from her deck, she added them to her hand. "I summon Apprentice Momonga Ninja in defense mode." A little girl ninja in pink clothing appeared on her field in a crouching position. (600/700) "End turn."

Mitosha extended her power again, and once more it was stopped cold by Erian's Negation ability. ("My power doesn't take too much of my energy to activate, it just costs me strength to maintain for extended amounts of time. You, on the other hand, can't be so carefree with your abilities, dear brother.") She drew. "Master Bug Collector, attack Momonga Ninja now!" Her monster leapt across the field and trapped the little ninja in its butterfly net. "At this time one Bug-Collecting Jar from my deck can be activated to seal your monster if it has less than 1000 attack points!" The ninja, now shrunken, appeared in a glass jar on her field. "Because there is an additional Bug-Collecting Jar in play, my monster gets a power-up!" (3900/1600) Finally she inserted a card into her duel disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Eri wasn't even paying attention anymore; as she was too busy trying to use her nose to sniff out Ichigo's location. ("He's around here somewhere, I can smell him.")

Mitosha extended her power again, and frowned as once more it was stopped. "Excuse me, it's your turn."

Eri nodded absent-mindedly and drew. "I summon Apprentice Magician in defense mode." (400/800) A blond-haired young magician appeared on her field in a crouching position. "End turn."

Mitosha drew the top card of her deck angrily. ("She just keeps ignoring me!") Again she tried to use her power, and once more Erian stopped it. "You can't protect her forever, brother…" She muttered this under her breath and pointed at her set card. "I activate Jar Recovery, adding three jar cards from my graveyard to my hand." Her two Micro Jars and single Bug-Collecting Jar left her graveyard and she added them to her hand.

Eri waved her hand dismissively, now kneeling over one side of the ring and checking there for Ichigo. "Good for you." ("He's getting quieter…but I can tell he's really close…")

A vein bulged out of Mitosha's forehead and she proceeded to release her power three different times. The first two were immediately negated, but the third got rather close to its target before it was stopped. ("Hah, I felt that slip-up. You can't do this much longer.") "Master Bug Collector, attack Apprentice Magician!" Her monster trapped the spellcaster in its net, followed by which it disappeared and her third Bug-Catching Jar appeared on her field, this one holding the Apprentice Magician hostage. (4400/1600)

Eri removed her deck from her duel disk, now kneeling over the side of the dueling ring to search. "When Apprentice Magician is destroyed in battle I can special summon a level two or lower spellcaster type monster from my deck to the field in defense mode." A horizontal face-down card appeared on her field

Mitosha suddenly realized she could have just used her jar and she would have been able to attack directly. ("Damn her, now I'm making mistakes!") "End turn!"

Eri was now over on Mitosha's side of the field, looking at the edges of the duel ring there. ("Maybe here?")

Mitosha closed her eye and growled angrily. "How about you pay attention to what is going on around you?" She leapt at Eri, arm back to slap the demoness across the face.

Without even stopping her search Eri ducked the incoming blow and kept at it. ("Hmmm, that means he's over there!")

Mitosha did a baseball-style ground slide to the last corner of the dueling ring and grabbed something. "I don't think so!"

--------------------------------------------------

Ichigo yelped loudly as suddenly the floor slanted and he was sent rolling into the bars behind him. "Now what's going on?" A few seconds later he was blinded as light flooded the room. "Ah, can't see…"

"_If you don't want to see my little prize dead, then please return to your field and continue the duel."_ A strangely familiar voice boomed overhead.

Covering his ears to drown out the painfully loud sound, Ichigo tried his hardest to let his eyes adjust to the fact that it was daylight suddenly.

Eri growled in anger as Mitosha removed the cover on the cage that held a mouse-sized Ichigo in it. "Let him go before I carve you into bite-sized pieces…" She bared her fangs, which seemed to grow a little longer for a moment.

Mitosha tsk'ed with her free index finger. "If you go and do that, then who knows what will happen to him? Maybe he'll be stuck like that forever?"

Clenching her fist tightly, Eri stomped back over to her field. Somehow she seemed wild now, as if she was working hard to hold back the wolf part of her that wanted to swallow Mitosha whole.

Ichigo rubbed his eyes a couple more times and then realized he could see again.

"_You should feel lucky that unfeminine beast seems to care about what happens to you."_ The voice overhead wasn't quite so loud now.

Looking up at the source of it, Ichigo froze as he realized he was looking at a gigantic pink-eyed face. "AHHHH! It's you, that Mitosha creep!" He pointed at her, partially in shock. "How did you get so freaking big?"

Mitosha smirked down at her little prisoner and hefted the cage up to face level. _"I'm pretty sure the one who changed sizes here isn't me."_ She waved her other hand out around her. _"Take a bow, Blue Osiris! You're on Duelist Academy Camera!"_

"Eh?" Ichigo looked away from her and realized that the entire audience was staring at him stupidly…and he just stared back just as stupidly. His right wolf ear twitched a few times, and then he became very pale. ("I'm tiny…and the whole school is seeing this…") He started to develop a tic to his right eye. ("What god did I anger to bring this about? Wasn't Chibi Ichigo enough for one day?")

From her side of the field, Eri growled again at the look on Ichigo's face. "Hey bimbo, put him down and let's continue."

Shrugging, the pink-eyed girl placed the cage off to her side. "As you wish, beast."

Eri drew. "I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Mitosha slowly pulled the top card off of her deck, a couple of beads of sweat on her forehead. She had used this time to try and affect Eri with her powers, but Erian had stopped her at every turn. "I tribute my three Bug-Collecting Jars in play to summon another Bug Collector!" The three glass jars shattered and the captured monsters returned to Eri's hand, while another old hunched man appeared on her field. "As you remember, this monster's attack and defense are equal to the number of Bug-Collecting Jars sacrificed to summon him times 1000." (3000/3000) "With this you are finished though, beast." She pointed at Eri's set monster. "Bug Collector, attack her monster right now!" The old man leapt across the field and dropped a net over the set card, shattering it.

Eri held the card up. "At this time the effect of Magician of Faith lets me return Pot of Greed from my graveyard to my hand." The magic card left her graveyard and she added it to her seven card hand.

"This is the end!" Mitosha pointed at Eri. "Master Bug Collector, direct attack!"

Eri reached for the button to the face-down card in his disk. ("Not quite…") Suddenly her eyes widened as Mitosha casually picked up Ichigo's cage and wound up to hurl it. "What are you doing?"

"Me?" Mitosha smirked and glanced at the now very rattled-up Ichigo stuck in the cage. "I was just planning on hurling this cute little prize against the wall. It is mine to do with as I please until you win, correct?" She got ready to make her throw. "When I don't get what I want I tend to be a little destructive…you know how it is, I'm sure."

Eri's hand shuddered and she slowly withdrew it from her trap. "What do you want?"

Mitosha's monster had yet to move, waiting for the final confirmation for her to attack. The girl smirked and glanced up into the crowd. "I want no more outside interference from a certain someone. Is that clear?"

Eri nodded slowly and glanced up at the very tired-looking Erian pleadingly. For a few moments he seemed torn between agreeing and disagreeing, and then he closed his eyes and lowered his head to rest, indicating he wouldn't use his abilities anymore. A few moments later everything got much bigger as she felt that eerie energy wash over.

Mitosha, still holding Ichigo's cage by the metal ring attached to its top, placed her hands on her hips and calmly walked over to Eri's side of the field, where a now mouse-sized demoness stood. "What a touching gesture you'd do for this boy…" Then her shoe flew down on top of the tiny demoness.

Eri slid to one knee, her arms above her. She could feel every tendon in her frame strain itself as she managed to hold back something that should have crushed her instantly. ("I might not accept outside interference, but I won't lie down and die either!")

Mitosha snarled and pushed down with her shoe a bit harder, finding it like stepping on a rock. "You're a tough little bug, aren't you?"

From in the cage, Ichigo turned and screamed at the top of his lungs towards the crowd. "Why are you all just standing there gawking? End the match and someone help her!" That stirred the crowd to action, and they started to move towards the edge of the stands to get onto the field. Even for some of the weird things that have happened at the academy, this went far beyond that.

Mitosha whistled sharply. "Resshin-chan, now's the time to repay the favor to me!"

"I don't know for sure what is going on, but that's enough of…" The first of the crowd, an Obelisk Blue student, almost climbed into the ring when a hand closed around his neck and threw him back into the crowd.

Resshin stood before the crowd at that side of the ring. "Sorry folks, but I owe Mitosha a favor. In this case, I guess I'm supposed to stop outside interference. Therefore…" He lifted his right hand up into the sky and a small fountain of flame shot upwards and hit the roof. "No one enter that ring or else I will not hesitate to cook you alive!" Even though there were students surrounding the whole circular arena, Resshin's presence made them all feel as if he could easily move and block any part of the ring at any time.

Mitosha glanced around at the now silent and horrified crowd, who were now getting a ringside view of her slowly stomping Erika Amero into the metal of the ring. "Don't worry folks, this won't take much longer. She's pretty strong, but in the end she's just going to wind up a stain on the steel."

Eri didn't cry out in pain, despite the fact that her muscles were at her limit. ("I won't last much longer before they tear, and then I'm dead.") But for some reason she didn't regret this decision. ("If I can save Ichigo this way, then so be it. I won't regret making this choice now that I'm facing death.")

Ichigo dented the bars of his cage with another punch, his knuckles already absolutely covered in blood. "Damn it! You cowards, do something!" When no one in the crowd moved, he snapped his right hand up into the air. "I don't care anymore! **Awaken, Soul of the Stars!"** He saw the jewel on his ring glimmer, but otherwise nothing happened. "Damn it!" He returned to pounding on those metal bars to try and break them, leaving them streaked red with his blood.

Mitosha sneered calmly and pushed her heel down harder. "Why would you go so far for such a person? Do you just have a deathwish?"

Eri stared at the shadowed ground now, her back the only thing that was stopping her from becoming flattened now. "No…it's because I had time to think…"

"Oh?" Mitosha stomped down again. "Time to think about what?"

"About my life." The demoness bit back a scream of pain as that heel crashed into her back again. "There are some things that someone just cannot fight. I tried so long to convince myself that I hated it…"

"What are you babbling about?" The pink-eyed girl's foot drove down even harder, and she thought she heard the crack of bone. "Nevermind…I do believe that's the end."

"Eri!" Ichigo had heard it as well, and it tore him up inside. That sound was the sound of a large segment of bone breaking. Turning to glare furiously at Mitosha, he grabbed the bars of the cage tightly. "No more…" That angry glare melted to tears and he slid down to his knees, prostrating himself before her. "Let Eri go. I beg you…"

"No." Mitosha felt that resistance at her feet giving way. "So tell me, is there anything you'll regret not doing before you die?"

Eri was tired, and she hurt in a way that transcended ordinary forms of pain. "Yes…I'll regret not telling the person I cared about my true feelings…" She dimly realized that she was crying for some reason. "And that I'll never get to enjoy their touch again…" It was the end for her body. A few seconds more of this and her bones would all crack at once, leaving her dead.

Mitosha sneered. "Trust me, I doubt they would return those feelings anyway. Who could ever love a beast like yourself?" Then she pressed her foot down with her full strength so she could hear that satisfying final crunch.

Ichigo closed his eyes and prayed for a miracle, for something to happen that would end this. "Someone save her! I don't care who, but someone please save her! I…I…" He refused to let his common sense stop him from yelling such a thing right now. "I love her!"

Mitosha sneered…and then gasped as something shot past her face so quickly it left a dark red line in its wake. Whatever it was had enough force behind it to gash her cheek. Crying out in pain she dropped the cage and stumbled back, clutching at the spot where she felt her blood flowing freely. "Who did that?" Her eyes glanced down at what had hit her, and she blinked in surprise at what it was. "A guitar pick?" Sure enough, there was a piece of dark wine-colored plastic embedded a few inches in the steel.

The soulful sounds of a guitar being played echoed in the air. _"Such a tragic ending to a romantic story is saved for Shakespeare, not this tournament!"_ From over by the edge of the stands, a caped form was sitting on the edge of the wall that separated the arena from the stands. _"A request made by a frantic duelist who wishes the life of that he cares about to be spared cannot be ignored so easily by I!"_

Mitosha growled and focused her powers together on that form. "I'll shrink you down and kill you just like I intend to do to her, you interloper!"

The shadowed form stood up slowly, and a spotlight lit up around him. It revealed a young dark-skinned man wearing clothing reminiscent of a Spanish bull-fighter. Around his face there was a simple black piece of cloth with eyeholes cut into it. At his side there was an old wooden guitar, and around his waist there was a small thin sword hanging by a sheath. _"You, who would try and be the princess of Duelist Academy, will get no mercy from myself."_ Pulling off his matador's hat, the young man revealed a head of stringy black hair and did a little bow to the Traveler. _"I am El Mariachi Verdadero." _

Mitosha, wondering why her ability didn't affect this costumed fool, looked right next to the mariachi and snarled at the sight of her eldest brother. "Erian? I thought you weren't to interfere!"

"I wasn't to offer my assistance to Eri." The multi-colored boy smiled tiredly.

The Mariachi brushed his pants off and casually leapt onto the dueling field. "Now then…"

Resshin aimed his hand at the young man. "Sorry, but I thought I made myself clear." A stream of fire leapt from his hand, and disappeared right before it reached its target. "I doubt Erian can keep this up much longer, and I will repay my debt here."

Nodding slowly, the costumed character strummed a little bit on his guitar. "Don't worry about it; I've known guys like you before." Then he turned his attention to Mitosha. "Sorry princess, but your fun ends here." Without a single pause in his hand's movement, he was holding a new guitar pick. "You've already seen how dangerous my throwing trick is with these, correct?" He smiled lazily again. "I'll also let you know that I happen to know a few nice ways to effectively scar a person easily with these."

Mitosha growled and looked down at the ground, where Eri somehow was still not completely unconscious yet. "I…I refuse to let you! Resshin-chan, kill him!"

Resshin snorted. "Forget it; I'm repaying your debt by keeping these other guys out of the ring. Do it yourself." He neglected to mention that he had no intention of trying to attack again though.

"….." Mitosha looked around the crowd for Reverse, Forward, and Riddle. "Guys? I need some help here!"

"They won't be coming!" A voice yelled out from the entrance to the dueling arena to reveal Adriel and a red-faced Ambience that was standing next to him. "While you were and Eri were dueling I made sure to thoroughly clean their brains out with my fist." He felt Ambience walk towards the dueling field slowly. "Huh? What's wrong Ambience?"

The silver-haired girl waked right through the crowd and onto the dueling ring calmly.

Mitosha glared at Resshin. "Stop her!"

Resshin scoffed. "Hurt one of my siblings? You must be out of your damned mind." Turning his attention back to the crowd, he popped his neck a couple of times. "Work it out yourself."

Mitosha was about to protest about how Resshin wasn't upholding his returned favor properly, when she realized that Ambience was standing in front of her and looking right into her eyes. "Wha…what do you want?"

"I normally don't have much to say, because I don't like confrontations…" Ambience's voice was unwavering and her stance was so solid that she seemed like a different person. Suddenly she smiled sadly. "Forgive me, big sister. You really should stop acting like this."

From up in the stands Erian's jaw dropped. Resshin also had his attention on what was going on in the ring now. Ambience never spoke too much, and when she did it was normally just agreement. This was the first time ever that she had openly argued with any member of her foster family.

After a few seconds of shock, Mitosha angrily back-handed Ambience across the cheek. "You little brat, you'd dare choose these people over your family?"

Even though there was a red mark across her cheek now, Ambience nodded slowly. "I'm sorry, big sister." Then her head snapped to the side as she was slapped again, much harder this time.

Mitosha brought back her hand to teach her sister a lesson in obedience…but a different hand closed around her wrist with enough force to nearly snap the bone. "Let me go Resshin!"

Resshin narrowed his eyes, and looked at Ambience's face. "I'll tolerate anything except when you take your anger out on our brothers and sisters." He glanced at the broken metal cage, and then over at Ichigo, who was stumbling towards Eri dizzily. "I think the game is over, dear sister. Restore those two back to normal." His orange eyes started to glow. "I have no quarrel with burning you alive if you refuse."

Gulping slowly, Mitosha nodded and focused her powers on the two of them. A few moments later they returned to normal size. "There…now let me go."

Resshin gladly complied and walked away towards the stands again. "Show's over, back to your seats folks."

The mariachi sighed and took Ambience by the arm, leading her back to Adriel. "Come on senorita."

Ichigo helped Eri to her feet slowly. "Can you stand?" When she nodded he started to move her towards the exit. "We need to get you to the nurse…"

Eri shook her head and pulled away, forcing herself to stand. "I'm finishing this duel."

Ichigo frowned…and realized there was something reflected in her eyes. It was an emotion he knew far too well. ("Damn, even I know when it's time to call off a duel. She refuses to submit though…") Rubbing the back of his head, the half-demon shrugged. "Why?"

"Because I need a confidence booster, and I want to blast this bitch into the next millennium." The demoness stumbled to her field and fanned out her hand cards, ignoring the pain in her whole body. "I won't lose to you, bimbo. Let the duel continue."

Mitosha was already in position. "Whatever you say fool. Master Bug Collector, direct attack!"

Eri pointed at her set card. "I reveal my face-down Vacation's End." Her trap card flipped up and started to glow. "All removed from play Apprentice monsters are returned to my hand, and the battle phase ends." Now she had eleven cards in her hand.

Mitosha sighed and shrugged it off. "The turn is yours. Not that it matters. All you can do is summon one of your little weaklings, so your ultimate monster can't come out this turn."

Eri looked down at her deck. "You know what, I owe you a lot of payback." Smiling and wiping some dirt from her face, she smiled sweetly. "Let's put what you just did behind us though, because for some reason I'm in a good mood now."

"….huh?" Mitosha blinked numerous times. "You mean…you're forgiving me? Even though I tried to kill you and the guy you wanted to save…and…and…"

"You're forgiven for all of that." Eri drew and flipped the card up so it could be seen. "I activate the magic card First Bell." Holding up three of her hand cards, she placed them down on her disk. "At this time, I special summon three Apprentice named monsters from my hand to my field, and at the end phase of this turn they return to my hand." Her Apprentice Red Riding Hood, Apprentice Werewolf, and Apprentice Young Magician reappeared in play. "Then I play my Pot of Greed, drawing two cards!"

After doing that she held up three cards from her hand and slid them into her duel disk in rapid succession. "I activate Holy Triad-Love, Holy Triad-Courage, and Holy Triad-Hope!" A single beam of light started to shoot between her three monsters rapidly. "Also…I play Holy Triad Completion!" Her entire field disappeared in a burst of bright white light.

Mitosha just gaped as the light slowly faded. "Impossible…you couldn't…but…"

Ichigo pointed at Eri's field as he recognized the monsters before they had been sacrificed. "AH! I know this show!"

The light cleared to reveal Eri fully revitalized, and she was wearing a red, blue and white dress while holding a toy-looking plastic bow. "The heroine is here! Magical Princess Holy Up!" (1900/1300)

Ichigo stared at the demoness, as did everyone else. "Wait…this isn't part of the show…"

Eri winked down at the half-demon. "Holy Up is letting me take her place for this round! Also, at the time of Holy Up's summon, if she was summoned through the effect of Holy Triad Completion, then all cards on your field are destroyed!"

Mitosha braced herself as all of her cards exploded. "This can't be…"

Eri pointed at herself. "For every Apprentice in the graveyard, the attack of Magical Princess Holy Up raises by 300!" (2800/1300) She kneeled and took aim at the pink-eyed Traveler. "Beauty Serene Arrow!" Energy started to build at the tip of the toy weapon.

Mitosha stepped back, gulping. "You already won…so why…"

Eri winked again. "Because I forgave you for everything you did to me, but this is for Ichigo…" Then she released the string of the bow. "Magical Shoot!" The released blast picked up speed, growing larger and larger until it engulfed Mitosha, and then kept going until it hit the wall.

Eri- 3500

Mitosha- 0

As the smoke from the attack cleared, Eri stood up and curtsied to the audience, using the dress she had borrowed from Holy Up. A few seconds later they exploded into applause for her. Meanwhile her clothing returned to normal as the Duel Disks shut down. "There is room in this school for only one princess, and that is myself!" The moment she finished her declaration the demoness climbed up into the stands and charged for the announcer's booth. Stopping right in front of the Ra Yellow announcer, she snatched the microphone out of his hand and ran back down to dueling ring. _"And now I have an announcement! Will Ichigo Pilkington please step forward."_

Ichigo blinked at the fact that he was standing less than five feet from her. Turning and shrugging to the audience, he stepped three feet closer to her. "Ummm…you wanted something?"

Eri turned and pointed a finger right into his face. _"You are the first and only contestant for a special quiz I've cooked up just for you! Are you up to the challenge?"_

Ichigo sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "If you've got a question then just ask it…"

"_As you wish!"_ She took a deep breath. _"Do you think I am an unfeminine beast? Explain your answer afterwards. You have ten seconds, go!"_ She started counting in her head.

Ichigo crossed his arms across his chest and closed his eyes, deep in thought.

Even though this made absolutely no sense to any of the students in the audience, they all walked Ichigo and Eri carefully now. Something about this seemed incredibly important.

"_Time's up!"_ Eri held the microphone right in front of Ichigo's face. _"What is your answer? Am I an unfeminine beast or not?"_

Taking the microphone from her, Ichigo cleared his throat. _"My answer is yes." _The whole audience face-fell, the signs hanging outside face-fell, somewhere in the world a guy in Switzerland face-fell for reasons he could not even begin to explain.

Eri calmly took the microphone from him. _"Explain your answer."_ She returned it.

Ichigo thought about it. _"It's hard to explain why I felt like answering that way, but here goes."_ He scratched his chin with a nail. _"Ever since I first met you, it seems like you've tried as hard as you can to make yourself seem like everything but a girl. Every second of every day you act either angry or mean."_ He turned to face her. _"So far you've hit me so many times I've started to lose count of the number of lumps my head has had since just last year alone. You've taken advantage of everything horrible that has happened to me, and on more than one occasion you've tried to kill me. I mean seriously…what exactly did I do to piss you off so much?"_

Off to the side, El Mariachi Verdadero sighed and rested an elbow on the wall of the arena entrance. "I do believe they call this 'digging one's own grave." Off to the side Adriel, Erian and even Resshin had to nod. Meanwhile in the background, Ichigo continued his tirade as he just kept listing all of the things Eri had done to him over the past year.

-------------------------------

_Several minutes later…_

--------------------------------

"…_and that's why I really liked that Frisbee."_ Ichigo nodded resolutely and handed the microphone back to Eri. Her expression had yet to change from neutral.

The audience though was absolutely confused. Ichigo's speech had somehow wandered off into a realm unknown to that of sane thinking beings, and in the end he somehow coherently finished his speech with those lines. And the reason it confused the audience so much was because it had made sense. Somehow, he had safely taken them through his ramblings without losing any one of them.

Adriel looked almost sick to his stomach. "I'm not the only one whose brain feels like it is on fire right now, am I?" When Resshin, El Mariachi Verdadero, and Erian nodded in agreement, he sighed. "Good…I was afraid I had suddenly become as insane as he is."

Eri spoke once more into the microphone. _"Would you care to elaborate on the only part of your explanation that had to do with your answer?"_

Ichigo took the microphone from her and nodded slowly. _"Oh, you mean the angry part?"_

She nodded.

"_Well, I figured out awhile ago that the reason you always act so tough and hateful is because you were waiting for something."_ He looked up at the ceiling lights. _"I'm not completely sure what that something is."_ Returning the microphone to her, he sighed at the fact that her expression didn't change. "You're going to hit me, aren't you?"

Eri turned and walked over to the center of the dueling ring. _"You are correct."_ She turned to face him and smiled. _"Ever since I first went to school, I've felt a fire in my soul that refused to be silent. It was that fire which drove me to become the Dark Demoness of Duelist Academy, and it was that fire which drove me to hate you, Ichigo Pilkington."_ She turned to face him. _"I have been waiting. I've been waiting for someone who can stand against the fires that burn within me. At first, no one could. Then you came along, with your childish fantasies of being a hero and your strange skill to somehow forgive everyone, including myself, for all of the horrible things done to you. You've laughed it all off like it was one big joke."_

"_I am and always will be a wild animal. The flame from my soul is the flame that I surround myself with. It made me feel invincible, like no one could hurt me. In truth that was because I made it so no one could get close to me without that fire engulfing them."_ She looked at the half-demon. _"Then you come along, with your childish dreams of being a hero. You say that you will protect the world, and do your hardest to make that dream a reality. Your fists pound on the walls of the cage, while you ignore the fire that burns you over and over again. I'm still not sure why, but you want to let out the animal that has locked itself away."_

Ichigo looked serious now. ("I feel something now…it's like…it's like something is coming. A…chance?")

Her hand pointed right at him. _"If you wish to open the cage, this is your only chance, Ichigo Pilkington! Defeat the fire that guards the caged animal! If you cannot, then you will forever live never knowing what awaited you on the other side."_ She walked away, heading towards the arena exit. "Oi Resshin. You wanted to duel Ichigo?"

The orange-haired Traveler laughed. "So I'm the flame, eh?" He walked past her calmly. "You know what, I think I actually like you, number one."

Ichigo watched Resshin's approach, his heart still pounding in his chest. ("I'm not sure why, but I cannot lose this duel. If I lose it, then I'll be missing a chance that I'll never get again.") He glanced at Adriel. "Mind if I borrow your disk?" Without even getting a reply the device was hurled at his head. "Thanks."

Resshin removed his normal deck and stuffed it into his pocket. "Ichigo Pilkington, I've been saving this deck for you. It is my deck with a special twist." Inserting the stack of cards into place, he walked over to his place on the field.

Up in the stands the audience and even the announcer had gone silent. For some reason this didn't feel like a normal duel. It felt like something which had the wheels of fate turning behind it.

Ichigo shuffled his deck and shoved it into place. "So you're supposed to be the guardian flame I need to beat?"

"Yeah, that's right?" Resshin sneered crazily. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ichigo smiled suddenly. "I can sense what you want, and I promise you that I'll surpass those expectations!"

"Duel!" Resshin and Ichigo both drew their hands at the same time, the very air around them seeming to grow warmer.

_To be continued…_


	18. Inferno Deathmatch

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 18: Inferno Deathmatch

_Ichigo shuffled his deck and shoved it into place. "So you're supposed to be the guardian flame I need to beat?"_

"_Yeah, that's right?" Resshin sneered crazily. "What are you going to do about it?"_

"_Isn't it obvious?" Ichigo smiled suddenly. "I can sense what you want, and I promise you that I'll surpass those expectations!"_

"_Duel!" Resshin and Ichigo both drew their hands at the same time, the very air around them seeming to grow warmer._

Resshin- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Drawing, Resshin sneered and the air around the duel ring grew orange. "I won't hold back my power like my siblings did! Unlike them, my power requires so much less energy to upkeep!" Pointing at his field, he continued to sneer. "As I have no cards in play, I can special summon Burst Brawler from my deck to my field!" A flaming kanji appeared on his chest. "At this time all monster cards in my hand are removed!" Three of his hand cards burned to ash. (600/600) "Also, the three removed cards were my Fire Emblems, which when removed from the game increase the attack power of Burst Brawler by 400!" (1800/600) "I place two cards face-down on my field and end my turn."

Ichigo drew the top card of his deck, and then closed his eyes. ("Final Shadows…I need your full power in this duel.") Opening his eyes, he smiled at the card he saw. "Come out now, Final Shadow God Rage Demon!" A feral-looking version of Ichigo appeared on the field. (2000/0) "Rage Demon, attack his Burst Brawler now!" His monster roared and leapt across the field, claws poised to slash through Resshin's body.

The Traveler snickered and pointed at his set cards. "First I activate Jar of Greed, and then in chain I activate Bunsen Burner!" The second card, Bunsen Burner, disappeared. "While Bunsen Burner is in my graveyard, all cards atop it in my graveyard are removed. And the effect of Jar of Greed lets me draw a card." Adding one card to his nearly depleted hand, Resshin flexed his fist. (2000/800) "Now Burst Brawler counter-attacks with Inferno Strike!" A fireball exploded from his hand and swallowed up Rage Demon right as the monster crashed into him, both Ichigo's monster and the kanji on Resshin's chest dissolving. "Any monster beaten by Burst Brawler in battle is removed from the game."

Ichigo growled under his breath and inserted a card into his duel disk. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn!"

Resshin drew and smiled. "You're not bad, at least from what I can see so far. However, now I'll play Monster Returned, special summoning my Burst Brawler from the removed from play pile!" The flaming kanji reappeared on his chest. (2200/1000)

Ichigo felt the heat forcing sweat from his forehead. "You brought your monster back, huh?"

"You think that's the worst of it?" Resshin started to laugh crazily. "You couldn't be more wrong!" His field magic card slot opened. "I activate the field magic card Inferno Deathmatch!" All of sudden the dueling field was filled with fire. "When this field magic card is activated both players gain 4000 life points!"

Resshin- 8000

Ichigo- 8000

Resshin pounded his fists together a couple of times. "Now then, I attack you directly!" He charged right at Ichigo, the flame of his field magic card swirling around his body.

Ichigo pointed at his set card. "Hold it! I reveal Asteroid Belt!" A cluster of floating rocks appeared on his field. "This trap negates one direct attack and deals you 500 points of damage for every monster you have in play!" The cluster crashed into Resshin and forced him back to his side of the field.

Resshin- 7500

Ichigo- 8000

As the dust from the shattered rocks cleared, Resshin laughed once more. "A nice stop, but can you keep it up?" A card appeared face-down behind him. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. "I activate the magic card Pot of Greed!" A smiling green jar appeared on his field. "At this time, I draw two cards!" The jar exploded. "After that I activate the magic card Research on the Pot of Greed, letting my draw two cards from my deck during the same turn that Pot of Greed has been activated!"

Resshin licked his lips, the flame around his body growing more excited. "What will you show me now, Ichigo Pilkington?"

"I'll show you the power of the Final Shadows!" Ichigo slammed a card into his disk. "Reinforcements of the Army allows me to add one level four or lower warrior type monster from my deck to my hand!" The card he picked up started to glow. "I'm counting on you, Erian!" A being made of prismatic light appeared on his field. "I summon Infinity Traveler; Null Entity!" (100/200)

Resshin's eyes widened. "That card…it possesses Erian's power?"

"That's right; it represents the bond we hold as friends and as allies!" Ichigo pointed at Resshin's set card. "At this time the effect of Null Entity activates now! I discard one card from my hand to select one card in play and negate it for the turn!" The set card shuddered and its color changed to tones of grey and black.

Resshin snickered. "Take a look at your monster, and figure out why that was pointless."

"Take a look at this, and figure out why you're wrong!" Ichigo flipped one of the cards in his hand around. "I activate the magic card Wings of the Avenger!" The fire around his field died down and turned black. "From my hand I can special summon one of the most powerful Final Shadows!" The dark fire died down a little more, and a black-winged form lowered onto his field. "Final Shadow Avenger Zero!" The monster had heavy black armor across its body and a masked face. (2600/2000) "Final Shadow Avenger Zero's special ability activates now. All removed from the game Final Shadow and Final Shadow God monsters return to my deck!" He shuffled Rage Demon back into his deck. (Burst Brawler's stats: 2000/800) "Avenger Zero attacks now, Avenging Angel Blade!" The warrior flew down and slashed its wing through Resshin's chest, shattering his Kanji symbol once more.

Resshin- 6300

Ichigo- 8000

Ichigo blinked at Resshin's life points. "You took double damage?" Shrugging, he pointed at the Traveler. "Null Entity, direct attack!" The prismatic being threw a little ball of rainbow light that hit Resshin in the head.

Resshin- 6100

Ichigo- 8000

Resshin glanced at the tears in his Obelisk Blue uniform. "That's right, while Inferno Deathmatch is in play all battle damage to a player's life points is double. Is there a problem with that?"

Ichigo shook his head and inserted a card into his disk. "I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Resshin breathed in the flames deeply, not affected in the slightest by the fact that he was sucking literal fire up his nostrils. "I'm surprised you're not more affected by the flames, Ichigo." Then he drew. "As for my set card, I'm sure you're wondering what it is, right?" It flipped up. "I reveal Roiling Inferno!"

Ichigo braced himself, but he couldn't stop the fact that the fires were engulfing him. What was worse was that they felt real…

Resshin smirked and pointed at his new continuous trap card. "Roiling Inferno can only be activated while Inferno Deathmatch is in play. All cards in all graveyards in play are removed." The flames entered both his and his opponent's graveyards, incinerating every card they touched. "Also, all cards that go to the graveyard from this point onward are removed."

Ichigo couldn't stop himself from screaming as the fire grew more even more intense. ("Is this really the fire that has guarded Eri for so long? Was it really this strong?")

Resshin took the last card in his hand and held it up. "I activate Dimension Distortion, which activates if I have no cards in my graveyard. At that time I may special summon one removed from play monster!" Through the neverending flames he could see glowing brightly, and the upper part of his Obelisk Blue uniform burned away, revealing the flaming kanji of the Burst Brawler seared onto his chest. (3800/2600) "And now I attack! Inferno Strike Full Blast!"

Ichigo barely got to scream before a concussive burst of flame engulfed him and the Null Entity, burning the latter away and sending the former rocketing into the inferno that was on the field. (Burst Brawler Stats: 4000/2800)

Resshin- 6100

Ichigo- 600

-----------------------------------

Adriel stared wide-eyed at the field, or what little of it he could see. "This is the power of Resshin when he's playing for real?"

Erian nodded calmly, trying not to freak out over the fact that he had felt Ichigo's pain. "Yes. Resshin is one of the strongest amongst us for a reason. Unlike most of us, he wanted to fight the Blood Children. Honestly, all of that fire is partially real thanks to his mere prescense. His ability to create flame is his biggest asset…and his violent personality amplifies that power far beyond what it should be." Then he blinked and glanced around the two of them. "Hey…Eri and that guy disappeared."

Adriel shrugged. "They're around here, I know it. For now I'm more worried about Pilkington. He can't take more than 300 points of battle damage or else it's over for him." He felt someone tug on his sleeve. "Eh?" Turning around, he immediately smiled at Ambience. "Something the matter?"

The silver-haired girl nodded quietly. "Is…Is Ichigo going to lose?"

Adriel shook his head. "Not a…" Then he noticed that Erian was nodding slowly. "Hey! Whose side are you on?"

"It's not a matter of sides…" Erian closed his eyes, the pain that Ichigo was feeling flowing through his body. "It's a matter of the fact that it's Resshin. It's Resshin when he is serious. I feel sorry for Ichigo, but at this point he's got maybe one more turn before Resshin tears him down."

"_It looks like, according to the screen, that Ichigo just lost 7400 life points and his negation monster in one stroke from Resshin's attack. If he takes another attack like that it will be game…so the real question is whether or not he can hold on for at least one more turn against Resshin's furious strength!"_ Apparently the announcer had gotten a new microphone.

------------------------------------

Ichigo slowly stood up, but it was from sheer force of will alone. ("I'm on freaking fire!") For a few moments he pondered doing what he had done on the boat when he had lit on fire, but running around screaming wouldn't have accomplished anything. "At this time, since my Null Entity did reach the graveyard before he was removed, I'll activate face-down Night Signal!" His face-down trap card flipped up and then was burned to a crisp. "I special summon Shield Guardian in defense mode!" A black-suited warrior holding a heavy steel shield appeared in play. (0?) "For every defense mode monster I have in play, this monster's defense is that number times 1500!" (0/1500)

Resshin looked down at his currently flaming body. (4200/3000) "End turn for now. During the next turn I will show you the full force of my flame, Ichigo Pilkington!"

Ichigo looked down at his deck and then frowned. "I'm not going out like this." He drew and smiled slightly. "From my hand I activate Polymerization!" His Avenger Zero and Shield Guardian were sucked into a swirling vortex that appeared amongst the flames. "I special summon Final Shadow Shield Avenger!" (2000/1000) A winged monster holding a huge metal shield on each of its arms appeared on his field. "Shield Avenger is able to attack directly when you have a stronger monster in play! Shield Avenger, attack his life points directly with Ten-Ton Slam!"

Resshin gasped as the monster flew up above him and dropped down onto his back shield-first.

Resshin- 2100

Ichigo- 600

Ichigo's monster returned to his field and flapped its wings a couple of times before dropping to one knee and bringing the shields up in front of it. "After Shield Avenger completes his attack he switches to defense mode. I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Resshin flexed his arms again as the fire grew stronger. (4800/3600) "It's my turn." He drew the top card of his deck and smirked. "I play the magic card Monster Channel!" The card he was holding was consumed by the fires of his continuous trap card. (5000/3800) "This card lets me discard cards from my deck until I reach a monster, but that monster cannot be summoned during this turn."

His hand flipped up the first card. "Dragon Mark Saiha, while in my graveyard, increases the attack power of Burst Brawler by 500 points. Also, when Burst Brawler battles with a defense mode monster and its defense is weaker than his attack you take the difference in damage to your life points! Also, like all Dragon Marks while Burst Brawler is in play it cannot be removed from the graveyard when placed there!" (5500/3800)

After that came the second card. "Dragon Mark Nadare, while in the graveyard, allows Burst Brawler to attack all monsters on your field once.

Then his third card was pulled. "Dragon Mark Homura increases the attack of Burst Brawler by 300 while it is in the graveyard, and when Burst Brawler battles with a defense mode monster that monster is destroyed after damage calculation." (5800/3800)

Following that was the fourth card. "Dragon Mark Setsuna, when in my graveyard, increases the attack power of Burst Brawler by 400 points, and also once per game lets me destroy an attacking monster of yours and deal its attack in damage to your life points. After that effect triggers however you get to draw three cards." (6200/3800)

A fifth card slid into his graveyard slot. "Dragon Mark Madoka, while in my graveyard, lets me shuffle two of my removed from play cards back into my deck to negate that attack."

A sixth card followed, this one like the others. "Dragon Mark Rui, when in my graveyard, allows me negate one destruction effect against my Burst Brawler once per game."

Right behind that one went another card. "Dragon Mark Kokuu, while in my graveyard, raises the attack of Burst Brawler by 400 attack points times the number of Dragon Marks in my graveyard!" (8000/3800)

Ichigo felt his arms shaking in fear and in tension as the heat had increased to the point that the painful flames on his body were becoming too hot to handle. ("This isn't just a hologram…this is his real power!")

Resshin, his face now made up of pure fire, laughed right in Ichigo's face. "What's the matter, guest? You wanted into the cage, but you can't get past the doorman?" His hand removed the top card of his deck and he let out a low rumbling chuckle. "Oh…this can't be any kind of coincidence. The final Dragon Mark…" When the card was inserted into his graveyard a loud roar erupted from the slot and eight pillars of flame appeared on his field, each one taking a serpentine dragon shape. "My namesake, Dragon Mark Resshin, when in the graveyard along with the other seven Dragon Marks, special summons eight Flame Dragon Tokens to my field!" (3000/3000x8) "Also, each of these monsters shares my powers! Therefore…the compound 4400 power boost I'm gaining from all of my Dragon Marks goes to my Tokens as well!" (8400/3800) (7400/3000x9)

Ichigo had never experienced this kind of power before. ("He has ten monsters with over 7000 attack points, all of which can deal damage through defense, attack all monsters on my field once, shield themselves from being destroyed, negate attacks, destroy an attacking monster and deal its attack in damage to the owner, and destroy defense mode monsters after damage calculation…") This was beyond believable. ("Even if I was Starlight Savior right now I wouldn't stand a chance against this!")

Resshin drew the top card of his deck and smirked. "A shame, not a monster…" (8600/4000) He let the card burn and drew again. "Nope…" (8800/4200)

----------------------------------

Outside of the battlefield, the entire audience could only gape. They could see the heads of the eight Flame Dragon Tokens, but they couldn't see the duelists. However, they could see the screen that depicted what was going on in the dueling ring. (Burst Brawler's stats: 11600/6000)

Adriel nearly gagged on his own tongue. "Oh my dear sweet Bahamut…that's ridiculous! He nearly emptied his deck, but because of it he's got over 10000 attack points! There's no possible thing that Ichigo can do to beat him down now!"

Erian's brow was twitching and his eyes were closed. "It's like I said. There is no way to defeat Resshin when he is like that. Eri placed an impossible task before him."

Ambience grasped Erian's arm shakily. "Big brother…is Ichigo-san going to be alright?"

"If he takes the overflow damage from that attack…" Erian shuddered to imagine the outcome. "H…h…he'll be fine, don't worry. He might not be able to win, but I don't think he's beaten yet either."

"_I think this might the end folks. With all of that attack power on his side, Resshin is unstoppable. Especially considering that all of his monsters are shielded from almost everything that Ichigo could possibly throw now. And what's worse is that those tokens possess the sheer power of their master…if even one attacks Ichigo's life points, he might wind up a stretcher rather soon."_ The announcer sadly went slightly limp in his chair. _"I guess the skill of the Blue Osiris isn't all that it's cracked up to be, is it?"_

-------------------------------

Resshin, whose body was now that of an angel made of fire, pointed at Ichigo. "Fire Dragon Token number one attacks Shield Avenger! Go Saiha, Shin En!" The fire-blade creating dragon roared loudly and dove towards Ichigo's fusion monster. "This is the end!"

"Not yet it isn't!" Ichigo pointed at his set card. "Reverse card open, go Security Network!" His other set card dissolved. "I offer one magic or trap card on my field as a sacrifice, and then I look at the top five cards of my deck. All magic and monster cards are discarded, but all trap cards are set on my field and can be activated during this turn!" Three face-down cards appeared on his field.

Resshin's laughter sounded like that of a god's. "That's fine because it means that you've removed an extra four cards to fuel my power!" (12400/6800) "Saiha, ignore those traps and crush his monster!"

Ichigo, despite the panic at the fact that literal flaming death was flying right at him, refused to break down. "Reverse card open, Spirit Barrier! While I have a monster in play all battle damage to me is zero!" Then the Fire Dragon Token engulfed his fusion, melting it. (Burst Brawler's stats: 12600/7000)

Resshin pointed at Ichigo. "Fire Dragon Token, direct attack!" His monster token roared and launched in towards Ichigo.

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo's second set card flipped up. "Draining Shield negates your monster's attack and gives me its attack in life points!" A green barrier sprang up and the flame dragon bounced off of it. (Burst Brawler's stats: 12800/7200)

Resshin- 2100

Ichigo- 8000

Resshin pointed at Ichigo. "This is the end for you." His faux angelic form spread its wings to their full length. "Feel the raging fires of my power, Ichigo Pilkington!" Then he was moving towards Ichigo as a giant fireball, bringing with him all the flames of his field card.

"My last shot…" Ichigo's final face-down card flipped up. "Reverse card open…go Intel Insider! This trap card lets me draw the top card of my deck, and if that card is a magic card I may hang onto it for the turn!" Drawing, his eyes widened at what it was. And then everything disappeared as he was swallowed up in the roaring fireball that was Resshin.

The flaming walls of Inferno Deathmatch faded, and everyone could fully see the hellish sight that was Resshin and his eight dragons.

Erian had felt sharp burning pain…and then nothing. "Ichigo..."

Adriel suddenly smiled. "It's not over yet."

"I…impossible!" Resshin looked around the dueling ring as a giant white temple formed all around it. "How can this be?"

A ghostly Ichigo emerged from the smoke clouds created by the extinguished fire. "Sorry Resshin, but it looks like I lucked out this turn. The magic card I drew from my deck was the only possible one that could save me…"

"The Afterlife…" Erian's smile grew. "When Ichigo's life points would reach zero he can activate the field magic card The Afterlife from his hand to set his life points at 1000 for the turn and make all damage to him for the rest of the turn zero!"

Resshin- 2100

Ichigo- 1000

Resshin's form lowered back to his field, and he snickered. "Good job, you lived."

Ichigo pounded his chest a couple of times triumphantly. "Heh, I never doubted it for a second!" Meanwhile, internally he was thinking something different. ("I'd be dead right now if that attack had hit me.") He started to laugh nervously. "Yeah…not one little bit of doubt at all…nope, not a tiny bit…"

Adriel face-palmed. "If you're going to say that, stop your legs from shaking first alright?"

Resshin laughed and flapped his wings repeatedly. "Regardless, that field card only bought you a turn. When my turn rolls around next it will be the end for you, Ichigo Pilkington. End turn for now though, since all other attacks would be pointless."

Ichigo pulled Spirit Barrier out of his duel disk and inserted it into his graveyard. "When the battle phase Security Network is activated in ends all cards set by its effect are discarded to the graveyard. However, because your field magic card is gone your Roiling Inferno was destroyed, so you can no longer purge graveyards of cards."

"So what?" Resshin and his eight dragons waited patiently for their chance.

"_Incredible…so somehow Ichigo Pilkington was able to survive through a turn of having to face down the ultimate monsters of Resshin. But this doesn't mean much considering that The Afterlife removes itself from play during his standby phase. He only has one chance to pull out of this one…but what can he do with no cards in his hand and soon to be no cards on his field?"_ The announcer stood up and looked down at the field, sweating just from how close he was to the monsters of pure fire.

Ichigo looked down at his deck and swore to himself. ("It doesn't matter what I draw, does it? While my deck might be powerful, there's nothing I can use against him that would beat even one of his dragons, much less the Burst Brawler.") His graveyard only had Spirit Barrier in it too, so if he drew Night Fusion nothing good would come of it. ("What do I do now? I guess I should just say 'good game' and bow out…unless I'd prefer to die horribly by this guy's full force.")

Adriel frowned in displeasure at the doubt he saw on his rival's face. ("He's lost the edge that might have made the difference in this duel. Now the chances of him winning are zero.") "He doesn't run any card I can think of that would save his life points. Even if he drew something like Turnabout Treasure, it would only let him draw one card because the Fire Dragons are tokens, not cards."

"_It looks like the Blue Osiris is out of tricks, if the look on his face is any indication of his situation."_ The announcer sighed. _"Well, it was a good run I guess…"_

Ichigo closed his eyes and sighed. "It looks like you…"

"Stop, Ichigo-san." A voice said meekly from behind him. He turned and saw Ambience standing there. "Please…don't give up…because if you do, I won't get to see the ending to what could be the greatest story ever…"

"Eh?" Ichigo blinked at the girl. "This is just a duel between me and Resshin, what are you talking…about…" His eyes widened, and he looked up into the crowds of students in the stands. It was like looking into a funeral procession. ("Why are they all so sad? This is just a duel…isn't it?")

Ambience bit her lower lip and tried to think of how to express what she was thinking. "It's because…well…"

Erian stepped forward to the edge of the dueling ring. "It's because this is like one of those horror movie things I read about." He rubbed his chin. "Wait…that doesn't sound right…"

Adriel sighed and shoved the Traveler aside. "Yeah, let's compare Ichigo's current situation to a slasher flick to raise his confidence…idiot." He looked up at his rival. "He meant a fairy tale. Just take a look at the roles and what has unfolded so far. The prince learns of a princess locked away in a tower somewhere and goes to save her, but first he has to fight a fire-breathing dragon that is guarding the tower…"

Ichigo blinked…and pointed at himself. "A prince? Me?"

"It's just a role." Adriel already could imagine what sort of bizarre ideas were going through Ichigo's head. "If you're really having trouble, then think of the princess you intend to save for inspiration." He suddenly realized something. "And we're in the line of fire!" Grabbing Erian and Ambience by the collars, he pulled them away from the dueling ring and back to the arena entrance. "Good luck!"

Resshin flapped his wings again. "Interesting…so I'm the big bad fire-breathing dragon?" He laughed and his dragons roared. "Well then, sir prince, come and slay the monster now!"

Ichigo closed his eyes. "As you say…I'm going to take a page out of Kenshin's book and show you what true chivalry is!" His reference to the last Kaiser, also known as The Crusader for his use of knight monsters, immediately brought the listeners' memories of the shining pretty boy who always seemed to be the good guy in every duel he participated in. "I swear to defeat you in this turn, and I believe in it so much that I even intend to risk doing this to prove it!" He stood up tall, extended his right arm out in a thumbs-up, and smiled widely, revealing his teeth. "The mighty Nice Guy Pose!" A shiny gleam came from one of his canine teeth.

The crowd gasped in amazement as Ichigo managed to perform a stance that only The Crusader had been known to be a master of.

Adriel just face-palmed again. "What…why…"

Resshin sweat-dropped and watched as Ichigo seemed to strain trying to actually get out of the Nice Guy Pose. "You…really are idiots, aren't you?"

Smacking the side of his head to stop the fact that his tooth was on the verge of turning into a mirror, Ichigo shrugged and stuck out his tongue. "Some say I am."

Resshin frowned. "There's no way you can win, you should know that by now…"

"As the resident hero of Duel Academy, there's no chance I can lose!" Ichigo pulled the top card off his deck. "I activate Card of Sanctity! Both duelists draw until they are holding six cards in their hand!" Both of them drew six cards. "I place one monster face-down and then activate the magic card Elemental Trainer!"

"Elemental…Trainer?" Resshin blinked at the card which had a picture of Elemental Hero Bubbleman and Final Shadow Ebony Ninja saluting each other.

"Yup…" Ichigo discarded two cards from his hand. "The effect of Elemental Trainer lets me discard two cards from my hand as a cost to choose the effect of one Elemental Hero monster card. At this time, that effect activates now regardless of requirements such as if the monster needed to be summoned to use that ability!" He smirked. "My choice, you ask? Elemental Hero Erikshieler!" A phantom golden superhero appeared on his field. "At this time the effect of Elemental Hero Erikshieler is triggered. All removed from the game cards are shuffled back into their owner's decks!"

Resshin blinked…and then his angelic form dissolved as its source of power disappeared. (4400/0) Now shirtless, he stood up and growled at Ichigo. "So what? I still have an attack power of over 4000 and my dragon tokens…"

Ichigo held up a magic card. "I activate Book of Taiyou, selecting one face-down monster in play and flipping it face-up." His face-down monster appeared face-up on the field, and it was some kind of tree with a jet engine attached to its underside. "Fiber Jar's special ability activates when it is flipped! Both duelists shuffle their hands, fields and graveyards back into their decks and then both of them draw five cards! In other words…"

Resshin numbly watched his dragons and the flaming kanji on his chest vanish. "The field is reset…" He growled darkly. "It doesn't matter though, because you already used your normal summon for the turn. Do you really think you can draw a card that will be able to win the duel in this turn?"

Ichigo nodded and drew his new five card hand. "And this is the finisher!" Flipping one of his hand cards over, he smiled. "I activate Wings of the Avenger, special summoning Final Shadow Avenger Zero from my hand to the field!" The winged masked hero swooped down and landed in play. (2600/2000)

Resshin stared wide-eyed at Ichigo. "What are you?"

Ichigo grinned childishly. "I'd say right now I'm a hero, wouldn't you?" Then he pointed at the Traveler. "Avenger Zero, attack his life points directly! Avenging Angel Blade!" The monster flew across the field and slashed its wing across Resshin's chest.

Resshin- 0

Ichigo- 1000

The whole student body was silent now. They couldn't believe it. And then slowly the applause came crashing in like a tidal wave, filling the air.

"_And the winner of the Big Hello Tournament is Ichigo Pilkington! According to our information, he did not withdraw from his duel with Mitosha, so he would have proceeded on to duel Erika Amero, and because she left the arena without leaving information as to why that means that this was considered to be the final duel of the tournament!"_ Then he tossed his microphone aside and clapped just as loud as the rest of the audience.

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Come on…it's just what a hero would have done, right?"

Resshin dropped to one knee and clutched at his chest, the pain from that last blow reminding him how exhausted he was. "Unbelievable…I actually lost to you…" Suddenly he smiled. "You defeated me…"

The half-demon bowed while the applause still rained down around him. "Thank you very much! It was a pleasure, folks!" Suddenly the applause died down, and he heard it, the sound of shoes on cement slowly approaching from the arena entrance.

Adriel pulled Erian and Ambience off to the side again, away from the entrance as he heard it too. "Come on; let's get out of the way." Even as they were moving the lights dimmed down, the only bright light in the stadium being a spotlight around Ichigo.

The half-demon listened to each of those slow footfalls and felt his heart beating rapidly again. This time though, he understood why.

A few moments later a spotlight clicked on at the entrance to the dueling ring, revealing Eri dressed in a fresh Obelisk Blue uniform. Something was different about her though…it was her face. She had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling too.

Ichigo placed his duel disk off to the side and whistled sharply. A few moments later a microphone landed in his waiting hand. _"And so, after facing the fires of hell, the foolish young wolf summoned up his strength and extinguished the mighty guardian flame that guarded the cage."_

Ichigo took a couple of steps towards Eri. _"And so he approached the cage one last time, no longer forced to look away because of those blazing flames. Before him stood the one he had seen in his dreams…"_

Up in the stands, a few rounds of quiet sniffling could be heard.

Ichigo took another step towards her, only a few feet away now. _"And the foolish young wolf smiled, and he said 'You've been patient for all this time…"_ He closed his eyes. _"And then…"_ He slowly dropped to one knee before her and adjusted his pants a little bit with his free hand. A few moments later a brown-haired wolf's tail that was wrapped around his waist slowly unfurled. _"He bowed to her. 'I meant not to make you wait so long for me, my princess."_ The half-demon extended his hand to her. _"The wait is over though. For the foolish young wolf had finally come to bring the captive princess home. It might have taken him a bit of time…but still…will the princess welcome her foolish hero with open arms? Will she be his?"_

Up in the stands, there were a lot of breaths being held at the moment. And down on the field Ambience watched the scene before her with wide eyes and a blush in her cheeks.

Adriel sighed at how mushy this was, and was about to comment on it to Erian but he noticed that the Traveler had a look on his face similar to his sister's.

Eri was crying now, but they were tears of joy. "You're an idiot for taking so long…" She suddenly turned away. "But I'm sorry, I can't be yours."

Ichigo stared at her…and then lowered his head, ears drooped. The microphone dropped from his hand and rolled along the ring until it tapped against the back of her shoes. "I see…"

Eri reached down slowly and picked up the microphone, bringing it to her lips. _"The princess turned her back on the foolish young wolf and with strength in her voice said…"_ She tossed the microphone away and turned to face him, leaning in close so she was face to face with him. "You misunderstood the outcome of the story."

Ichigo blinked. "Eh?"

She picked up the microphone and spoke into it. _"You're mine."_ Dropping the microphone once more, she yanked Ichigo to his feet by the collar and kissed him fiercely.

The lights flashed to life and the audience started cheering loudly. Up in the stands the announcer, who had yet another microphone, placed his right foot on the railing of his booth. _"Ichigo Pilkington, congratulations on winning the Big Hello tournament! And Erika Amero, congratulations on your prize!"_

Adriel snickered. "I think you would know by now, Ichigo, that Eri doesn't like being thought of as a damsel in distress."

The demoness finally withdrew from the kiss. "Come on hero; let's get out of here before we're swarmed." Sweeping him off of his feet, she walked out the entrance to the dueling arena carrying him in her arms.

Ichigo glanced at Adriel and shrugged as he was carried away.

Adriel just snickered and took another snapshot with his camera.

Eri smiled and leaned her head down to kiss her hero's cheek. "I love you."

Ichigo sighed and kissed her back. "I love you too…" And then they were gone.

-------------------------------------

Ambience sweat-dropped and turned to look at Adriel in confusion. "Adriel-san…ummm…I think…"

The half dragon-demon waved his hand at her understandingly. "Yeah, I know that wasn't what you expected. Trust me; you just don't know Erika Amero well enough yet. If you did, you'd realize this was the only possible outcome." He snickered and kissed his camera. "Hence why I brought this along."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Resshin barely felt the cold on his bare skin as he carried the still unconscious Mitosha off towards the dorms. He was still tingling from the outcome of that duel. "Congratulations Ichigo Pilkington…you passed the Infinity Mind's test. Of course, now things are going to become anything but easy." He snickered. "Not that it matters…you'll persevere somehow. I can tell now, that you're stronger than anything I could have imagined existing on this planet."

_To be continued…_


	19. Biggest Misunderstanding Ever!

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 19: Biggest misunderstanding ever!

"Ichigo!" Adriel pounded on the door to his rival's room at the Osiris Red dorm. "Hurry up and get out here! Class is starting in ten minutes!" There was still no reply. "Damn it, are you even in there?"

Ever since the end of the Big Hello tournament, Ichigo had disappeared off the face of the planet over the course of the weekend, as had Resshin and his gang. That had made that weekend a very boring one for Adriel, and now that it was finally Monday and school was in session, he was actually looking forward to something other than wandering around the island all day.

Kicking the doorframe, the half dragon-demon threw up his hands. "I give up! Fine, miss class then!" Turning, he stomped down the steps and proceeded to trip when he walked right into Ichigo, who was sitting on the steps smiling to himself. In fact, the half-demon was so out of it he didn't even realize that Adriel shot past him and went crashing down the stairs.

From the foot of the steps, Adriel slowly stood up and growled angrily. "At least apologize!" He got no response. "Oi!" Stomping back up the stairs, he glared right into Ichigo's face. "Are you alive or what?"

Ichigo shook his head out and sighed dreamily. "Huh? Oh…hi Adriel. How was your weekend?" He sounded completely and utterly relaxed.

Pulling his emergency comb out of his jumper pocket and running it through the spikes of his hair repeatedly, Adriel tried not to lose his temper and punch Ichigo right in the face for apparently ignoring him up until now. "It was boring. Where did disappear to over the weekend?"

Ichigo sighed happily and rested his chin on one outstretched palm. "I was having the greatest time of my life with Eri…" He hugged himself and made a weird pleased noise right before rolling down the steps and landing in the dirt on his rump.

"…." Adriel was amazed that Ichigo had just thrown himself down a flight of stairs, and hadn't made a single noise of pain. "The greatest time of your life with Eri?" His cheeks suddenly turned bright red and a little line of blood slid down from his nose to his mouth. "GAH!" Leaping down the whole flight in one jump, he landed next to the still-seated Ichigo and pulled him to his feet. "You…you spent the weekend at Eri's dorm room?"

Ichigo nodded, still smiling and looking completely relaxed.

"That's…you…" Adriel released his rival and pointed right into the half-demon's face. "That's wrong on so many levels I shouldn't even need to list them!"

Ichigo blinked, snapped out of his stupor. "Wrong? Why?"

"Because…because…" Adriel pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the blood from his nose before continuing. "First off, you're both underage! It's against the law! Plus it's against the school rules and just in general it's…it's…wrong!" He screamed this right in Ichigo's face.

Ichigo pouted. "But it felt so good, and Eri said that she didn't mind if I came around every night and did it."

"….." Adriel now had two lines of blood, one from each nostril, that were going into his upper lip. "That doesn't matter!"

Ichigo huffed and turned away. "You weren't even there!"

"That…doesn't…matter!" Adriel yelled back. "Have some morals and repent for your actions!"

Ichigo wasn't listening, he was pondering something. "Hey Adriel, if you put in a good word for me do you think I apply for Obelisk Blue?"

"Why?" The half dragon-demon was thrown off-guard by Ichigo's random change of direction.

"Because then I wouldn't even have to go to Eri's room to do it!" Ichigo grinned widely.

Adriel stared off into space for a few seconds, flinched at an image that flashed in his head, and then, on reflex, punched Ichigo right in the eye with enough force to floor the half-demon.

A few seconds later Ichigo stood up and glared at his rival. "What was that for?"

Adriel had already turned and was stomping off towards the building that housed the classrooms. ("I wonder if it's possible to cleanse one's brain with rubbing alcohol.")

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"Welcome, new students and old, to Duel History!" The teacher was a tall lanky man in a white dress shirt and black dress pants. Brushing back his long blond hair, he smiled at the class and a stray beam of light glinted from his teeth. "I'll be your instructor, Aitoshi Shumaku."

All of the girls in the class all stared at the teacher in awe.

"Now then, as it is the first day for a lot of you I don't intend to be too hard when it comes to classwork. In fact, I've brought with me a treat today." The teacher paced around to in front of the desk located in the classroom. "Would someone please like to name the current top two duelists in the world at the moment?"

"That's obvious," Someone shouted out. "It's Yugi Moto and Seto Kaiba!"

"Correct!" Aitoshi smiled. "Now, as it's well recorded those two famous duelists were rivals of the highest caliber. So tell me, are there are students at this school that have an ongoing rivalry?"

Almost every second year and above student said the same thing at once. "Adriel and Ichigo."

Ichigo, who was still nursing an ice pack to new black eye, glared at Adriel from his spot down with the other Osiris Red students. "Yeah, we're rivals. Any reason you ask, teach?"

"In fact yes." Aitoshi pulled a pair of decks out of his pocket. "I'd like the two of you to come down here and play each other using these decks."

"Oh?" Ichigo sat up, the ice-pack falling onto the table in front of him. "What kind of deck is it?"

"Have you heard of the Duelist Academy Imagination System?" Aitoshi placed both decks on his desk and turned to face the class again. "It's a special system created by Kaiba Corporation that utilizes the holographic duel technology to allow duelists to simulate any kind of deck they wish using a special deck of blank data cards. At the current moment these two decks are set to be copies of the decks of Yugi Moto and Seto Kaiba."

Ichigo was already standing next to the teacher. "I get Yugi's deck! Come on Adriel, I've got a score to settle with you over this morning!"

Adriel scoffed and walked down the steps towards the front of the class slowly. "I don't have any objections with absolutely crushing you beneath my heel, pervert." The comment brought more than a few confused whispers from some of the students.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes…and then covered his black eye as it started stinging. "What are you babbling about?"

"I don't have the time or the patience to explain it enough times until it sinks into your skull." The half dragon-demon stepped past Ichigo and grasped the Seto Kaiba deck.

Aitoshi smiled at how energetic these two were. "Ah yes, I almost forgot…" Reaching down behind his desk, he pulled out a pair of duel disks. "I've heard many good things about both of your abilities, and I'm hoping that the both of you can give us a duel that would make the owner's of the real decks you wield proud."

Snatching the duel disk, Adriel put it on and shuffled the deck before shoving it in place. "You don't need to worry about me running a dragon deck." Walking over to one side of the teaching platform, he activated the disk. "Well, are you ready, pervert?"

Ichigo inserted the Yugi deck in place on his disk and took his place on the other side of the teaching platform. "Stop calling me that already. What did I do that got you so riled up anyway?"

"I respect you enough not to tell the unwashed masses." Adriel's hand hovered over the duel disk.

Ichigo's hand did the same. "And now you're being mean to the other students too? You need to relax. I promise I'll hang out with you next weekend, alright?"

"Shut up and duel!" Adriel narrowed his eyes angrily.

Both of them set their lips into a grim line. _"Apples!"_ Then they blinked, closed their mouths, and looked around the classroom for the source of the mood-breaking voice.

Aitoshi lifted his eye-brows and looked around the classroom for the source of the noise. "Excuse me? Who said that?"

A few seconds later they heard a loud yawn and a girl in an Obelisk Blue uniform stood up from the far back and rubbed the back of her head, brushing some strands of her purple back. "I'm sorry about that sensei, I was just sleeping…" Her voice had a slight British accent behind it. "…and I guess I said something weird because you're all looking at me funny." She placed her hands in front of her body and bowed. "Forgive me!"

Aitoshi rubbed the back of his head as she had. "It's…okay? Anyway, I guess continue."

Adriel- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Adriel drew six cards from his deck. "Then I will begin!" Rolling his hand up, the cards seemed to fan out on their own in his grasp. "I summon Peten the Dark Clown (500/1200) in defense mode!" A strangely-dressed clown appeared on his field in a crouching position. "Also, I place a card face-down in play. End turn." As a card appeared behind his monster, he snickered. "I always preferred Seto Kaiba to over Yugi Moto. Kaiba has such a much more lethal method of dueling…"

"Yeah, but according to history guess he won over whom in the end?" Ichigo drew while his black eye started stinging again.

Adriel snickered and his face-down card flipped up. "I activate Deck Destruction Virus!" His Peten turned dark green and dissolved into little particles that flew into Ichigo's deck and hand. "At the cost of a dark monster with 1000 or fewer attack points, I can first send all 1500 or higher attack monsters from your hand and field to the graveyard!" A single card in Ichigo's hand disappeared. "Now, for the next three of your turns the effect of Deck Destruction Virus will trigger whenever you draw a monster with 1500 or more attack points. That card will be discarded."

Ichigo growled while the rest of the class muttered in amazement at how quickly Adriel had managed to activate one of Seto Kaiba's deadly virus combos. "Also, the effect of Peten…"

"That's right." Adriel held the card that was his clown. "When this monster is sent to the graveyard, I can remove it from the game to special summon the same card from my deck or hand to the field!" Another Peten appeared on his field in defense position. (500/1200)

Ichigo looked at the remaining five cards in his hand. ("The effect of his trap discarded my Magician's Valkyrie, but that doesn't mean that I'm beaten.") "I summon Retrained Celtic Guardian in attack mode!" (1400/1200) An elven warrior appeared on his field. "Attack Peten now!" The warrior leapt across the field and slashed through the clown, shattering it.

Adriel inserted the second Peten into his pocket. "At this time I remove Peten to special summon the final Peten." One more Peten appeared on his field. (500/1200) "Anything else, pervert?"

"I hate you right now." Ichigo inserted a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Adriel drew. "Yugi won his duels because of his superior draw skill, but that won't help you as well because these decks aren't ours. Therefore, are draws are weakened. However, Seto Kaiba's deck didn't rely on draw skill alone to work…it also possessed a superior lock and Blue-Eyes strategy!" Flipping the drawn card over, he snickered. "I activate Pot of Greed, drawing two cards from my deck." One of the cards in his hand was inserted into his disk. "And then I activate Soul Exchange, sacrificing your monster and mine to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The giant form of one of Seto Kaiba's legendary dragons appeared on his field while his last Peten and Ichigo's Celtic Guardian were offered. (3000/2500)

Ichigo's eyes widened at the sight of the mightiest normal monster ever to be printed. ("He already summoned a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and he used my monster to do it?") Looking at the cards in his hand, he suddenly felt powerless. ("He's right, if this isn't my deck I'm not quite as strong as I normally am. However, Adriel seems to be able to drive any dragon card easily…")

Adriel shrugged to Ichigo. "What's the matter, pervert? Are you afraid to face me?"

Ichigo snarled and drew the top card of his deck. "I'm getting sick of you calling me that! I place one monster face-down and end my turn."

Adriel pulled the top card off of his deck and laughed. "Get used to it, because I have no intentions of letting you escape from this divine punishment! Be crushed by the holiest of dragons in battle! Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack his set monster now! Horrible Burst Stream!" The dragon unleashed a storm of white-blue energy that engulfed Ichigo's set monster and burned it to a crisp.

"You may have beat my Big Shield Gardna…" Ichigo's face-down card flipped up. "But Line of Soul lets me pay 1000 life points to special summon a level four monster from my deck to my field! My choice is Queen's Knight!" A female knight dressed in playing card armor appeared on his field in a crouching position. (1500/1600)

Adriel- 4000

Ichigo- 3000

Adriel inserted two cards into his disk. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo closed his good eye and took a deep breath. ("Please…give me the power to fight.") He drew and the card faded away.

Adriel threw back his head and laughed again. "Whatever strong monster that was, my Deck Destruction Virus is still in effect. Therefore, no matter what you do now I'll tear down what's left of your defense and made you take your divine punishment!"

"Please shut up already." Ichigo suddenly smiled. "Despite the downside of your trap, I'll still beat that dragon and I'll beat you down too." One of his three hand cards flipped over. "I activate Monster Reborn! Revive the monster I just lost, King's Knight!" (1600/1300) A bearded knight in playing card armor appeared on the field. "When King's Knight is summoned and Queen's Knight is in play, I can special summon Jack's Knight from my deck to the field!" A third playing card knight appeared. (1900/1400)

Adriel looked at all three of the monsters and smirked. "Not a single one of them is strong enough to beat Blue-Eyes White Dragon, you know that. Give it up Ichigo, there is no way your style of dueling can run that deck properly, considering your main dueling style is with fusions."

Ichigo just kept smiling. "You seem to be forgetting something too, Adriel. Yugi Moto might not have had that same cut-throat dueling style that Kaiba had, but that's because he was a jack of all trades when he dueled. For example…" He flipped one of the two remaining cards in his hand up. "I activate Polymerization!"

Adriel's eyes widened. "What?"

Ichigo pointed at the three knights on his field. "I fuse Queen's Knight, King's Knight and Jack's Knight together…" The three named monsters were sucked into a vortex that appeared his field. "Come out now, Arcana Knight Joker!" (3500/2800) A black-haired knight slowly lowered onto his field.

"Reverse card open!" Adriel pointed at his set card. "I activate Ring of Destruction to destroy your Arcana Knight Joker and deal us both 3500 points of damage. In other words, you lose!"

Ichigo kept smiling. "Sorry, but you're absolutely wrong." He flipped over the Collected Power trap card in his hand. "By offering one trap card from my hand I activate the effect of Arcana Knight Joker, negating one trap effect that targets him and destroying it!" Adriel's trap shattered.

The whole class stared at Ichigo in amazement…

Aitoshi smiled wryly. ("He's good…but I wonder if he can actually pull this kind of duel off?")

Ichigo pointed at Adriel's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "Arcana Knight Joker, attack now! Royal Flush Slash!" The knight launched across the field and slashed the dragon to little bits. "End turn."

Adriel- 3500

Ichigo- 3000

Adriel braced himself against the backlash of the hit and then lowered his arm to reveal that he was still smiling. "Not bad, I'll admit that much. However, I'm far from done!" He yanked the top card off of his deck and when he looked at it he had to grin. "Ichigo…you forget that Seto Kaiba's deck runs the most powerful fusion of all."

Ichigo's good eye widened in amazement. "No way…"

"Don't appear so surprised, my dear pervert!" Adriel slammed a card into his disk. "I activate Silent Doom, reviving one normal monster from my graveyard to the field in defense mode!" His Blue-Eyes White Dragon from before reappeared. (3000/2500) "And from my hand I activate Polymerization!" The other two cards in his hand disappeared. "I fuse the two Blue-Eyes White Dragons in my hand with the one on my field!" A giant three-headed Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared in place of his defense mode Blue-Eyes. "Come out now, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" (4500/3800)

The whole class was even more awe-stricken then before.

Ichigo was just frustrated. ("Damn it…")

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Arcana Knight Joker with Ultimate Burst!" Adriel laughed triumphantly as Ichigo's fusion was utterly destroyed. "End turn!"

Adriel- 3500

Ichigo- 2000

Ichigo yanked the top card off of his deck. ("This will have to do.") "I place one card face-down and end my turn!"

Adriel drew. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack his life points directly and end the duel!" His monster roared as loudly as it could and all three of its heads unleashed a separate beam of blue-white power.

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo's field was suddenly covered by a shimmering barrier. "Mirror Force destroys all of your attack mode monsters!" The barrier caught the three blasts and hurled them right back into the dragon's faces, shattering it.

Adriel snarled and held up his drawn card. "I activate Monster Reborn! Revive yourself, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Once more the ultimate fusion of Seto Kaiba reappeared on his field. (4500/3800) "End turn!"

Ichigo drew. "The effect of your virus is finally gone." The card he had pulled was inserted into his duel disk. "I activate the effect of Card of Sanctity! Both of us draw until we are holding six cards in hand!" They both drew six cards. "Alright, here we…" The class bell rang. "Huh?"

Aitoshi clapped his hands together a couple of times, pulling all of the students out of duel and bringing their attention back to him. "Sorry everyone, but it looks like class time is up for Duel History. But let's give a warm…"

"No." Adriel said calmly. "This duel isn't over yet." He turned to look at the teacher. "I promise you…it will be soon, but not yet."

After a few seconds Aitoshi sighed and shrugged. "Suit yourself, Adriel-kun."

The half dragon-demon turned to glare at Ichigo. "I will make you repent! Your actions were immoral…and after you won her heart too…." His fist tightened slowly. "I won't tolerate this kind of perverted behavior from you, my rival!"

"….." Ichigo sighed. "You Obelisk Blue guys really take your beds seriously, don't you?"

"….beds?" Adriel suddenly closed his eyes and ground his forehead into his palm. "Ichigo…when you were talking to me before, it was about the beds in the Obelisk Blue dorms?"

"Of course!" Ichigo got that goofy grin on his face. "Those are the comfiest beds I've ever slept on! I was even sleeping at the foot of it and when I woke up I felt refreshed!"

Adriel groaned. "I'm not sure who's dumber right now, you or me…"

Ichigo blinked at that. "You're acting really weird today, you know…" He snapped his fingers. "Whoops, the duel isn't done yet!" Fanning out the six new cards in one hand, he grinned. "You know why Yugi Moto always won against Kaiba?" He held up a pair of cards. "Because he's the freaking King of Games, that's why! I discard the magic card Multiply to activate the magic card Double Magic! One magic card from your graveyard is activated now!"

Adriel gasped as his Polymerization appeared in the air in front of him. "Another fusion?"

"That's right!" Ichigo slid two cards into his graveyard. "I fuse Dark Magician and Buster Blader together to summon Dark Paladin!" (2900/2400) A blue-skinned fusion of dragon-killing warrior and mighty magician appeared on his field. "For every dragon type monster in both graveyards and fields, this guy gains 500 attack points!" (4900/2400)

"It might be stronger than my monster, but it doesn't matter!" Adriel was focused on the duel once more. "No matter what you do, you can't win against the mighty Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

Ichigo slammed another card into his duel disk. "I activate Diffusion Wave Motion! At the cost of 1000 life points my level eight Dark Paladin can attack all monsters on your field during this turn!"

Adriel- 3500

Ichigo- 1000

"Dark Paladin!" Ichigo pointed at Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "Dragon Slaying Dark Burning!" His monster charged across the field towards Adriel's monster.

"Fool." Adriel's set card flipped up to reveal a trap. "I activate Tyrant Wing!" The wings of his fusion dragon grew bright white and extended outwards. "This card equips to my dragon monster and powers it up by 500 points!" (5000/3800)

Ichigo grinned. "Actually Adriel…" The last card in his hand flipped itself over. "I believe I just made you fall for it."

Adriel's eyes widened. "De-Fusion?"

"That's right." Ichigo inserted the card into his graveyard. "The quickplay magic card De-Fusion selects one fusion monster in play and returns it to the fusion deck, after which the returned monster's fusion components are all special summoned to the field!" All of Adriel's Blue-Eyes White Dragons reappeared in play. "There might be one less dragon in total, but the end result is still the same!" (4400/2400) "Dark Paladin, Diffusion Dark Burning!" Then the spellcaster/warrior slashed through the three dragons in one swing of its sword.

Adriel- 0

Ichigo- 1000

Ichigo walked up and patted Adriel on the back. "I get it anyway, Adriel." As the holographic field disappeared and the still amazed group of students that had stuck around walked out, the half-demon grinned. "I guess you Obelisk Blue guys really respect your beds. Well, I apologize for whatever I said that offended you."

Sighing, Adriel stood up and removed the duel disk, throwing it to Aitoshi. "Right, you do that." Shoving his hands in his pockets, he walked off to his next class. "Though next time, we'll be the ones making history when I tear you down with my deck…got it?"

Ichigo mock-saluted. "Understood sir!"

_To be continued…_


	20. Defender of Dreams Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 20: Defender of Dreams (Part 1)

It was lunchtime, and all of the students were enjoying a nice picnic lunch set up outside the school by the teaching staff. They were sitting all over the open grounds around the front of the school in different little groups, but there were two groups that stood out amongst them all.

One was a large group of the girls from both the Obelisk Blue dorms and the Ra Yellow and Osiris Red wings.

The other was a large mob of boys from all three of the dorms. Both groups seemed oriented in a circle around a different person each.

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"Ichigo, I can't believe it! You're the last guy I'd think that would go and break the rules and stay in Eri's room over the weekend!" The speaker was an Osiris Red student that Ichigo knew fairly well from a few of his last year classes.

Trying to ignore the flurry of comments jabbed at him, the half-demon consumed his bowl of rice without taking a single breather. ("Just ignore them and maybe they'll go away…") Of course that was hard to do considering he was surrounded on all sides by his fellow students, all of them facing in his general direction.

"Yeah, you should have caught the scene today in Duel History. Adriel flat-out called him a pervert." Another student, this one an Obelisk Blue, quite literally talked around Ichigo's head to the opposite members of the mob.

Ichigo's wolf ears twitched a little bit, and he sped up his eating pace. His black eye from before had healed slightly, but it stung when a Ra Yellow leaned in and pointed at it, brushing the skin with his nail accidentally. "I heard that Adriel gave him this when he heard about what Ichigo had done." A round of gasps from the guys was his response. "Yeah, I was surprised too."

Ichigo's good eye twitched and he took a bite of the sandwich he had brought with him. ("Just…ignore…them…")

------------------------------------------------

_Meanwhile, in the girl's circle…_

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"You mean you didn't make any progress with him at all?" One of the girls from Eri's floor in the Obelisk Blue wing sighed. "Is he really that dense?"

"You have no idea." Eri took a sip from her cup of tea and sighed as well, along with half of the other girls too. "He's just lucky I'm a sucker for his innocence, because I didn't fall for his brains."

One of the other girls leaned forward and readjusted her seating position. "How could he spend the whole weekend sleeping in your room and not even make a pass at you, it doesn't make any sense…is he actually a boy?"

Eri pondered that train of thought over another sip of tea. "Hmmm, actually that might be it."

"What might be it?" The whole group of girls leaned in a little closer so they could hear her clearly.

"Ichigo's been pretty busy since this summer, and I'm betting that he really needs a chance to relax." Eri smiled slightly and placed her cup back on its saucer. "Of course he can't relax around me though, because he's my self-proclaimed knight in shining armor. I think he needs to worry about someone else for a change." A sly grin crossed her face. "Yeah, that's the ticket…"

All of the other girls sweat-dropped at that look the demoness had. It was the look of someone who was scheming.

----------------------------------------------------

A few minutes later Ichigo was sitting up in a nearby tree, finishing what was left of his sandwich. ("I can't believe those guys! Why couldn't they just let me eat my lunch in peace?") He stiffened momentarily as he suddenly felt a pair of slim arms drape over his shoulders from behind. Then he instantly relaxed as his nose picked up Eri's scent.

"Hello there, Ichan." Eri rubbed her cheek against his, and her arms closed together as she draped herself off his back. "What brings you up here?"

"I'm avoiding the school." Ichigo sighed and with his cheek rubbed back. "What about you?"

"Well, I've heard on the grapevine that our dear Erian is need of your assistance." She smiled and slipped away from him.

"Erian?" Ichigo rubbed the back of his head. "If he needed help wouldn't he come to me?"

"It's true." She winked and dropped from the tree branch to the ground. "Come along and I'll show you."

---------------------------------------------------

Not too far away they came upon a small clearing that was an unofficial spot for dueling amongst the students. And there was already a duel in progress. On one side of the clearing stood Erian, sweat on his brow and his bright green hair matted to his head.

Over on the other side of the clearing there was a deep purple-haired Obelisk Blue girl with deep blue eyes who was smiling. She was tall and had a rather athletic figure. "I'll admit you're persistent, but if you take a look at the field and your hand you'll see that your chances of winning are pretty close to zero right now." Her voice had a slight British accent to it.

Erian rubbed his forearm across his face, looked down at his deck, and then up at the field. He had no cards in play and three cards in his hand.

The girl however had a magician surrounded by seven different-colored orbs standing on her field. (Rapid-Fire Magician/Dark/4/Spellcaster/1600/1400/While this monster is face-up on your field, inflict 400 points of damage to your opponent every time you activate a normal magic card.) Also, she had a face-up Curse of Darkness continuous trap and two set cards in play. (Curse of Darkness; Continuous trap card; Each time a magic card is activated, the controller of that magic card takes 1000 points of damage.)

Erian- 600

Girl- 1700

Taking a deep breath, he drew. ("Please, let me win.") Glancing at the drawn card, he smiled slightly. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in defense mode!" A blue-armored superhero appeared on his field in a crouching position. (800/1200) "When Bubbleman is summoned and I have no cards in play, I can draw two!" Adding two cards to his hand, he grinned even more and inserted three cards into his disk. "I place three cards face-down and end my turn."

The girl drew, putting her hand size at four. "You can't defend yourself, considering how low your life points are. First I activate my face-down Magician's Shift trap card, selecting one face-up continuous magic or trap card in play and flipping it face-down." Her Curse of Darkness flipped itself face-down. "After it's flipped, the owner of the selected card draws one card."

Adding a card to her hand, she smirked. "Now I'll activate Gather Your Mind. This normal magic card adds one copy of itself from my deck to my hand." A card left her deck and she inserted it into her hand in place of the activated one. "At this time, Rapid-Fire Magician deals you 400 points of damage!"

Erian shook his head and one of his face-down cards flipped up. "I reveal Light Force Negation!"

From behind the cover of the trees, Ichigo grinned. ("Alright! That counter trap lets Erian negate the effect of one card!")

Erian flipped the last card in his hand over. "And at this time, since I negated the effect of a card with the power of a counter trap, I can special summon my Dark Ruler Vandalgyon!" (2800/2500) A giant purple and black metal dragon appeared on his field. "When this monster is summoned in this way, I can activate an effect that is determined by the type of card that my counter trap negated. In this case I negated a monster card, so I special summon a monster from my graveyard!" Another Vandalgyon appeared on his field. "During the next turn, I'll be able to win!"

"That's incorrect." The girl pointed at her set card. "I reveal Full Salvo!" The five cards in her hand disappeared. "I discard my hand and deal you 200 points per card I discard!" A volley of missiles exploded from the set card and pounded Erian's field. When smoke cleared, he was kneeling. "That's the third time I've beaten you, so please stop challenging me if you're just going to keep using the same tired old strategy." Turning, she walked off with a cheerful smile on her face.

Ichigo winced. "Wow…she made his efforts seem useless." Rubbing the back of his head, he turned to face Eri. "But I won't let this happen!"

Eri smiled widely. "I knew you'd say that."

Ichigo ran over to Erian and helped his friend stand up. "Don't worry man, I'll help you improve your deck and then you'll be able to beat her!"

Sweat-dropping, Eri walked off. "I knew you'd say that too, my dense knight."

-----------------------------------------------

Erian dried his hair with his towel. After having gotten extremely sweaty from that duel, he had gone to the last of his classes and then returned with Ichigo to the Osiris Red dorm to take a shower. "Ichigo, its ok…I can deal with this on my own."

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo rifled around through their room, searching for his box of special cards. "According to what that girl said that was the third time you lost to her! I can't allow that to happen to my buddy!"

"Her name is Christian Richards…" Standing up, the traveler walked over to his desk and pulled his shirt on. "And I've found myself drawn to her for some reason. I don't know why though."

Ichigo waved his hand calmingly. "Don't worry about it, I understand completely!" He stood up, holding a metal box in his hands. "It's called fate. I've felt it all the time with all kinds of opponents."

Slamming the box down, he popped off the seals and pulled out a stack of cards. "Erian, before I give you these I want you to understand something. These were given to me by someone very important to me, but I never really could figure how to use them. Maybe though…" He offered the stack to his friend. "They'll work for you."

Grasping the cards, Erian felt something strange course through him. It was a feeling of nostalgia for his homeworld. ("What is this?") Removing the cloth band that held the stack together, he fanned the cards out and his eyes widened at what he saw. "These kind of cards…"

Ichigo tapped his nose and walked over to his bed. "Those are just my gift to you. It's up to you to make the deck work. I'll go make the challenge while you prepare."

Erian was happy, because this meant he would get to see Christian again. ("But why do I feel so strange when I'm around her?")

------------------------------------------

It was early evening and a half-moon floated in the sky above the coast of Duelist Academy Island. The waves crashed across the beach, sending sea spray into the night. Chris yawned and stretched her back out before rubbing the sleeves of her jacket to keep her damp arms from freezing. "It's so late…but I'm not going to turn down a challenge to a duel. Especially if it was made by the Blue Osiris." Suddenly she heard the sound of shuffling feet from the rocky path that led to the beach. "Oh, he's here."

Ichigo stepped onto the beach, though he had no duel disk on. "I'm glad you decided to come, Chris-san." Suddenly his eyes bulged out of his head. "Wait a second…"

She blinked at his surprised look. "What's the matter?"

He pointed at her in realization. "I remember you!"

_Both of them set their lips into a grim line. **"Apples!"** Then they blinked, closed their mouths, and looked around the classroom for the source of the mood-breaking voice._

_Aitoshi lifted his eye-brows and looked around the classroom for the source of the noise. "Excuse me? Who said that?"_

_A few seconds later they heard a loud yawn and a girl in an Obelisk Blue uniform stood up from the far back and rubbed the back of her head, brushing some strands of her purple back. "I'm sorry about that sensei, I was just sleeping…" Her voice had a slight British accent behind it. "…and I guess I said something weird because you're all looking at me funny." She placed her hands in front of her body and bowed. "Forgive me!"_

Chris blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, that was me. I'm sorry about that, by the way. Sometimes I get kind of sleepy and daydream about weird stuff."

Ichigo shrugged it off. "No harm done. So, since you accepted my challenge are you ready?"

She nodded and activated her duel disk. "I'm ready! Let's do it!"

Ichigo grinned reached off to his side, pulling a red-faced Erian out of the rocky cover of the Cliffside. "Good, because he's your opponent!"

She face-fell. "That guy again?" Sighing, she crossed her arms across her chest. "Listen, that weird guy just keeps showing up in the strangest places and I'm sure he's stalking me. I keep challenging him to duels, and he keeps losing too. It's a dirty trick for you to use a challenge to trick me into coming here to duel if you're not going to be my opponent."

Ichigo smiled cheerfully. "Aw come on, he's gotten a lot better." Then he nudged Erian in the ribs. "Right?"

Eyes on the sand, Erian nodded meekly while his cheeks continue to burn red. "Yes."

"Okay okay, I get it." Chris brushed back her long hair and readjusted her duel disk. "I'll duel him, but if I win then I want to duel you next."

Ichigo gave her the ok symbol with his hands. "Not a problem! Alright, go Erian!" Slapping his friend on the back, he ran over a series of rocks piled together and climbed atop them. "Let the duel begin!"

Erian slowly activated his duel disk. He looked serious, even though he was still very red in the face. "Duel…"

Chris gave him a perplexed look. "You really are a weird guy, but if the Blue Osiris is your friend then you must have something good about you. Duel!"

Chris- 4000

Erian- 4000

Chris pulled the top card off of her deck and fanned out her hand. "I'll begin with Rapid-Fire Magician!" Once more her seven-orb spellcaster appeared in play. (1600/1400) "Also, I activate the magic card Magical Blast! For every spellcaster type monster on my side of the field, you take 200 points of damage!" A ball of light shot out of the card and struck Erian in the chest, sending him stumbling back slightly. Even through the hit though, he was still blushing and shuffling his feet nervously.

Chris- 4000

Erian- 3800

Inserting the card into her graveyard, Chris pointed at her Rapid-Fire Magician. "Rapid-Fire Magician activates its effect now. Every time I activate a normal magic card, you take 400 points of damage!" One of her spellcaster's orbs flew across the field and slammed into Erian, exploding. "End turn."

Chris- 4000

Erian- 3400

After a few seconds she realized that he had yet to do anything. "What's the matter?"

Erian shuffled his feet in the sand nervously. "…."

"Go for it Erian, show her your power!" Ichigo cheered this from the sidelines, oblivious to his friend's current nervous actions.

"R…right." Erian shook his head out and the blush faded slightly. Then he drew the top card of his deck and added it to his hand. "I'll try this then, Neospacian Air Hummingbird!" (800/800) A red-feathered bird-man appeared on his field.

Chris blinked at the monster and frowned. "I've seen that monster somewhere before…but where?"

"It's called a Neospacian and it was originally used by Yuki Judai." Ichigo piped in, since he felt proud that his mentor had given him those cards. "What you're dueling is a copy card that was printed by Industrial Illusions."

"Is that so?" Chris smiled at Erian. "You must be a great collector if you have cards like those."

The Traveler blushed brightly once more. "Well not really...Ichigo gave me these." Then he remembered that it was still his turn. "Anyway, at this time I activate the effect of Air Hummingbird!"

Chris gasped as the four cards in her hand started to glow green and four bright pink flowers appeared in the air above the field. "What's this?"

"Honeysuckle…" Erian pointed at his Air Hummingbird, who was flitting between each of the flowers and inserting its beak into them. "Once per turn, for every card in your hand, I gain 500 life points." With its work complete, Air Hummingbird flew over Erian's head and released a green glow that surrounded him.

Chris- 4000

Erian- 5400

"Also…" The Traveler inserted a card from his hand into his disk. "I activate the equipment magic card Neos Energy, powering up Air Hummingbird by 800 attack points." (1600/800) Wisps of blue energy floated around the monster's body now. "End turn."

Chris smiled. "Hmmm…okay, you seem a bit more focused now thank you were before. It's my turn!" She held her hand in front of her graveyard slot. "I choose to skip my draw phase to activate the effect of Magical Blast, sending it from my graveyard back to my hand." The magic card left her graveyard and she added it to her hand. "And now I summon Ebon Magician Curan!" A little girl wearing a black dress and a black bunny hood on her head appeared on the field. (1200/0) "With this my magician burn deck is set up to go! I activate the magic card Magical Blast!" Once more the card released a surging blast of power that slammed into Erian. "Because I had two spellcasters in play, you take 400 points of damage. And by combining that with my Rapid-Fire Magician you lose 800 life points total."

Chris- 4000

Erian- 4600

"And then I play Gather Your Mind!" Chris removed her deck from her duel disk and fanned it out, removing the same named card and adding it to her hand. "Because I activated another normal magic card, you lose 400 more life points!"

Chris- 4000

Erian- 4200

Still smiling cheerfully, she inserted a card into her disk. "I activate the equipment magic card Trial of Princess, powering up Curan by 800 points!" (2000/0) "Attack Air Hummingbird now!" Her monster cracked its little whip and shattered the bird-man. "Rapid-Fire Magician, attack his life points directly!" The magician chanted and its seven orbs shot forward,hitting Erian on all sides. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Chris- 4000

Erian- 2200

Erian looked at his deck and then over at Ichigo, who looked like he was about to fall out of his seat. "I guess it's my turn." He drew. ("Why do I feel so uncertain about this?") Fanning out his hand, his brow creased and he wondered why he was hesitating.

Chris blinked at Erian's serious expression. "What's the matter? Aren't you going to play?"

Nodding slowly, the Traveler placed a card on his disk. "I summon Neospacian Flare Scarab!" A black-shelled beetle-man appeared on his field in a burst of fire. (500/500) "It's effect, Flaming Illusion, increases its attack points by 400 for every magic and trap card you have in play. (1300/500) "Also, I play the continuous magic card Common Soul!" A black panther wearing a cape appeared on his field. "Common Soul's effect special summons one Neospacian from my hand to the field! And my choice is Neospacian Black Panther!" (1000/500)

Chris looked at both of the monsters and giggled. "What a strange set of cards you're using…but they're both too weak for either of my monsters."

Erian pointed at his Common Soul. "The power of Common Soul changes that, as it transfers the attack power of the special summoned Neospacian to a different monster on my field!" A line of light went from Black Panther to Flare Scarab. (1300+10002300/500) "Flare Scarab, attack Rapid-Fire Magician with Flame Balator!" The beetle-man hurled a blast of fire across the field that swallowed up and destroyed Chris' burn combo spellcaster.

Chris- 3100

Erian- 2200

Inserting a card into his duel disk, Erian nodded to Chris slowly. "It's your turn."

She returned the nod and drew. "Alright, here I go! During my standby phase the effect of Ebon Magician Curan triggers, dealing you 300 points of damage for every monster on my field!"

Erian gritted his teeth as for a few seconds he was glowing red.

Chris- 3100

Erian- 1900

The Obelisk Blue girl thenpointed at Black Panther. "Go Curan, attack now!" Her face-down card flipped up. "I activate Magician's Circle, which is a trap that can only activate when a spellcaster monster attacks. Both of us special summon one spellcaster with 2000 or less attack points from our decks to the field!" A female spellcaster dressed in black robes appeared on her field. "My choice is Witch of the Black Forest!" (1100/1200) "Now Curan, attack Black Panther!"

"Reverse card open!" Erian's face-down card flipped up. "Negate Attack stops your attack and ends your battle phase!"

Chris smiled happily. "I thought as much. Now I play Gather Your Mind and search my deck for the final copy of it before ending my turn."

Ichigo was biting one of his knuckles nervously. ("Come on Erian, you can do it…")

Erian drew the top card of his deck, though he still seemed bothered by something. ("It isn't from her. No, it's from somewhere or someone else…") "Because there is one less card in your magic and trap zones, the power of Flare Scarab is decreased." (1900/500) Then he pointed at the Witch of the Black Forest. "Flare Scarab, Flame Balator!" His monster unleashed a blast of flame that burned the second spellcaster away.

Chris- 2300

Erian- 1900

Chris removed a card from her deck. "When Witch of the Black Forest is banished to the graveyard from my field, I can add one monster with a defense of 1500 or less from my deck to my hand." She drew the top card of her deck after replacing it. "At this time, Curan deals you another 300 points of damage!"

Chris- 2300

Erian- 1600

A few moments later she was grinning. "Sorry mystery guy, but I can't hold back anymore!" She pointed at her Ebon Magician Curan, which shimmered away. "I replace Curan with this monster…Ebon Valkyrie Curan!" The little girl disappeared and was replaced by a female black-armored spell-warrior. (1800/400) "After that I activate the magic card Giant Trunade, sending your Common Soul back to your hand!"

Erian winced at his Black Panther disappeared as well. "When you activate that effect the monster special summoned by Common Soul is returned to my hand as well." (Flare Scarab: 500/500)

Chris smirked and pointed at Erian's last monster. "Go Curan, Black Spear!" Her spellcaster flipped into the air and pierced the beetle-man's chest, shattering it.

Chris- 2300

Erian- 300

She grinned triumphantly. "While Ebon Valkyrie Curan is on my field in attack mode you take 500 points of damage per monster on my field during my standby phase. During my next turn it will be the end." She crossed his arms across her chest and pouted sadly. "You know, this is entirely different than that dream I had. Which is a shame; because I know I was enjoying myself then."

"Your…dream?" Erian blinked and his worried look faded a little. "What did you dream about?"

"I dreamt…" She blinked and touched her chin with a purple-painted nail. "Weird, I forgot. I wonder why I can't remember it now."

Erian looked down at the deck that he had assembled thanks to Ichigo's help. ("I feel it now, the connection you spoke of. These Neospacian monsters are like myself, strangers on a strange planet.") "Christian-san, my name is Erian. And I wish to know about your dreams now more than ever! And for that reason I will win this duel!"

Chris' blinked at the serious look on Erian's face. ("This guy looks different. Maybe it's because he seems confident now?")

Erian looked at the cards in his hand and he swore he could hear the crystalline sounds of his homeworld once more. "I won't give up, and I won't falter! Draw!" Flipping the card up, he smiled. "I've got it. First I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards."

A crystal humanoid moth appeared on his field. "I summon Neospacian Crystal Moth in attack mode!" (400/900)

Chris blinked at the insect Neospacian. "Ummm….but…."

Erian flipped one of his hand cards up. "I activate Fake Hero, special summoning E-Hero Neos from my hand to the field!" (2500/2000) A powerful spacefaring hero appeared in play. "This is the keystone to this deck, the power of Elemental Hero Neos and the Neospacians when combined!" Crystal Moth made a little chiming noise. "Crystal Moth'sability activates when Neos is summoned…" A second E-Hero Neos, this one made of crystal, appeared in play. "A Crystal Neos token that counts as E-Hero Neos is special summoned!" (0/0)

"But your token only has an attack of zero, so it can't possibly beat my Valkyrie. And the monster special summoned by Fake Hero can't attack either." Chris sighed. "You're really confusing, but it's alright. The only cards in your hand right now are Common Soul and Black Panther, so I've got nothing to worry about."

"I'm sorry to say…" Erian closed his eyes. "There's far more to worry about then you think, Christian-san! Contact Fusion!" His token and his Crystal Moth launched into the air, disappearing within a shining vortex of light high in the sky. "Contact Fusion is a game mechanic that lets me fuse monsters from my field without a Polymerization card!"

From the stars above a crystal-armored version of E-Hero Neos lowered into play. "This is Elemental Hero Crystal Neos!" (2500/2000) "Crystal Neos activates its effect now! For every monster on my field, your field gains a Crystal Target Token!" A trio of crystal statues on Chris' field. (0/0x3) "I could use Contact Fusion to summon Flare Neos, but what's the point?"

Chris just stared at the three tokens in amazement. "…"

"Crystal Neos, attack one of the Crystal Tokens with Crystal Shatter!" The fusion made a high-pitched screeching noise and the statue exploded.

Chris- 0

Erian- 300

Chris blinked in surprise and then looked at Erian in wonder. "This…I remember this!"

Erian nodded and glanced over at Ichigo. "Hey Ichigo...would you mind hanging out over there for a second?"

Ichigo shrugged and walked off. "Not a word of thanks, huh?" Then he was out of sight.

Erian stepped forward and crossed his arms across his chest. "Tell me about this dream of yours, Christian-san."

Chris clutched at her head gently, trying to ease the hazy memories out. "There are three crystals…all of them are glowing with a pink and red light…"

"You see a place there, don't you?" Erian knew it. This must have been why he was attracted to this human like he was. Anyone who had contact with one of the Infinity Sources carried a scent on them that reminded a Traveler of their home. "Where is that place?"

"There's…a ruin on the island?" Chris looked up the Cliffside. "Up there near the top of the mountain, where the moon can be clearly seen through a hole in the stony sky…"

Erian nodded slowly and started to walk away. "Thank you very much for telling me, Christian-san. You don't have to worry, I won't bother you again."

"Huh?" She stared at his back. "Wait a second, that's it. You just wanted to hear what my dream was about?"

Erian nodded slowly, not looking at her. "No. I suggest you just discount that dream as a foolish little fantasy and move on with your life."

"…." She smiled sadly and started walking away. "I guess you're right. What's the point of dreams, right? They'll just get your hopes up for the impossible and then when you find out your dreams cannot come true then you'll wind up feeling stupid…right?"

Erian's fists clenched tightly and he bit his tongue to stop himself from replying immediately. After a few moments, he spoke. "That's right. Dreams like the one with those three crystals were just a message to someone besides yourself. Please, don't investigate it, and don't think about it anymore."

"Yeah…I'll be sure to." Lowering her head to look at the ground, she started to walk off.

"_Awww, what a touching scene!"_ A voice yelled out, the sound echoing across the ocean. _"Unfortunately, Shiny-boy, I can't let someone who had contact with one of the Infinity Sources walk away like that!"_

Erian's eyes widened and he turned just in time to see Chris' body disappear in an explosion of black fire. "No!" Snapping up his hands, he extended his power right into that inferno.

A few moments later a long orange-haired guy in a leather jacket appeared between the Traveler and the pillar of fire. Readjusting his sunglasses, he half-heatedly saluted the multi-colored boy. "Yo, we meet again." Then he waved his hand and a wave of invisible force slammed into Erian and hurled him back twenty feet across the sand. "I didn't introduce myself properly last time, so allow me to do it right." He bowed. "My name is Raine, and my job is to collect the Dream Souls of those who have come in contact with the crystal. So far I've gotten two…I just need one more." Holding up his left hand, he smirked at the pink/red crystal that sat there. "Oh well look at this, here it is."

"No…" Erian slowly stood up. "Put that back damn you! Without it…"

Raine scoffed and pocketed the shining jewel. "What's the matter with you? Can't your guardian friend just replace the hole I make and all is well?"

"It's not that simple!" Erian swept his hand out angrily. "As long as that jewel is missing the victim spends their nights without dreams!"

"Psh, that's the big deal?" Raine removed his sunglasses and sneered, the wind blowing the long strands of his hair everywhere. "Then let them suffer a bit. It's good for the character." Snapping his fingers, his shadow extended across the beach and a humanoid form slowly rose out of the black morass it became. "Here, play with my last victim. Now that I've got the three crystals I need I'm off to go get an Infinity Source for the Blood Children. Sayonara!"

Then he disappeared, leaving the shadowed form standing there. After a few seconds it shuddered and sprang backwards, revealing a strange metal skeleton with locks across the gaps in its bones. "Captive!" It locked its body around Chris' unmoving form like some kind of suit of armor. After a few moments it stood up, now with her as its hostage.

Erian stared at the Vengeance…and then lowered his arms at his sides. ("I can't do anything now that it has her.") Then he was flying as it leapt across the distance between them and punched him upside the face. Ignoring the pain, he didn't release his power to protect himself. ("My ability to negate slows down the matter that is moving…if I screw it up and slow down a vital part of her body by accident…") Needless to say that in her current condition, she'd die.

Captive cackled, making a clattering noise with its metal jaw. Then it charged over and grabbed Erian by the throat, lifting him up to its face. Making that clattering noise again, it started to close its metal fist slowly around his throat. Suddenly it was holding nothing but air in its grasp. "Huh?"

"I am the hero of the heavens!" A bright circle of light shone down on Starlight Savior, who was standing atop the pile of rocks Ichigo had been sitting on. "In the name of justice and love, I won't tolerate your dirty tactics!" He tried to adjust his stance for the last part of his entrance, slipped on a wet rock, and went crashing down to the sand. "I…am…" He stood up, covered in dirt. "…Starlight Savior!"

"……." Captive sweat-dropped and then clattered, charging at the hero rapidly.

"You expect me not to attack because you have a hostage?" Starlight Savior clapped his hands together. **"Awaken Virgo, Soul of Restoration!"** A long thin stick of dark blue crystal appeared in front of him. **"Starlight Support Shot!"** Grabbing the end of the stick, he aimed it right at Captive's chest and it fired a ball of dark blue light that crashed right through its steel shell and through Chris' body.

Captive shuddered, stumbling around in confusion. **"Good…shot…"** Then it disappeared in an explosion of light, leaving behind a freed Chris and a male Ra Yellow student, both of which were unconscious.

Grinning, Starlight Savior blinked as Erian shot past him. "What's the matter?" After a few moments he realized that Erian was crying. "Erian, it's alright. Virgo's Support Shot can't hurt anyone, it can only…"

"I know that…" Erian stood up, the unconscious Chris in his arms. "But you have to understand that an Infinity Mind-created patch won't replace that which was lost." Wiping his eyes one his jacket sleeve, he turned and looked up at the mountain of Duelist Academy. "There's a cave up there somewhere that the Infinity Source is located in. You and Adriel need to go there tonight…"

The hero placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "First let's get these two out of the open."

Erian wanted to smile back, but deep down inside he knew it was impossible right now. "Starlight Savior…I'm begging you…recover Christian-san's dreams…"

Giving a thumbs-up, Starlight Savior winked. "Don't worry about it, I will get what she lost back."

_To be continued…_


	21. Defender of Dreams Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 21: Defender of Dreams (Part 2)

Chris was floating in a dark blue void. ("What is this place? How did I get here?")

"_She should be alright. I haven't found any injuries on her, so it must have just been fatigue."_ The voice she heard was a man's and it was coming from far away. _"You did right to contact me though, Erika."_

"Erika? As in Erika Amero, the Dark Demoness of the Academy?" Chris spoke out loud, and she could hear the echo of her voice coming from nearby. It was a strange feeling, like she was trapped in a prison of some kind. "Something is wrong…" Something unknown told her instinctively this wasn't right. This wasn't a dream.

Then the voices faded, and she was alone in the dark blue void.

----------------------------

----------------------------

Ichigo, Erian and Adriel sat in a circle on the floor in Ichigo's room, all three of them looking worried.

"I wish you had contacted me sooner…" Adriel frowned as he watched Erian stand up and start pacing, eyes glued to the Personal Planner on the nearest desk. "I don't like being woken up and pulled into a situation where the only thing I'm expected to do is wait."

Ichigo frowned. "Would you prefer to sleep?"

"No, but I'd prefer that we go to this cave right now and beat the crap out of that guy." Standing up, the half dragon-demon cracked his knuckles. "In fact, I'm going to go do that right now."

Erian nodded hesitantly. "You're right…"

Ichigo leapt to his feet and waved his hands in the air frantically. "Not yet! First we wait for the message from Eri that the doc checked out Christian!" He smiled reassuringly to Erian. "I promised you that I wouldn't leave until we were sure that she would be alright."

A few moments later the organizer beeped and Eri's face appeared on the screen. _"Chris is fine, now get going already!"_

Adriel and Ichigo nodded to each other, running out the door at full speed. They both leapt from the second floor of the Osiris Red dorm to the ground, legs touching earth running. Then they were moving incredibly fast, leaving small dust trails in their wakes as they charged down the path towards the mountain.

Stepping out of his room, Erian looked up at the sky worriedly. ("Please let them recover the gems…please…")

--------------------------------------

As they ran up the rocky path of the mountainside, Ichigo and Adriel both remembered the movements of Raine in their heads. The last time both of them had fought him he had somehow avoided Starlight Savior's Infinite Starlight Slash, even though the power of Pisces should have brought time to a standstill. Did that mean his ability was that he was so fast that even slowed to a crawl he was faster than them, or was he immune to Pisces?

"What do you think, Ichigo?" Adriel glanced at his rival as they both made a sharp left turn and continued up the path.

"If it's speed then we can't stop it, so let's assume he's just immune to the power of Pisces. It's fine though, as I do have the other five zodiac symbols to use against him." Ichigo felt a tingle in the air, followed by a feeling like there was suction coming from something nearby. "We've found it."

Adriel smiled wryly. "So, shall we give the smug jerk a surprise?" Ichigo nodded and they both slid to a stop. The half dragon-demon snapped his right hand up. "**Awaken, Soul of the Void!"**

Ichigo snapped his hand up as well. **"Awaken, Soul of the Stars!"** Then he and Adriel disappeared within a pair of orbs, one dark blue and the other dark purple.

Within his orb, Ichigo was surrounded by thousands of light blue stars. They gathered around his body, forming into a pulsing cocoon of light. A few moments later the cocoon cracked and shattered, revealing an older version of Ichigo wearing nothing but a light blue bodysuit. His eyes opened and shimmered from hazel to blue. The dark blue space that had housed the stars condensed around his limbs and body, forming into hardened dark blue segments of armor.

Within his orb, Adriel floated quietly in a deep purple abyss. It slowly swallowed him up like a pool of water, returning to a still surface. Then from within that purple sea a single drop of black appeared, spreading like oil in water. The whole mess started to swirl and from within the center of that swirl an older version of Adriel rose up, a dark purple bodysuit covering his body with streamers of black fluid hanging from it. That black fluid pulled itself around his chest, arms and legs tightly, forming into black-colored armored segments.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Raine growled and paced angrily. "This is the place, according to the information. So where exactly is the Infinity Source?" He stood in a small cave with a hole in its ceiling that revealed the half moon in perfect frame. "I don't even sense anything!"

"_Maybe it's because you're wearing sunglasses in a pitch-black cavern, but that's just one hero's opinion!"_ A circle of light exploded to life at the cave entrance, revealing Starlight Savior.

Raine turned casually and sighed. "I knew you'd show up, loser."

Pointing up at the sky, the hero struck a pose. "I am the hero of the heavens!" His hand snapped down and in one fluid motion he was thumbing at his chest. "In the name of justice, love, and optometrists everywhere, I'll remove those sunglasses before you damage your eyesight permanently from straining to see everything!" Following through with that fluid motion, he pointed at the Blood Child. "I am Starlight Savior!"

From right next to the hero Vortex Savior appeared in his own pose, arms across his chest. "The darkness of space is disturbed by your evil plotting. For that reason, you must face its cold emptiness. Prepare yourself!"

Raine sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Man, I didn't want to have to deal with you two tonight too. Listen, how about you just go home and we can fight some other time? I'm kind of busy this evening." When neither of their expressions changed he groaned. "Alright alright, I get it. How about we settle it using the power of this planet though?"

"You mean a darkness game?" When Raine nodded, Starlight Savior returned the nod. "That's fine." Lifting one hand up, he concentrated on calling out of the power of Libra to begin an Infinity Trial.

A soft white glow came from the walls of the cavern, and a few moments later Raine was standing on one side of a circle of light that was drawn in the center of the cave. On the other side there was…no one? "Huh?"

"…." Vortex Savior looked at the aghast look on his friend's face, and then at the glowing circle. "Aren't you supposed to be over there?"

"I have no clue." The hero walked up to the circle and tried to walk over one of the lines, stopped instantly by a pulsing barrier of white light. "I don't get it. Does this mean that his opponent is someone else?"

Raine crossed his arms across his chest and sighed. "I really don't need this crap. If my opponent isn't one of you two then why are you even here?"

---------------------------------------------------

Erian sighed and sat in front of his desk sadly, tapping his nail over and over again on the wood. "This is annoying…" He heard the door to the room open and glanced over to see a handsome blond-haired man poke his head in. "And you are?" The Traveler asked half-heartedly.

"Aitoshi Shumaku." The man bowed slightly in greetings. "I'm the new head of the boy's Osiris Red dorm."

Standing up, Erian returned the bow and then crashed back down into his seat. "You'll have to excuse me then, I'm in a rather bad mood right now."

"Is that so?" Walking in, Aitoshi adjusted his dress shirt calmly. "And why is that?"

"Because at the moment there's nothing I can do except sit around helplessly." Laying his head down on his desk, Erian's bright green hair fell into his eyes. "Sensei, have you ever felt absolutely useless?"

"We've all have moments like that." Shoving his hands into his pockets, Aitoshi wandered around the room checking things. "The best thing to do in such times is to figure out something you can do to help."

Erian lifted his head up partially. "There's one thing, but it breaks the rules."

Sitting down in the other available swivel chair, the teacher brushed his hair back and nodded sagely. "I see. Well, that is a shame. Sometimes situations like that come up where for you to accomplish something you have to break the rules a little bit." He looked over at Erian meaningfully. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know." Sighing, Erian rested his chin on the back of the chair, turning around in it fully so he was facing the teacher.

"Perhaps telling me about it would make you feel better?" The teacher crossed his legs and sat back.

"It's a rule implemented by my family." The Traveler sighed again and seemed even more depressed. "Members of my family aren't supposed to have personal relations with the people here at Duel Academy. My little sister ignored this rule, but I'm willing to forgive her because of her age. In my case though I've got no excuse, if I don't uphold this rule then who will?"

Rubbing his chin with a hand, Aitoshi switched the positions of his crossed legs and turned in the chair absent-mindedly while he thought. "That is a big dilemma, isn't it? On one hand, there's the rule your family has. On the other…" He stopped in his spin. "You wish to be happy, correct?"

Erian nodded. "There's a girl here…" He faltered to think of the words.

"Oh my, and a girl is involved no less?" Crossing his arms across his chest and closing his eyes, Aitoshi appeared to go deep into thought. "This is a huge matter then, I surmise?" Uncrossing his legs and standing up, he glanced slyly at Erian. "Tell me, how well do you know this girl?"

"I just truly met her tonight…" Erian blinked and flushed white as he realized that he was telling a teacher that he had snuck out of the dorm and met with a girl after-hours.

Aitoshi nodded, completely ignoring the mentioned offense. "Then I would suggest you might want to go out and take a walk to clear your head." He snapped his fingers. "Oh wait, the rules say students aren't allowed to wander around the island at night." Sighing falsely, he walked over to the door and opened it. "Well I'm sorry to bother you, regardless."

"It's…no problem." Erian sighed in a much more serious sense. "Thank you for listening to me."

"It was my pleasure." Aitoshi was about to close the door when he blinked and snapped his fingers again. "Oh yes, I just wanted to let you know that I'm actually going to be turning in for the night right about now. I'm a really heavy sleeper and all that. In fact, if something were to happen I probably wouldn't even wake up." He emphasized the last part and closed the door.

Erian sweat-dropped. ("I guess…I can go then?")

-----------------------------------------------

Starlight Savior and Vortex Savior both grimaced. The circle of light had disappeared, and so they were back to plan A. They'd have to fight Raine physically.

Flipping a pair of knives into the air one after another, the Blood Child looked utterly bored. "I hate fighting like this. Are you serious about not being able to duel me?"

Starlight Savior glanced back at his friend and then snapped his hands up. **"Awaken Aries, Soul of Assertion!"** A dark blue sword made of crystal flowed into shape in his grasp. Bringing the weapon up, he narrowed his eyes. "Alright, let's go."

"Man, this is so stupid…" Raine threw both of his knives into the air and snapped up his right hand, sending a wave of invisible force crashing into both Saviors and hurling them across the cave. "You guys…" He caught both knives by the handles. "…should really just leave."

Gripping the handle of the crystal sword tightly, Starlight Savior leapt to his feet and charged.

Raine tossed one of the knives at his approaching enemy. "Don't make me laugh…" His eyes widened as something kicked him in the back hard, dropping him to his knees.

"Now's my chance…" Having already deflected the knife with his sword, Starlight Savior leapt high into the air above Raine. **"Infinite Starlight…"** The words in his mouth stopped as he realized that the Blood Child had disappeared. "Where'd he go?" Then his vision was swimming as something crashed into the back of his head and sent him forehead first into the dirt below.

Landing gracefully, Raine sighed and rubbed his side a little bit. "Geez, a double-team attack and you still couldn't hit me?"

Vortex Savior, who had been the one that had kicked the Blood Child, growled angrily at the fact that this guy was faster than them. ("It was speed. Then we really are outmatched in this fight.")

Standing up, Starlight Savior brushed some dirt from his face. ("This is just lovely. I can't hit him with Aries, and it's already been established that Pisces can't slow him down enough for me to land a good hit either.") Those were the only real offense powers he had, so if they didn't work then he was already unable to attack. ("There has to be something though…") "Adriel, we may need to challenge this guy to a normal darkness game…"

"It won't work." The black-haired Savior grimaced. "Neither of us have the strength to make him duel under such conditions."

"If you two are done murmuring to each other, I think it's best if you leave already before I get annoyed." His knives already gone, Raine shoved his hands into his pockets and sat down on a nearby rock. "I'll be right here if you need me."

Both Saviors nodded to each other and huddled up. It was time for a change of plan.

---------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------

Chris continued to float in the dark blue silence, unable to move. She was truly scared now, as she didn't know how to get out. ("This is like some kind of alien world I've been trapped in.") Reaching out, her hands felt a wall right in front of her that she couldn't see. "Please, somebody let me out already!"

No response came from the absolute silence of the dark blue void.

"LET ME OUT!" She screamed this at the top of her lungs, but her only answer was that single dull echo. "I'm scared…what is this place? Why am I here?"

"_I'm sorry about what happened before…"_ The voice was quiet; in fact she almost couldn't hear it. However, she knew it from somewhere. _"Because of my family's selfish choices, the people of this planet suffer since the Blood Children followed us here."_

"Hey…that's…Erian, was it?" Chris looked around the enclosed dark blue space, but she didn't find anyone. "Where are you?"

"_When I first got here I originally only remembered the final words of the Infinity Mind. He told me to find the one who had him and to assist that human in any way I could. And so I tried hard to be of use to Ichigo, but no matter what I did I just kept getting in the way. I'm too foolish to try and use my powers without risking innocent lives in the process…and without those powers all I am is an annoyance."_

The sound of gentle rain could be heard somewhere off in the distance. _"Because of my inability, you suffered and lost your dreams. I was there, and all I could do was shout stupidly at the Blood Child in some childish attempt to convince him to return that which he stole."_

"Blood Child? Abilities?" Chris felt a quiet rumble in the distance, like a second-long earthquake. Then the rain grew a little louder. "Erian-san…I don't get it."

"_Resshin was right. He was right all along. There is no reasoning with the Blood Children about peace and compromise. They are just greedy beasts that take what they want and destroy everything in their path."_ Another earthquake shook her prison. _"I will save your dreams though. This I swear."_ With those last words, his voice faded away.

Chris felt light-headed now. It was a feeling similar to that of waking up in the morning too quickly and nearly falling over because of it. "Erian-san…what were you talking about?"

---------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------

Eri sat with her back against the wall outside Chris' room, yawning loudly. ("I don't mind letting Erian sneak in so he can see that she's doing alright, but could he please…") Her wolf ears perked as she heard a click of a window unlocking from inside the room. ("Huh?")

Spinning around and pulling the door open, she ran in just in time to see Erian leapt out the window the overlooked the lake. "Erian!" Running to the windowsill, she peeked down at the ground and saw that he was gone. The only evidence that anything was wrong was that there was a circle of dead grass on the ground right below the third-story window. ("Great…where's he headed?")

Chris groaned and slowly sat up, eyes squinted. "Where am I now?"

Eri turned and sighed. ("Well, let's see how much she knows.")

-------------------------------------------------

Starlight Savior bit back a grunt as he was kicked into the cave wall for the fiftieth time. Despite the force of the blow he somehow managed to stay on his feet though. "I'm not done yet!"

Raine sighed and disappeared right before Vortex Savior could get a hold on him, appeared to the Savior's side and roundhouse-kicking him in the back of the skull. "You two are really persistent, you know that?" Waving his hand, a knife appeared in his grasp. "Now though, I'm really getting bored. If the Infinity Source won't show up, I'll just carve your Sources right out of your corpses instead."

"Just try it!" Starlight Savior held the cracked dark blue crystal blade tightly, even though he knew it was damaged and that its abilities to be used as a weapon were near its end.

Raine lifted the point of the knife to aim right at the hero's face. "One…two…" Suddenly he froze, his eyes locked in an expression of confusion. ("I can't move…no…I can't breathe…") His skin started to turn a pale shade of blue.

Starlight Savior stared at the Blood Child, his eyes reflecting a similar confusion but for different reasons. ("Who did that?") Suddenly he felt it, a tingle of power behind him. Turning, he blinked in surprise at who he saw. "Erian?"

"S…s…." Raine tried to move, but no matter what he did no feeling would come back into his muscles. ("It's like I'm trapped in stone…") His lungs burned, demanding air to breathe.

Erian, his eyes locked forward onto the Blood Child, stepped past Starlight Savior. "Ichigo, please don't interfere."

Raine made a low gagging noise which subsided as his throat froze completely. It was like a numbness that was slowly working its way deeper and deeper into him.

"Wait…" Starlight Savior grabbed Erian's shoulder, and felt a numbness run through his entire body. Using one tug he managed to remove himself from his friend and get the feeling back in his form, but now he was sure of it. "Stop it Erian!"

"No." The Traveler walked up to Raine, stopping when he was a few inches away. "I will not stand for them bringing innocent people into this anymore." His yellow eyes softened for a moment, and started to tear up. "I…I refuse to let them. The prescense of our two groups on this planet had disturbed a balance that should have been left alone." Those teary eyes hardened again. "I will negate your body's ability to live, Blood Child."

Starlight Savior knew now that his hunch was right, and that frightened him to no end. "You told me once before that your ability to negate was the power of stasis too. You're going to negate all of his bodily functions? You're going to kill him? You're going to take a life?"

"Yes." Erian felt it now. He felt the slowed heartbeat of the Blood Child. "I will let you settle into death now, heartless monster." And he felt that heartbeat settle into the same pattern of energy that was his real form. It was a form of energy that was unmoving, and that stopped everything around it. ("It is the end for you…")

Suddenly Erian was face-first on the ground, blood dripping out of his nose. A few moments later he was hoisted to his feet and face to face with a pair of golden wolf eyes. "What…what…"

Eri wound up and slapped the Traveler as hard as she could, nearly sending him through the stone wall of the cave with the force behind the hit. "You've got some nerve!"

Starlight Savior winced as he watched his roommate and friend get hit by Eri's full strength. ("I can only imagine he's not dead because his released energy cut the strength of her hit down…")

Glaring at the fallen Erian, Eri stomped up to the now gasping-for-air Raine and punched him right in the stomach, leaving him gagging again. "Same for you, glasses!" Kicking him right between the legs, she reached into his pocket and withdrew the three pink/red gems while he one his side twitching and clutching at his groin.

Spinning on one heel, she stomped over to Starlight Savior and held the three gems out to him. "I assume you want these?"

Taking them slowly, the hero had a very nervous look on his face. Normally when she went berserk like this he'd be the target at one point or another. "Thank you?"

"Thank Chris-chan actually." Relieved of the gems, the demoness walked over to the entrance of the cave and to Christian, who was staring at results of Eri's handiwork. "Alright, now that we've got that solved, what's say we go home already?"

"No…" Raine slowly stood up, and sneered. "I can't allow that…" Licking his lips, he held up another of his knives. "I…will not fail in my mission."

"I'm amazed you can stand…" Starlight Savior stepped forward, holding the cracked crystal blade tightly. "Regardless however, I will not hesitate to finish this."

"Wait!" Chris stepped past Eri and walked up to the hero. "I'd…like to ask him a question." She looked right into the shaded eyes of the Blood Child. "Why did you steal these crystals?"

"Because that is my mission." Raine spoke this without hesitation.

"Even though they are the dreams of innocent people? Is it really that important to you?" When he nodded she closed her eyes. "Then I'd like to duel you for them,"

Starlight Savior glanced at the three gems and then he shook his head. "I'm all for it if you wanted to duel, but these are not ours to do with as we…"

Chris turned and met his blue eyes with her own. "I will win…I will win and I will show him the error of his ways." Her eyes burned with a confidence that the hero couldn't dispute. "So please…"

Sighing, Starlight Savior nodded. "However, don't you dare make a promise like that and then lose to him."

She smiled slightly and looked to Eri. "Could you please get Erian out of the way, Eri-san." The demoness nodded and dragged the unconscious Traveler away from the center of the cave.

------------------------------------------

Vortex Savior groaned and slowly opened his eyes, rubbing the back of his head. "Damn, that last hit was a ringer…" As his vision came back into focus, his eyes widened hugely at what he saw going on. "Wait…what's this all about?"

Chris and Raine stood across from each other in the center of the cave, the half-moon shining down upon the area between them.

The Obelisk Blue adjusted her uniform and the Duel Disk she had borrowed from Eri. "I will show you why dreams are important…"

"And I don't care." The Blood Child activated his dark orange Duel Disk. "When I defeat you, I'll get the gems back with no strings attached!"

"Duel!" They both drew their opening hands, while the others sat off to the sideline and watched. Well Eri, Vortex Savior, and Starlight Savior all watched. Erian was still very much unconscious.

Chris- 4000

Raine- 4000

_To be continued…_


	22. Defender of Dreams Part 3

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 22: Defender of Dreams (Part 3)

_The Obelisk Blue adjusted her uniform and the Duel Disk she had borrowed from Eri. "I will show you why dreams are important…"_

"_And I don't care." The Blood Child activated his dark orange Duel Disk. "When I defeat you, I'll get the gems back with no strings attached!"_

"_Duel!" They both drew their opening hands, while the others sat off to the sideline and watched. Well Eri, Vortex Savior, and Starlight Savior all watched. Erian was still very much unconscious._

_Chris- 4000_

_Raine- 4000_

"I'm first, draw!" Chris added the drawn card to her hand and smiled at the cards she had for her first turn. "I place one monster face-down on my field." A card appeared face-down on her field in a horizontal position. "Also, I place two cards face-down on the field and end my turn."

Raine sneered and pulled the top card off of his deck. "First I activate the magic card Terraforming, adding one field magic card from my deck to my hand!" Removing a card from his deck, he inserted it back into its slot. "And then I play the magic card Reinforcements of the Army, adding a level four or lower warrior type monster from my deck to my hand." He removed his deck again, searched, and then replaced it.

Starlight Savior frowned slightly. ("He's activating Reinforcements of the Army and Terraforming in the first turn? Why would he need to search for so much?")

"You're nosing around through your deck a lot considering it's your first turn. Are you sure your hand is good enough?" Chris smiled teasingly.

"It's absolutely fine." Snickering, Raine placed a card on his disk. "I summon Chaosrider Gustaph (1400/1500) in attack mode!" A red and green monster on a motorcycle appeared on his field and revved the engine to its vehicle. "Now I'll show you why I was using so many magic cards. Once per turn Gustaph can remove up to two magic cards from my graveyard to power itself up by 300 points per card until the end of your next turn!" (2000/1500) He held up his Reinforcements of the Army and Terraforming, showing them to her before placing them in his pocket. "Also, I play the magic card Full Throttle! This magic card will destroy one magic or trap card in play for each card removed from the graveyard by the effect of a Chaosrider I have in play!" He pointed at her two set cards. "Obviously, those are my targets!"

Chris pointed at her two set cards and they both flipped up. "I activate Full Salvo, and in chain I reveal Magical Alchemy! These two trap cards resolve now!" She pointed at Magical Alchemy. "During the turn this trap is activated, all cards that go to my graveyard are removed from the game. For each one card removed I gain 200 life points!"

Her Full Salvo card started to glow. "Also, Full Salvo discards my entire hand to deal you 200 points of damage per card I discard. Therefore I'll discard the three cards in my hand to the graveyard to deal you 600 points of damage!" A trio of missiles exploded out of her Full Salvo trap and blasted Raine's field.

Chris- 4000

Raine- 3400

"At this time the effect of Magical Alchemy triggers!" Removing the five cards in her graveyard from the game, Chris' body was covered by golden glow.

Chris- 5000

Raine- 3400

Raine sighed quietly. "You just left everything on the shoulders of your set monster! Go Gustaph, Drive Rush!" His monster charged forward on its motorcycle and ran over the set monster, shattering it.

Chris snapped the card face-up. "Apprentice Magician (400/800) activates its effect when it is destroyed as a result of battle! At this time I special summon a level two or lower spellcaster type monster from my deck to the field in defense mode!" A monster card appeared face-down on her field. "Also at this time, my graveyard-bound Apprentice Magician is removed by the effect of Magical Alchemy!"

Chris- 5200

Raine- 3400

Raine pointed at the student. "So far I'm not impressed. If you think an extra 1200 life points are going to make the difference in this duel, you're wrong. End turn."

Chris drew. "Aren't you even wondering what spellcaster I searched for?" Pointing at the set monster, she grinned widely. "Have you ever heard of Fiber Magician?" Her face-down monster flipped up to reveal a magician wearing robes made of tree bark. (500/500) "He's really useful because during my standby phase if he's face-down, I have no other cards in play, and only one card in my hand I can flip him face-up and destroy all cards I have in play and in my hand." The single card she had drawn disappeared into her graveyard along with her Fiber Magician. "After that effect resolves though, I draw five cards." Pulling five cards off of her deck, she fanned out her hand and winked. "See why I run cards like Full Salvo?"

"Fine, you're clever. Now hurry up and make your move." Raine wasn't in the mood for any of this after having wasted so much time with those two annoying guardians.

"Alright, no need to be so hasty." Chris placed a card onto her disk's field. "I summon Dark Magician!" A purple-robed spellcaster appeared in play on her field. (2500/2100)

"Wait a second!" Rained growled at her and the monster she summoned. "Dark Magician is a monster with seven level stars, so you have to make two tributes for it!"

"Normally you'd be right." Chris tapped her graveyard slot. "The effect of the card I lost when my Fiber Magician covers that though! Arcane Tutor (1200/1000) can once per game, while in my graveyard, let me normal summon a high-level spellcaster from my hand without sacrifice! Dark Magic!" Her Dark Magician snapped out its hand and Rain's Chaosrider Gustaph shuddered as it was struck by a blast of magical power. A few moments later it shattered.

Chris- 5200

Raine- 2900

"I place two cards face-down and end my turn." Inserting two cards into her duel disk, Chris nodded to Raine. "Go ahead."

Before he drew, Raine grimaced in displeasure at that annoying smile on the girl's face. "What are you so cheerful about anyway? If I win then you lose the precious dreams you wanted to keep so badly."

She nodded and tried to look serious. Unfortunately, her expression didn't change at all. "I'm sorry…I can't get rid of my smile…"

"Then let me help you." The Blood Child drew slowly, his eyes narrowed. "In fact…" Flipping the card up, he sneered. "I activate Pot of Greed." Drawing two more cards, his sneer changed to a smirk. "Heh, I'll do more than help actually!"

His field magic card slot opened and he slammed a card into it. "I activate the field magic card Chaos Roadhouse!" A dusty old bar exploded into existence behind him, the sounds of motorcycles revving up in the background. "Chaos Roadhouse, once per turn, lets me special summon all Chaosrider monsters in my hand to the field at the cost of one magic card from my hand!" He discarded a card from his hand and whistled sharply. "Come on boys, let's give the little lady a party!" Another Chaosrider Gustaph appeared in play. (1400/1500)

Alongside it a pair of blue and yellow-colored monsters on motorcycles appeared as well. "Also, I special summon two Chaosrider Austins!" (1300/1400x2) And behind them a pure black monster on a motorcycle appeared. "And any biker gang worth its salt has a boss! In this case it's Chaosrider Leader!" (1900/1500)

Off to the side, Starlight Savior gulped loudly. "That's…a lot of monsters at once…"

"But none of them are strong enough for Dark Magician." Chris chimed in cheerfully.

"True, but that'll change in a second." Raine placed his hand on his deck. "Chaosrider Leader, once per turn, lets me discard five cards from my deck to special summon a Chaosrider in my graveyard to the field!" The sound of a motorcycle roaring to life echoed off the walls of the cave as his graveyard Chaosrider Gustaph was revived. (1400/1500) "Also, Chaos Roadhouse increases the power of all Chaosriders in play by the number of Chaosriders in play times 100!" (Gustaphs: 1900/1500x2) (Austins: 1800/1400x2) (Leader: 2400/1500)

"Still not enough…" She sang out the words this time.

Right eye twitching, Raine removed a stack of cards from his graveyard. "The effects of my two Gustaphs let me remove four magic cards to power them each up by 600 points until the end of your next turn!" (Gustaphs: 2500/1500x2) Then he pointed at his two Austins. "These guys are similar in that they let me remove up to two trap cards from my graveyard apiece for a 400 attack power boost!" Removing the four traps that made up the rest of his graveyard, the Blood Child pounded his fists together triumphantly. (Austins: 2600/1400x2) "Chaosrider Leader's second special effect is that when I have no cards in my graveyard his attack power is increased by 1000!" (3400/1500)

Chris noticed that her little audience all looked rather worried. Well, except for Erian. He still looked rather unconscious. "Don't worry too much, I'll be fine."

"Is that so?" Raine snickered and his field magic card started to pulse. "Chaos Roadhouse allows me to remove it from the game to negate a trap effect, so whatever damage trap you might have is useless!" He pointed at her Dark Magician. "Chaosrider Leader, attack Dark Magician with Rally Horde!" All five of his monsters made a series of howling noises and revved up their motorcycles, shooting across the field as a pack towards Chris and her single spellcaster.

"Reverse card open!" Chris pointed at one of her set cards. "Magic Cylinder deals you the attack of your Leader in life point damage!" The Chaos Roadhouse pulsed and disappeared, while her Cylinder trap exploded.

Raine laughed loudly as his five monsters droves circles around her field, creating a thick cloud of dust. "I thought I told you that my field magic card makes your trap cards useless!" (Gustaphs: 2000/1500x2) (Austins: 2100/1400x2) (Leader: 2900/1500) "From the looks of it, you were wrong about showing me this stupid dream crap…" He trailed off as the cloud disappeared to reveal her Dark Magician still in play. "Wait…how did you…"

Chris, though now a little dusty, pointed at her other set card which was now face-up on her field. "Magician's Sacred Shield's cost is one Magician named card from my hand." She held up Ebon Magician Curan (1200/0) and then discarded it into her graveyard. "After the cost is paid I select one Magician in play and lower its attack by 1000 for the turn. During this turn…" (1500/2100) "That Magician cannot be destroyed."

Chris- 1600

Raine- 2900

Raine growled and yanked off his sunglasses, orange eyes glowing brightly. "Damn you…"

Chris smiled sweetly. "Dreams are something that allows a person, when they sleep, to believe in other places and things besides that which they can see, taste, hear, smell or touch. Without them, we'd never have anything to aspire to or hope for. Is that really a future you'd want to live? I know I'd hate it." She placed her hands over her heart. "I can't believe that you don't believe dreams are an important part of your life."

"They aren't important at all!" Raine clenched his fists, the one holding his sunglasses shattering them easily. "Are you so stupid that you think somebody's dreams are going to make a difference?"

She nodded happily. "Of course they will. Whether you believe it or not doesn't change the fact that it's real. Dreams can bring about peace between those who otherwise say they hate each other." Her head turned to look at the unconscious Erian. "Erian-san believed that with all his heart. Deep down inside he had a dream that he could one day bring piece between his family and those who are chasing them. I heard it, even as I slept."

"Bah, the refugees are just a bunch of fools living on borrowed time!" He pointed at the unconscious Erian angrily. "The power of the Blood Children will wipe them all out! There will never be a chance for peace!"

"Is that so?" Chris kept smiling. "I still don't believe it."

His arms twitched in rage. "I've had enough! I don't care about this silly duel anymore!" Snapping his hand up, he materialized a storm of knives that hurtled towards Chris.

Chris closed her eyes, hands still on her heart. ("Peace…that's a dream I wish for too.")

"**Then let me grant that wish…everlasting dreamer."** A calm voice spoke out and the storm of knives disintegrated.

Raine's eyes widened as the three jewels that Starlight Savior had been holding floated into the air above Chris' head. "It's impossible…the Infinity Source reacted to her?"

Chris, eyes still closed, felt a prescense above her. It was calm and loving, similar to how a mother's prescense felt to a child.

The three crystals shuddered and launched, two of them shooting out of the cave entrance and the third lowering itself slowly onto Chris' shoulder. It pulsed once more and then disappeared, returned to its rightful owner. At the same time the Obelisk Blue girl lifted up her hand to reveal that she was now wearing a golden ring with a pink and red stone inset. **"Awaken, Soul of Dreams."** Then she disappeared within a pulsing ball of red and pink light.

("I can only imagine that the higher-ups are going to be furious with me now…") Raine watched the orb pop like a soap bubble, revealing the new Savior.

Opening her now red eyes, Chris looked at herself in amazement. Just like the other Saviors, her originally sixteen-year-old body now looked like it was better fit for a twenty-year-old. Wrapped around that athletic body was a bright pink bodysuit with bright red armor segments attached to it. Brushing back her long purple hair, the new hero struck a pose. "I am Fantasy Savior!"

"I'm real freakin' happy for ya…" Raine realized suddenly that this wasn't the end though. "Well then, Savior, let's continue. If I win the duel then you have to give up the Infinity Dream anyway, right?"

Starlight Savior stood up and scoffed angrily. "You were about to disregard the rules and kill her for it! Why should she listen to anything you have to say?"

Fantasy Savior held up her hand in Starlight's direction. "Don't worry, I said I'd win and I meant it." She smiled sweetly. "Okay?"

The hero blushed slightly, captivated by her cheerful beauty. "Okay…" Then he was eating stone as Eri jump-kicked him into the cave wall.

Returning her attention to the duel, Fantasy Savior smiled. "As you have no more cards you can play, and you've already attacked with all of your monsters, I'll assume the turn is mine." She pulled the top card off of her deck, which now rested within a bright red Duel Disk made of the same material as the armor segments on her body. "I activate the field magic card Dream Land!" All around them huge clouds appeared forming into a giant castle. "While this card is in play all monsters with Dream in their title gain a 200 original attack point boost."

Eri's eyes went huge as she remembered this field magic card from long ago. ("That place…this field card was used by…") A savage smile crossed the demoness' lips. "I do believe that our dear orange-haired friend is toast."

Fantasy Savior held up the other card in her hand. "My next card is the magic card Random Spell! From my deck one random magic card will activate!" A card left her deck and she held it up. "The magic card Dream Form allows me to sacrifice a monster on my field to summon a monster with both Dream and the sacrificed monster's name in its title!" A cloud swallowed up her Dark Magician, and a few moments later the Dark Magician reappeared on her field, but now he was wearing a deep purple night-gown and night-cap, and was holding a stuffed teddy bear in one arm. "I'm leaving it to you, Dream Dark Magician!" (2600+2002800/2100)

Raine snickered. "What can that sleepy loser do?"

Fantasy Savior winked. "Dream Dark Magician may attack every monster you have in play once, but the upside for you is that he cannot destroy monsters as a result of battle." She pointed at the now slack-jawed Raine. "Dream Dark Magician, attack with Dark Magic Yawn!" The magician covered his mouth and yawned, creating a forceful shockwave that crashed across all of the Chaosriders but the Leader.

Chris- 1600

Raine- 0

While the field faded away, Fantasy Savior struck a pose and laughed cheerfully. "I did it!"

Raine growled and formed three knives, each one held between the fingers of his right hand. "Screw this, I'm not giving up. I'll just kill you and take the…" His eyes widened and the knives fell from his hand. ("I can't move again…but it doesn't hurt this time…why?")

Fantasy Savior smiled at him sweetly. **"Pacifist's Way."**

"She froze him with a smile?" Vortex Savior shivered at how cute and yet scary such an idea seemed.

"Psh, big deal." Eri scoffed. "I can do the same thing."

"Yeah, but when they freeze it's because of overwhelming fear." Starlight Savior, who had just managed to extricate himself from the cave wall, found himself right back where he started as demoness jump-kicked him again.

Raine growled and kneeled, still unable to move. ("Damn them, at this rate I'll be…") Suddenly a strong pressure gripped at his heart and pain erupted through his whole body.

**_("My dear Raine…")_** The voice speaking was in his mind. It was one with infinite patience…and infinite possibility for dark actions. **_("You failed to recover one of the Infinity Sources when the opportunity to do as such was available to you. However, I will give you the chance to fix this problem.")_**

Raine felt his whole body shaking now. ("No…my lord…I…") Slowly, his legs straightened themselves and yanked him into a standing position. "Please…" Letting out a gagged scream of pain, his entire body disappeared within a fountain of red liquid.

Fantasy Savior gulped and took a few steps back. "What's going on? What's that liquid?"

Eri covered her mouth and nearly retched right there. "It's blood…"

Starlight Savior stood up and stared at the fountain, which seemed to collapse in on itself so as not to let the liquid escape the pillar it had created around the Blood Child. "I think it might be a good idea, Eri, if you took Erian and got out of the cave right about now."

The demoness nodded warily and slung the Traveler over her shoulder, hurrying out of the cave. Directly behind her, the three Saviors stood at the cave mouth waiting to see what resulted from this

The fountain made a loud 'glub' noise and then disappeared, leaving behind a shadowed form in its place. After a few moments that form flexed its muscles and let out a low sound of anger, "I will recover the Infinity Sources for my master." Then it stepped forward into the moonlight to reveal Raine, except that his hair and eyes were blood red. His skin was also pale white, and seemed to be rather loose on his body.

"I will kill you all." His right arm shuddered and then the skin around it exploded like a blown-up paper bag, revealing a clawed arm with plating made of bone attached. "I will not let you make a fool of me." His opposite leg followed, tearing away his clothing there to reveal a clawed leg with that same bone plating.

Fantasy Savior shuddered at how absolutely creepy this was. "Ummm…can I leave this to you guys? I don't think I have any powers that are meant for fighting…"

Sighing, Starlight Savior lifted up one hand. "Sure, allow me to finish this guy." He concentrated, and deep down inside he could feel the six zodiac symbols awaken one after another. **"Awaken Aries, Soul of…"**

"Die!" Raine leapt forward and tackled Starlight Savior, breaking his summoning of his weapon. "I won't let you use your little toys against me, guardian…" His breath stank of death now, and the hero could feel a different prescense right behind that skin façade. This was a monster he was facing.

"**Empty Demise!"** Vortex Savior put one hand above his head and a ball of darkness formed. "Release him or I'll consume you…"

Raine's head turned to look at the dark-haired hero crazily. "Consume me? I doubt it!" Then his non-bone arm exploded, revealing an identical limb to the first. It extended like it was a spring and punched Vortex Savior right into the cave wall. A few moments later it started to spin like a drill, sending sparks everywhere as it tried to pierce his armor. "I wonder how long it will take me to break your armor and find your heart…"

Fantasy Savior ran over to the other side of the cave and picked up a nearby rock about the size of a cannonball. Turning, she got ready to hurl it at the creature.

Catching her movements out of the corner of his eye, Raine laughed crazily again and his other still-human leg exploded. A few moments later a spring-loaded kick caught the female Savior in the stomach and pushed her against the back wall of the cave, slowly crushing her. "How amusing it is to have you guys on the verge of death now…" His head turned at an angle impossible for human beings and he looked right into Starlight Savior's frightened face. "Ooooo, you're scared of me? Good…because you should be." The Blood Child's grin revealed a row of needle-sharp teeth. Half of his face blew off, revealing a warped bleach-white skull with razor-sharp teeth. Then that head slowly extended forwards, moving towards the hero's neck with mouth open.

"No…" Vortex Savior heard his armor screech in protest when he tried to move. He was forced to do nothing more than sit and watch his rival's throat get torn out.

Raine's neck suddenly pushed forward, sending the head a few inches from its target…and then it veered to the right and crashed into the stone as something struck the side of its skull. A few moments later the rest of its body went lax and the three Saviors used that chance to escape, all of them heading inside the cave and grouping up.

The Blood Child's head snapped up and he snarled. "Who did that?" The sound of a guitar's strings in motion was his reply.

"_I am the star that pulses in the night. I am the lantern that leads one through the paths of the world of dreams."_ Sitting on a rock against with his back against the walls, a young man in a bull-fighter's costume cradled his wooden guitar and played its strings masterfully. _"I am El Mariachi Verdadero."_

"Shut up and die!" Raine's now fully revealed skeletal face shot across the length of the cave, jaws open to chew through the new annoyance.

"Look out!" Starlight Savior started to move forward, until he noticed that the Mariachi had yet to move. He found out why a few moments later.

Kicking up the wide end of instrument so it was aimed at the approaching monster, El Mariachi Verdadero patted its side and a small hatch opened in the bottom to reveal a metal barrel built into the guitar. "Sorry my friend, but my kisses are for the ladies." Then an explosion leapt from the barrel and crashed into Raine's face, sending it flying backwards into the cavern wall and taking the rest of his body with it. "You can have this explosive shell instead."

Starlight Savior sweat-dropped at the costumed character. "You…have a high-powered explosive launcher in that thing?"

"Of course." Adjusting his hat, El Mariachi Verdadero nodded to the hero. "Well, what might you be waiting for?"

"Oh yeah…" Starlight Savior focused on the power of Aries. **"Awaken Aries, Soul of Assertion! Let the dark blood be cleansed from this Miracle World!"** An ornate dark blue crystal blade formed in his hands.

Raine's body shuddered and the extended parts of its limbs and neck retracted, returning it to normal. "Hah, that lousy toy couldn't beat me before!"

"…" Starlight Savior looked at the weapon, then at the Blood Child. A few moments later he looked surprised at something. Closing his eyes, it looked like he was muttering something to himself. "Hmm, I guess you're right…" Shrugging, he dismissed the blade and it disappeared. "I guess I'll use this instead."

Forming a few symbols in the air with his hands, the hero focused his strength on one point in front of him. **"Awaken Sagittarius, Soul of Destruction!"** A dark blue crystal formed in front of him and started to grow rapidly, its shape flowing into that of a crossbow. Reaching out and grasping the handle of the crystal weapon, he locked his eyes onto the Blood Child. "Now take this!"

"Heh, I can easily dodge one measly crossbow bolt!" Raine got ready to leap.

"**Divine Star Crash!"** Starlight Savior pulled the trigger.

-----------------------------------------------------

Aitoshi sat back in his chair and looked up at the starlit sky happily. "I do hope that Erian-san got whatever he wanted out of the way." Then he smiled at something that flashed in the sky. It was glittering dark blue star that lit up the night sky and the ground around him. "What's that? A shooting star?" He realized that shooting stars weren't quite so loud though. "Oh well, it's gone now."

------------------------------------------------------

From within the huge blast of dark blue energy, the creature that had been Raine struggled to stand. He almost managed to brace himself against the wave of energy, and then he was overpowered. **"Good…shot!"** Screaming out those last words, his silhouette was vaporized and the crossbow's long blast of energy ended.

Vortex Savior and Fantasy Savior both stared at the large bus-sized hole in the cave, which went clear through the wall and out onto the trail. "Whoa…"

Starlight Savior blinked slowly, and then looked down at the crossbow. "Whoa…"

El Mariachi Verdadero stood up and walked out of the cave quietly. ("I got to get me one of those.")

Willing away the weapon, Starlight Savior looked at his hands and then sighed. "I'm really tired. Let's go ack!" He was thrown off guard as Fantasy Savior grabbed his hands and started hopping up and down with him excitedly.

"We won!" She just kept repeating that over and over again.

Rubbing the back of his head, Vortex Savior gave his newest ally a strange look. ("Is she really cut out for this?")

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Groaning, Erian cracked his eyes and realized that he was back in his room. More specifically, he was lying in his bed. "How did I get here?"

"Well after we beat the Blood Child we decided it might be a good idea to bring you back." Ichigo, who had his feet up on his desk while sitting back in his swivel chair, smiled. "By the way, Chris-san told me to say thank you for trying to get the crystals back."

"…." Erian sighed and collapsed back against the covers of his bed. "I screwed up, didn't I?"

"Yup." Ichigo kept smiling. "But I don't think she holds it against you. I don't either, but Eri does a little bit." Rubbing his still sore chin, he laughed. "It's been a while since she kicked me hard enough to imprint my face in stone."

Erian rolled over on his side so he was looking at the wall of the room. "Ichigo, should I have just stayed here and waited patiently for you and Adriel to beat that Blood Child?"

"No." Ichigo kept smiling and stretched. "If you did, I'd be dead right now. So in the end your mistake may have saved us all. So how about we just call tonight a success, since now we've got a new Savior to help us out."

Erian nodded with his back still to his roommate. "I guess so…" If Ichigo could have seen his face, there would have been no doubt that Erian still held doubts about his usefulness to his friend.

_To be continued…_


	23. Return of Old Friends

Author's Warning: This entire section is out of character comedy to the extreme. For some reason it is in the present tense, though I don't know why. Oh, and obviously this does not happen in the actual story, as I myself am mentioned.

A cardboard cut-out stage, a much larger version of the kind commonly used in puppet shows, slowly lowers into view. The lights around it dim and a trio of spotlights illuminate the upper 'window' of the stage. The curtains roll back to reveal Ichigo standing in the center spotlight, wearing a black and silver bodysuit along with a jacket that was silver on the inside and black on the outside. "Hey there ladies and gentlemen, it's time for 'Recap of the Crazy Stuff!" He blinks and holds up a script in plain view, peering at some of the words there. "Wow, it really says Recap of the Crazy Stuff too…I just guessed."

Eri, dressed as Magical Princess Holy Up, rises up in the middle of the left spotlight and bows to the audience. "Of course I'm sure some of you are wondering what exactly this is all about, and it just happens to be exactly what it says. A recap of the stuff that happened in the last few chapters that is relevant to the overall storyline."

Ichigo has his back to the audience, and is flipping through the pages of the script in confusion. "Wait a second, most of these are blank!"

"Of course!" Eri smiles and grabs the script, hurling it out of sight. "We're supposed to ad lib this."

"We are?" Ichigo gazes out into the audience…and then rubs the back of his head. "Well…um…I…"

Eri sighs and moves him over to the left spotlight, taking his place in the center. "Allow me then!" Coughing to clear her throat she points to the right spotlight where Adriel slowly rises into view, wearing black riding leathers and a red bandanna around his neck. In his hands are a series of large blown-up photographs, all of them plastered to cardboard.

The first picture is of a purple-haired girl snoring soundly in the middle of a classroom. "This is Christian Richards, a girl who believes in the importance of dreams. She's really overly cheerful and tends to wake up saying random things." Adriel changes the picture to that of Christian dueling against an orange-haired man wearing a black leather jacket, while Eri continues her explanation. "She's also someone who had contact with the Infinity Dream, which is one of those sources of power like the Infinity Mind or Infinity Heart. Oh, and the guy in the picture is Raine, a Blood Child with a real attitude problem! He's after the Infinity Dream too." The third picture is of the demoness kicking Raine right between the legs. "Problem solved!"

Following that picture is one of a man in a purple fedora and yellow business suit dancing in a bar that looks like it was built in the 1920s. "….I…have no idea what this is…" The next picture is of a kitten wrapped up in blue string. "…This also has no relevance to the story…" Next was a picture of a killer whale in a tuxedo with a neon sign over it that said 'This makes no sense.' "Is Wolf General even taking this seriously? He's the one who thought this crazy idea up in the first place!"

Adriel shrugs and switches to the next picture, which is of a twenty-year-old red-eyed and purple-haired girl wearing a pink bodysuit with red armoring over it. She is grinning widely and striking a pose. "Finally! This is Fantasy Savior, who is Christian when she uses the Infinity Dream to transform!" The next picture is of Fantasy Savior running away from a monster screaming. "…yeah, that about sums up my impression of her so far too."

The half-dragon demon reaches down and brings up a new set of pictures, these ones much simpler. The first is of Starlight Savior, Vortex Savior and Fantasy Savior standing together. "Well according to the Infinity Mind there are four other Infinity Sources, and so far we've found two. That just leaves two more to go, but I wonder where they are…" A picture of the planet earth with a question mark interposed over it is shown. "They could be anywhere in the world…it's lucky for us that we managed to find the first two on our way to Duelist Academy and when we got there. So the real question that Ichigo and the other two Saviors face now is…"

The picture flipped to that of a photo of a wolf with a cowboy hat photo-shopped onto its head. "…where could the other two Sources be?" The demoness turns to look at the picture, glares angrily, and then tears it in half. She turns to face the audience and glares darkly. "Wolf General…if you want anyone to take this seriously…"

Adriel flips to the next picture, which is just a line of text that says 'No fun at all' with an arrow pointing at Eri. Then he flips the picture again and it's another line of text that says 'By the way…" The half dragon-demon flips the picture one more time. This time it's a photo of Eri sleeping with a wolf plushy under one arm with the words 'This was last night, except switch the plushy with Ichigo' written in white above it. Bowing, Adriel lowers out of sight with the pictures.

Eri stares at the spot where he was standing, and then blushes bright red. Spinning around, she grabs Ichigo by the jacket and shakes him a few times. "Say 'see you next time' Ichigo, please!"

Ichigo, who is still muttering to himself trying to think of something to say, snaps out of it and nods. "See you next time Ichigo please." Then the curtain drops and the spotlights die out.

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 23: The Return of Old Friends

The class bell rang loudly, and Aitoshi-sensei bowed to his last class of the Friday. "I hope you all enjoyed my class, and have a great weekend." With that said he walked over and packed up his papers, heading out towards the exit along with most of the students.

Amongst the few who remained were Ichigo, who sighed and continued to look at the top of the desk he was using meaningfully. ("So far the rest of the week has come with no new problems from the Blood Children. In fact, it's been a little too peaceful. I'm sure that soon something weird is going to happen that's going to cause problems…") He was knocked out of his reverie as someone hit him over the head with a rolled up magazine. "Ow!"

The one who had hit him was a dark-skinned student in a Ra Yellow uniform. He had long black hair that went to the small of his back, and a pair of piercing dark brown eyes. "You know, most people tend to at least try and find old friends to say hello when they come back to the Academy."

Ichigo's blinked at his attacker, and then tackled the Ra Yellow student, grinning. "Griff!"

Griff Mohistava grunted in surprise as he was floored by the full body weight of his ex-roommate. "It's nice to see you too Ichigo, but get off!" Shoving the half-demon away, he stood up and brushed himself off. "It's been a while since we've seen each other, but you haven't changed in the slightest, have you?"

Ichigo stood up and shook his head resolutely. "That's where you're so very wrong Griff. There's been many huge changes in my life since we've last met."

"Is that so?" Griff leaned in towards Ichigo. "Such as?"

"I got a new deck box for my deck!" Ichigo smiled proudly.

Griff groaned and withdrew his head. "So you haven't really changed at all. Man, I'd think you'd settle down and learn how to study already. It's not like you're exactly having trouble with most of your duels here." He noticed Ichigo was about to protest. "I saw your duel against that Resshin guy."

Ichigo closed his mouth and shrugged. "I don't like to study, it's really boring!"

"And that's why you're going to wind up being the only Osiris Red student who remains near the top of the rankings list here at school forever." Patting his ex-roommate on the back, Griff tossed the rolled-up magazine onto the desk and it unfurled to reveal that it was a copy of Duelist's Monthly. "By the way, have you heard of our wayward buddy Krieger?"

"Krieger?" Ichigo blinked at the name, and then looked around. "Now that you mention it, why isn't he with you?"

Griff sweat-dropped and flipped open the magazine to a marked page. "You really need to start investing some time in at least reading a newspaper. Or have not you not realized that dear Krieger is currently the top student of the Southern Lights Academy?"

"The Southern Lights Academy?" Ichigo snapped his fingers. "I heard about them! It's that new dueling academy that opened this summer in Germany, right?"

"Bingo." Griff nodded. "That would be the one. And of course any school has to have its top-level duelist. In this case it's the White Tiger of the Southern Lights Academy." He snickered. "Guess why they chose White Tiger as the title."

Ichigo dropped one fist into one of his cupped hands. "Oh! Because it's Krieger!"

The dark-skinned duelist patted his friend on the head. "Good boy." He extended his right hand to Ichigo. "Now shake." When he got a glare in response he laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head with that same right hand. "Took that joke a little too far, did I?"

Ichigo nodded angrily. "Yeah, just a bit…"

Griff quickly changed the subject. "On the plus side, things have been going great for Krieger. Not only is he currently the equivalent of Duelist Academy's Kaiser, but he's actually become something of a worldwide hit in the music industry."

"Music industry?" Ichigo blinked a couple of times and then his brain apparently skipped. "Music industry?"

Smacking the half-demon in the back of the head once, Griff sighed. "Don't repeat yourself like that. And of course! Didn't you ever hear Krieger sing? He's amazing…" Then he remembered that he had once made fun of Krieger's singing voice as being rather soft and actually kind of girly. "Wow…that guy's something else…"

Ichigo crossed his arms across his chest indignantly and half-turned away, getting tired of getting struck in the head. "So anyway, I'm guessing Krieger's a bit too busy now to speak with his old friends…"

"Incorrect!" Griff rolled up the magazine again and bopped Ichigo on the head. "Actually, according to what I heard from Professor Gugenheim, the White Tiger is coming to Duelist Academy on the student transfer program, and when he gets here he's going for an exhibition match!"

Ichigo, whose ears were folded flat after getting hit again, perked up full mast. "Exhibition match? Against Krieger?"

Griff covered his mouth with his hand and started sweating. ("Oh no, I spilled it…") "Listen Ichigo…" A few moments later he was spinning in place as the half-demon flew past him at incredible speed. When his spin ended a very dizzy Griff dropped into a chair and clutched his stomach uneasily. "Its not what you think."

----------------------------------

Professor Midas King stood at the Duelist Academy dock, waiting patiently as he looked out at the approaching seaplane that was coming in for a landing. "Ah, there he is." Off in the distance the sound of thunder could be heard. "Hmmm?" Looking up at the sky, he lifted an eyebrow quizzically at the fact that there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. "Peculiar weather we're…"

"Lemme duel Krieger!" This came from a blur of red that shot past his right side and went skidding off the dock.

The Professor stared at the skid marks on the stone for a few moments before lifting his gaze up to watch Ichigo pull himself out of the ocean. "Mister Pilkington…it wasn't even announced that he would arriving until a few minutes ago. The run to the dock from your class should have taken over fifteen minutes…how did you get here so fast?"

Ichigo shook himself dry and smirked, rubbing an index finger under his nose. "I have my many talents." He tried to ignore the fact that the rubber soles of his shoes would have still been melting had he not leapt into the water to cool them off. "Now then, Professor King, please let me duel Krieger in the exhibition match!"

"My apologies Mister Pilkington, but that cannot be allowed." Watching the seaplane as it pulled up to the dock, the golden-robed professor stepped forward and adjusted his collar-line in preparation to welcome the return of one of Duelist Academy's ex-students. "We've already determined that whoever is going to be his opponent in the match will be determined randomly."

"But…but…" Ichigo latched onto King's robes. "Please!"

"No!" Knocking Ichigo's hands away, Midas brought his attention to the loading bay of the plane as it opened and a solitary form stepped out onto the dock. It was a teenage boy wearing a white uniform with a furred collar. He had light brown hair streaked with lines of snow white coloring, and his ice-blue eyes seemed to emit a coldness that could freeze death. And on top of his head there were a pair of brown-furred cat ears, which were also white-streaked, standing as straight as their owner. "Welcome back to Duelist Academy, Mister Reindhardt."

Krieger nodded slightly. "It's nice to see you again, Professor King." He seemed very serious. "I hope this…" He was stopped in mid-sentence as someone leapt forward and tackled him by the waist. "Gah!"

"Krieger!" Ichigo hugged the waist of his ex-roommate tightly. "I wanna be your opponent in the exhibition match but Professor King won't let me!" He lifted his head up and smiled childishly, his face only inches from Krieger's own. "Tell him it's okay, alright?"

Krieger stared at Ichigo for a few seconds, then it seemed like he was about to start laughing. One of his ears twitched and he immediately pushed removed Ichigo's arms from his waist. "Ichigo, I don't have time to play right now! If he said you couldn't duel me then you can't duel me!" Stepping past the half-demon, he bowed his head slightly to Midas. "As I was saying, I hope this isn't any trouble." His ears flicked again and inwardly he sighed. "Could you please make sure the dueling arena is in place as soon as possible?" He walked past the teacher and looked at the approaching dust cloud that was coming from the road. "They're coming…"

"They?" Professor King blinked. "Who are they?"

"They are inevitable." Krieger glanced over his shoulder at the sniffling Ichigo. "And please take Ichigo with you. Hurry!"

"Y…yes!" Grabbing Ichigo by the collar, the teacher ran towards the other entrance to the docks that lead straight to the Duelist Academy building.

Krieger closed his eyes, eyes still dead-set serious. ("And so it begins…")

-----------------------------

Ichigo pouted and kicked a nearby rock into a tree trunk, watching the stone embed itself into the wood. "Sheesh, talk about giving a friend the cold shoulder…"

Griff sighed at Ichigo's hypocrisy. "You're mad at him for not instantly being friendly with you, when just like me you didn't even bother to send a freaking postcard to him over the summer? I'd be a little distant too…" He realized he wasn't though. ("Hmmm, and I always considered Krieger to be the most forgiving out of the three of us.") "Well anyway, let's hurry up and go see the exhibition match. It'll be starting soon."

"I'm not going." Ichigo crossed his arms across his chest and pouted deeper.

"…." Shrugging, Griff walked off towards the Obelisk Blue dueling arenas. "Whatever."

As soon as Griff was out of sight, Ichigo's childish pout disappeared and he frowned. ("I saw it. Something's wrong with Krieger.") Turning, he started to approach the Obelisk Blue arenas from a different path. ("And I intend to find out what that problem is.")

--------------------------------

"Ten minutes until your duel starts, mister Reinhardt." The speaker was a man wearing a technician's outfit.

"Yeah, I'll be right there." Hearing the door to his dressing room close, Krieger sighed and placed his head in his hands. "I absolutely cannot afford to lose…"

"And why might that be?" A voice wafted in from one of the air vents.

Leaping out of his chair, Krieger was instantly on his guard. "Who's there?" He blinked in amazement when the vent cover popped off and Ichigo came rolling out. "Ichigo, what are you doing here?"

Landing on his feet, the half-demon adjusted his uniform and grinned. "I'm playing the spy game, what else does it look like?"

"…." Krieger started to crack a smile, and then his expression became serious once more. "You…you need to leave right now."

"No." Crossing his arms across his chest, Ichigo tapped his foot a couple of times on the ground. "I'm not leaving until you explain what's the matter? You're depressed, I can tell."

"There's nothing the matter, but please leave!" Krieger pointed at the door. "I don't need you around distracting me at a time like this!"

"Distracting?" Ichigo closed his eyes slowly. "No, that's not it. I don't know for sure, but you're really worried about something besides that. I want to know what thing is."

Krieger bit his lower lip nervously. "Very well, if you insist on being stubborn." He ran over to the door and pulled it open, sticking his head out into the hallway. "Security!" Withdrawing his head back into the room, he sighed. "I'm sorry Ichigo, but…" Turning, he blinked in amazement for the second time in the last few minutes. Ichigo was gone and there was no sign he had even entered the room.

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The crowds cheered as they waited patiently for the exhibition duel to begin. They were getting tired of waiting though, as they had come here expecting a duel between the White Tiger of Southern Lights Academy and one of their own.

Up at the front row of stands Ichigo crossed his arms across his chest and kept making weird noises while he thought to himself. ("I know something's wrong with Krieger.")

Professor King walked up to the dueling ring and lifted a microphone up to his mouth. _"Ladies and gentlemen! Allow me to present to you the White Tiger of Southern Lights, Krieger Reinhardt!"_ From the entrance to the dueling ring a fine white mist came pouring forth, and Krieger emerged slowly, now wearing a long white trenchcoat which trailed out behind him instead of his school uniform.

Ichigo was about to cheer for Krieger, but was deafened by a loud series of cheers from a group of girl students in the crowd.

"Go Krieger-sama!" They all cheered, holding up a series of banners and flags with his name and image on it.

Sweat-dropping, Griff sighed and sat down next to Ichigo. "And there they are. It's both the biggest strength and biggest weakness of any idol. Fans, I mean."

"Krieger fans?" Ichigo looked out at the field and at how serious his ex-roommate seemed. "Man…now I know what the problem is."

"Huh? You do?" Griff looked at Krieger and frowned. "I can tell he's being serious, but what's the…"

"_At this time we will hold the lottery to determine which of our top five-ranked duelists will duel against the White Tiger, Krieger Reinhardt!"_ Lifting his hand up into the air, Professor King nodded to someone up in the announcer booth. A few moments later the screens above started to roll names rapidly. Finally it started to slow down. _"And the chosen duelist out of our top five is…"_

King sweat-dropped as Ichigo's name was the one it stopped on. _"Well, I guess…"_ The Professor stopped in mid-sentence as he realized that Ichigo was already standing on the dueling field. _"Right…I forgot you do things like this all the time, don't you?"_ When Ichigo nodded he sighed and walked off the field. "Very well, good luck I suppose."

Ichigo grinned at Krieger. "Hey buddy, it looks like I'll get my duel after all, huh?"

Krieger seemed distressed for a moment, and then his face hardened and he nodded coldly. "That it seems, Ichigo. I hope you don't intend to hold back at all."

"Not in the slightest." Ichigo activated his duel disk. "In fact, I'm hoping you don't hold back on me."

"_Go Krieger-sama, take that Osiris Red dropout down!"_ The group of fans cheered loudly, right up until they realized that someone was standing in front of the gathered group in the stands.

Eri fixed a death glare on the whole lot of them. "The next one of you that speaks ill of Ichigo will be missing their spine, am I making myself perfectly clear?" When they all nodded she growled in the back of her throat and sat back down, watching the duel. After she was sure that no one was looking her way, she held up a little red flag on a stick with the words 'Go Ichigo' on it and started waving.

Krieger- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Krieger looked at Ichigo's smiling face for a few seconds before he drew. "I summon Siberian Tiger!" A giant white tiger appeared on his field. (2000/0)

Ichigo blinked at the new monster. "2000 attack points?"

Krieger nodded. "Siberian Tiger can only be normal summoned if I have no other monsters in play, and it can only attack when I do have other monsters in play. Therefore, you have nothing to worry about while it is alone." Inserting a card into his duel disk, the half cat-demon coldly motioned to Ichigo. "It's your turn."

Ichigo grinned. "Well, at the moment that thing is a bit bigger than the strongest monster in my hand." He drew and sweat-dropped. "Oh…never mind."

Krieger narrowed his eyes and then glanced at his face-down card. ("Whatever Ichigo summons will be prey to my Seal of Ice trap.")

Ichigo snapped a card up. "Alright, let's bring out a hero to tame your tiger! I play Polymerization, fusing the Final Shadow Smash Brute and Final Shadow Night Slasher in my hand together!" A dark-robed form and a giant humanoid appeared in the air above his field, both of them pulled into a vortex. "Come out now, Final Shadow Doom Juggernaut!" A giant humanoid monster covered in black bands of metal appeared on his field. (2200/1900)

"Reverse card open!" Krieger pointed at his face-down card, and gasped as he realized that the same bands which covered the body of the Doom Juggernaut were locking his trap card to the field. "What's going on?"

Ichigo smirked slightly. "During the turn that Doom Juggernaut is summoned traps can't be activated." He pointed at the Siberian Tiger. "Go Doom Juggernaut, attack with Forceful Implosion!" His monster dropped a body-sized fist on the large cat and it exploded. "Also, when Doom Juggernaut destroys a monster in battle one magic or trap card in play can be destroyed!"

Krieger was already being pushed back by the amazing force of Ichigo's monster, but the fact that force shattered his set card as well added to the sting.

Krieger- 3800

Ichigo- 4000

Ichigo kept smiling cheerfully while his ex-roommate dropped to one knee. "Go ahead, it's your turn."

Growling, Krieger stood up defiantly. As he did this the white streaks in his hair seemed to glitter and his contingent of female fans let out squeals of delight. "It's my turn, draw!" He nodded at the drawn card. "I activate the field magic card Tundra!" All around them the ground turned snowy. "While this field card is in play all water attribute monsters gain 200 attack points!"

"Just 200?" Ichigo hmmed and rubbed his chin. "If that's it then why not just run A Legendary Ocean?"

"Because unlike A Legendary Ocean Tundra has cards associated with it!" The White Tiger slammed a card into his disk. "I activate Winter Hibernation, which can only be activated when Tundra is in play! From my graveyard one water attribute monster will be revived!" His Siberian Tiger reappeared in play and roared. (2200/0) "Also, I summon Ice Soldier!" (1200+2001400/1200) A humanoid wearing armor made of ice appeared on his field.

"Siberian Tiger, attack Doom Juggernaut!" His monster roared once more and tackled the fusion, both of them exploding. "And because your Juggernaut is in the graveyard, it cannot destroy my field card! Ice Soldier, attack his life points directly with Ice Lance!"

Ichigo bit back a yelp as cold pain spiked through him when the Ice Soldier stabbed him in the chest with its lance.

Krieger- 3800

Ichigo- 2600

Krieger clenched his free hand into a fist. "Ichigo, please do not underestimate me! If you refuse to take me seriously then you'll be destroyed!" Off to the side his fan club started cheering for him again.

Ichigo sighed and brushed some ice from his chest before smiling again. "Actually, I suggest you stop thinking you'll beat me."

"…excuse me?" Krieger blinked at the half-demon. "Wait…I…" He quickly regained his serious composure. "What are you talking about?"

Ichigo sneered calmly. "I'm saying that you can't beat me. Is there something wrong with that?"

Eri had stopped waving her flag, and dropped her jaw open in surprise. ("He's trash-talking?") She noticed that Griff was looking up at her questioningly. All she could do in reply was shrug. This was the first time ever in the history of ever that Ichigo had acted this way. He used to be overconfident of his own abilities, but after an incident involving a fusion destruction deck he had stopped acting so stupidly. And all of a sudden he was acting like a jerk again.

Ichigo kept sneering as he drew. "Let me show you just how foolish you are for assuming anything about me! I play Fusion Recovery! From my graveyard one Polymerization and one monster that has been used in a fusion returns to my hand!" The named magic card and his Smash Brute slid out of his graveyard. "Go Smash Brute!" (1800/1500) A giant humanoid appeared on his field. "Attack Ice Soldier with Bashing Roll!" His monster punched the icy soldier in the body and shattered it instantly.

Krieger- 3400

Ichigo- 2600

Krieger braced himself bravely against the backlash. "When you destroy Ice Soldier in battle and send it to the graveyard I draw one card!" Pulling the top card off of his deck, he added it to his hand.

Ichigo shrugged it off. "Weakling…" Inserting two cards into his duel disk, he winked. "I place two cards face-down on the field and end my turn."

"Weakling?" Krieger heard his fan club yelling angrily at Ichigo, while Eri didn't interfere because she was yelling at him with them. "Why are you acting like this, Ichigo? This isn't you…"

Ichigo threw back his head and laughed wickedly. "Who ever said that I was as nice as I appeared? In all this time, I'm amazed you never figured out just how dark I am. Oh well, your mistake! Now then, will you take your turn or will I have to assume you surrender?"

Krieger growled and drew. "I won't lose, for the sake of my school and my fans!" Flipping the drawn card up, he pointed at his field. "At the cost of 800 life points, I activate Premature Burial and revive my Siberian Tiger!" His big cat monster reappeared on the field. "Afterwards I tribute it!" His monster was swallowed up in a sudden formation of ice crystals.

"Feel the cold fury of the White Tiger! Emerge now, Mobius the Frost Monarch!" The ice formation shattered to reveal a huge humanoid monster covered in icy armor. (2400+2002600/1000) "When Mobius is tribute summoned, I may destroy up to two magic or trap cards in play! Freeze Burst!"

Ichigo gasped as his two set cards froze and then shattered. "Heh, even now that's still pretty pitiful."

Narrowing his eyes, Krieger pointed at Smash Brute. "Mobius, attack that thing with Ice Lance!" His Monarch formed a spear made of ice and hurled it, piercing the warrior's chest and shattering it. "End turn!"

Krieger- 2600

Ichigo- 1800

Ichigo slowly smiled and brushed back his hair, still grinning smugly. "It's still a futile attempt, Krieger." He drew. "Despite all of your power, I am stronger. First I play Graceful Charity!" Drawing three cards from his deck, he fanned them out for a moment and then discarded two. "Krieger, I don't intend to hold back for you anymore. The cards I discarded were Final Shadow Avenger Zero and Wings of the Avenger."

"Why should I care?" Krieger spoke angrily now, as his cold disposition was broken by the venom in Ichigo's tone. "Just because you discarded a couple of cards I've never even heard of…"

Ichigo held up another card. "Then I doubt you've heard of this either. Its name is Night Fusion. With it I can remove monsters from my field and graveyard to special summon a Final Shadow fusion monster!"

"What?" Krieger's eyes widened in realization. "Impossible…that means…"

Ichigo removed three cards from his graveyard. "I remove Avenger Zero, Night Slasher, and Wings of the Avenger from my graveyard!" He held up the two monsters and the magic card. "I'm going to crush you beneath the darkness!"

A dark cloud built up within the cloud at his feet, and slowly a black ridged spike rose up from that dark ground. "Awaken, the Dark Wings of the Night!" That spire launched into the air and its hard surface softened, flapping apart to reveal that it was actually the wings of a mighty warrior dressed as a demon. "Final Shadow Night Wing Avenger!" (3200/2500)

"3200 attack points?" Krieger gasped in fear at the towering warrior that hovered above Ichigo's field. "That's…"

"It gets worse." Ichigo spoke coldly now. "I place one card face-down on my field and attack Mobius! Night Wing Blade!" His monster snapped its wings out and yelled out a battle cry. "At this time I send one magic or trap on my field to reduce the power of either the defense or attack of your Mobius by 1000 points!" His set Polymerization card dissolved.

Krieger gasped again as a dark energy fell over his Frost Monarch. (1400/1000) In the background his fan club all gasped as well, right before Ichigo's monster slashed the edge of its wing through the ice monster and destroyed it.

Krieger- 800

Ichigo- 1800

Ichigo slid the last card in his hand into his duel disk. "I'll place this card down as a precaution, and then end my turn. Go ahead Krieger, take your final turn." He sneered again. "Or are you scared?"

"Why?" Krieger looked at the half-demon in confusion. "Why are you acting this way? This can't be you, Ichigo!"

After a few moments Ichigo smiled cheerfully. "It's confusing, isn't it?"

Krieger's eyes widened in realization of what Ichigo had been doing. "You were…pretending?"

"Exactly." Ichigo crossed his arms across his chest. "I couldn't figure it out at first, but now that I know that you've become a world idol and the top duelist of the Southern Lights Academy, it makes sense." He grinned. "You were putting up a front for the sake of making sure to not look like a fool in front of both your school and in front of those who adore you."

Krieger was scared at how amazingly perceptive Ichigo could be sometimes. "You…you figured it out that easily?"

"When a guy you know to be rather shy and not very confident starts acting like you were, it kind of falls into place." The half-demon winked again. "Don't worry, I don't really mind. I just wanted to let you know that sometimes it's best to be yourself. After all, you made plenty of friends when you were here just by being you and you still have them too." He pointed over at Griff, and then at Eri.

Krieger's eyes softened and he finally smiled. "Ichigo…"

Ichigo grinned. "I've got a feeling that in this turn the duel will come to its conclusion. Come on Krieger; show them that while ice is nice, fire is the real king."

After a few moments the half cat-demon nodded and drew. Glancing off to his side, he smiled happily as he felt a familiar prescense alongside him. "It's my turn! In this turn, I will show my true self! First I activate Pot of Greed!" Drawing two cards, he flipped one of them up. "I'm sorry Ichigo, but in this duel I won't lose! I activate Steam Chamber!"

Ichigo closed his eyes and smiled, waiting patiently for what he knew was coming.

"With this card's effect I can remove one water attribute monster from my graveyard!" Holding up Mobius, Krieger fanned out his deck with his other hand. "Then from my deck I select a same level fire attribute monster with fewer attack points than the removed monster and summon it!" Mobius disappeared from his hand and he threw a different card down. "And my choice is Horus the Black Flame Dragon LVL 6!" A giant metal-feathered dragon appeared on his field and screeched its arrival. (2300/1600) "This is Krieger Reinhardt, the duelist of fire!" Horus screeched once more and spread out its wings.

Ichigo kept smiling.

"And now I play Level Up!" Pointing at his Horus, Krieger smiled as well. "By sacrificing Horus the Black Flame Dragon LVL 6 I can special summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LVL 8 from my deck or hand to the field!" His Horus' screech turned into a roar as it was replaced by an even larger version of itself. (3000/1800)

The audience gasped in amazement at the arrival of one of the strongest level monsters in the game. They never knew that someone like the White Tiger would run such a card in his deck.

"It's not done yet!" Krieger pointed at Horus and it disappeared within a pillar of black fire. "I tribute Horus the Black Flame Dragon LVL 8 to special summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LVL 12!" A pair of elegant silver wings rose up from the fire, followed by a magnificent silver head attached to a shining black-streaked draconic body. (3500/3000)

"Horus level twelve?" Griff stared at the new monster. "It's even stronger than Ichigo's Night Wing Avenger!"

"It doesn't matter." Eri frowned at the set card on Ichigo's field and then at Ichigo himself. "All Ichigo has to do when their monsters battle is discard that set card and Horus will only have 2500 attack points."

Krieger smirked. "Let's do it, partner!" Horus roared loudly and flapped its mighty wings. "Black Flame Burst Stream!" Opening its jaws, his partner released a pulsing blast of black fire that hurtled towards Ichigo's fusion.

Ichigo opened his eyes and pointed at his set card. "I activate the effect of Night Wing Avenger, sacrificing my face-down Reinforcements of the Army to power down Horus by 1000 points!" His set card disappeared and the silver dragon was surrounded by that same dark energy as before. (2500/3000)

Krieger kept smirking. "From my hand…" He flipped the last card he was holding up. "I activate Steam Charge!" All around them the Tundra started to melt. "With this card I can remove water attribute monsters from my graveyard and water power-up magic cards from my field as its cost!" He held up his Siberian Tiger and his Ice Soldier. "For every water attribute monster removed, the attack of one fire attribute monster on my field is increased by 500 points!" (3500/3000)

After a few moments Ichigo shrugged. "Well then I lose this battle, but I don't really lose the war…"

"Hold on, I'm not done." Krieger held up his Tundra card as well. "For every water attribute power-up magic card I remove, the attack of one fire attribute monster on my field is increased by 1000!" (4500/3000)

Griff and Eri both gasped. "That means…"

Ichigo threw up his arms and braced himself as his Night Wing Avenger took the flaming blast head-on and was instantly flash-fried.

Krieger- 800

Ichigo- 500

Krieger closed his eyes calmly. "The card you sent to your graveyard was Reinforcements of the Army, which was a magic card." His eyes snapped open, revealing a fierce glow behind them. "At the end phase of a turn for every magic card you've lost to the graveyard, Horus punishes you by dealing you 1000 points of damage! Horus, I end my turn!" His partner lifted into the air and opened its wings, releasing a spray of black fire onto Ichigo.

Krieger- 800

Ichigo- 0

As the field faded, the Krieger fan club stood up and cheered as loud as they possibly could.

Ichigo smiled and brushed himself off. "That's the Krieger I remember." Walking up to his friend, he offered his hand. "Thanks for the great duel."

Smiling warmly, Krieger took his friend's hand and shook it strongly. "Ichigo, thank you for reminding me what it meant to be myself."

Back up in the stands, Griff sighed. "Why is it even when Ichigo loses, he somehow makes it seem like he's won?"

Eri sighed as well. "It's called divine compensation for being dense as lead."

-------------------------------------------------------

As evening rolled around, sounds of a party could be heard from the Osiris Red dorm.

In the dining hall a banner was strung up that said 'Welcome White Tiger' and there were far too many people in the rather cramped area then there should have been.

Ichigo, Griff and Krieger all clinked their glasses of water together. "For everlasting friendship! Cheers!" Then they all took a sip.

Putting his glass down, Ichigo laughed loudly. "I thought you were staying at the Obelisk Blue dorms Krieger, what's the deal with holding the party over here? I'm sure they actually have better food and all…"

Krieger giggled quietly. "Perhaps, but when I'm supposed to be somewhere officially, it's nice not to be where I know my fan club is." Adjusting his white uniform, he sighed. "You'd be surprised how hard it is keeping up an image."

"That's why I always am myself!" Ichigo downed the rest of his water. "My fans can adore me for being me!"

("The only fans Ichigo has are in his own mind.") Griff thought dryly as the party continued.

_To be continued…_


	24. SoulShaking Moment

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 24: Soul-Shaking Moment; How could this be possible?

"It's Saturday morning!" Aithoshi opened the door his to his room and stepped out in the sunlight, stretching his arms up to the sky. "Today's a day where the students should go out and do something exciting to help pass the time!" Looking down at himself, he realized he was still dressed in his pajamas. "I suppose I should take my own advice, shouldn't I?" Up in the sky above a bird flew by squawking out _'Aho…Aho…"_

"AH! I'm gonna miss it!" A few moments later Ichigo went jogging by, carrying a heavy-looking bag over one shoulder. "Hey there Aitoshi-san!"

"That's Aitoshi-sensei!" The teacher yelled in response, but he already knew that Ichigo was long gone. "What a strange boy that Ichigo is."

-----------------------------------------------------------

The gang had already gathered in one of the viewing rooms used normally by teachers to show movies to the students. There were some rather spacious couches and a few chairs set up in a big semi-circle around a big-screen plasma television, with surround sound speakers hooked up for a perfect viewing experience.

Chris yawned and cuddled up against her pillow, lying bodily against the seats of one of the couches. "When's the show going to start? It's really early and I could have spent this time sleeping."

Erian, who was currently being used as Chris' pillow, sighed and flushed red. "Where is Ichigo? Wasn't he supposed to bring the food?"

Griff tapped his foot against the floor a few times and paced the small viewing room angrily. "Yes, he was. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he wouldn't have woken up on time for this."

Krieger flipped through the channels on the big screen TV rapidly. "We shouldn't be so critical of Ichigo's sleeping habits though. I wouldn't have woken up at my usual time today if not for Eri."

The demoness sat next to him, yawning loudly. "I wish you had told me that your 'usual' time was at five in the morning."

With his back against one wall of the room, Adriel stifled a yawn of his own. "So what's this 'big thing' that you wanted to show us anyway, Reinhardt?"

Krieger smiled and finally stopped on the right television station. "It's a special charity duel held between some of the top duelists of the international dueling circuit. So far there's been a lot of speculation online about who the actual duelists are going to be, but the top choices at this point are a whole bunch of different possibilities. I thought it would be fun if all of us got together and watched it." One of his ears flicked. "Ichigo's here…"

Griff ran over to the door to the viewing room and threw it open just as Ichigo came barreling in, the half-demon dropping to his back and sliding across the room in a baseball slide. "There you are! What took you so long?"

Hopping up to his feet, Ichigo brushed himself off and grinned as he tossed his heavy duffel bag off his shoulder. "I told you I'd bring lots of snacks for this, so it took me a little bit of time choosing what we were going to have." Unzipping the bag, he pulled out a few boxes of pocky. "Let's see, there's this…"

"Be quiet already!" Adriel dropped into a chair. "It's about to start."

-------------------------------

"_Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to our coverage of the Graceful Charity Tournament 2042."_ The announcer spoke while the camera panned across the huge dueling arena and then across the gathered crowds of cheering fans. _"This annual event was originally started by Industrial Illusions in 2010, and since then it has picked up to the massive event it is today."_ A lists of names appeared. _"Twenty top-ranked international circuit duelists have signed up, each one representing a certain charity. Matches between the competitors will be determined at random, with the winner earning three million dollars for their charity and the loser walking way with two million dollars in compensation!"_

----------------------------------

"Three million dollars?" Ichigo spoke through a stick of pocky that sat clenched in his teeth. "Wow, that's a lot of money on the line for just one duel."

"That's true, I can't even imagine what the pressure has to be to win. That one million dollar difference is huge…" Griff sighed and collapsed back against his chair. "Wow, that's sending shivers down my spine just thinking about it."

"Psh, that's peanuts compared to the money my father makes through his company." Adriel kicked his feet up and flicked a couple pieces of popcorn into his mouth.

Eri nodded sagely. "That's the same situation for my father. Money like that might seem big, but if it's being spread out across the efforts for a whole charity organization then it's only a minor addition." Her seat moved slightly. "Stop squirming."

Wolf ears glowing molten red, Ichigo tried to hold still for a few more seconds before he started whimpering. "Eri, could you please get off my lap…or at least…" He went silent as the demoness leaned her head back and gently bit his exposed throat with her teeth, just enough to pierce the first layer of skin. "Right…never mind..."

--------------------------------------------

The crowds started to cheer as the announcer's voice came on over the speakers. _"The Graceful Charity Tournament's first match will be Achmed Mohistava versus Nikolai Corben!"_ The cheering grew deafening at the mention of the second name.

A picture appeared on the television screen of Achmed Mohistava. He was a dark-skinned Egyptian man wearing a fine black robe with a pair of strong brown eyes. _"Mr. Mohistava is here on the behalf of the Egypt Recovery Committee, an organization that uses the funds it acquires to restore ransacked ancient tombs and the like to their former glory. A worthy cause indeed."_

The next picture to appear was that of a wild-haired and light brown-eyed teenager. His skin was a very pale white, so pale in fact that he seemed albino. _"And the challenger is Nikolai Corben, one of the highest rising stars in the international dueling circuit. His story is one like that of Cinderella. From out of nowhere he appeared one day at one of the international testing centers and ever since then he had dominated every duel he was a part of. No one knows much about him, mostly due to the fact he speaks with the press very little after his duels. This has earned him the nickname the Phantom Osprey, given both because of his ability to disappear after a tournament has ended and because of his amazing dueling style."_

"_Today Nikolai claims he is here on the behalf of the charity sponsoring the duelist who wins their duel in the most impressive fashion, which offers an interesting opportunity to our competitors. This will make them work their hardest to not only win, but to impress Nikolai enough that he would hand over his share of the prize money to their charity of choice."_

-------------------------------------------------

"The Phantom Osprey?" Eri frowned and tried to hide the fact that she was blushing slightly. Something about that guy's hair and his eyes sparked a little warmth in her chest. "Well, he's going against Griff's father in this duel, so he can't expect to win. Regardless of whatever deck…" Suddenly her eyes drooped and she started purring.

Ichigo gently moved her off of his lap and continued to rub her wolf ears carefully. "Finally…that was really starting to hurt…"

Griff sweat-dropped, but he quickly recovered though. "Like I'm sure she was saying, it doesn't matter what kind of deck this Nikolai guy runs. My dad runs Gravekeeper monsters, and they're some of the toughest when it comes to rushing the enemy and locking them down at the same time. He's sure to win!"

"Shhh, they're getting ready to start." Adriel readjusted himself in his chair…and then blinked as he realized that Ambience was sitting next to him in a different chair. ("When did she…")

The Traveler blushed when she realized he was looking at her and waved back.

--------------------------------------------------

At one end of the elegant dueling field stood Griff's father, Achmed Mohistava. He was wearing simple black robes resembling those of a member of the Gravekeeper clan, and his eyes were smiling. "It's a pleasure to finally run into you, Nikolai. I've heard many different things about your dueling skills, but up until now most of it seemed to be rumors." He activated his duel disk. "Now though I'd like to see just what all the fuss is about."

"Fuss?" Nikolai was wearing a light grey jacket and pants, the setup seeming to drain the color from the air around him. His voice had a pale Russian accent behind it, almost paler than his face. "I wouldn't go and say that anything I have done so far would cause a fuss." His duel disk activated. "However, I wonder just how well I'll do against a top-ranked world-class duelist."

"_Let the first duel begin!"_ The announcer's voice echoed across the stadium and the audience went wild while the two of them drew their opening hands.

Achmed- 4000

Nikolai- 4000

Achmed smiled happily at Nikolai once more. "Alright then, let me start this friendly duel off." He drew. "I'll just place one monster face-down and let you take it from there, Nikolai." A face-down monster appeared on his field.

Nikolai's eyes were like those of a predator as he looked at the cards in his hand. "A friendly duel, huh?" He smiled warily. "My apologies to you, Achmed, but there is no such thing! It's my turn, draw!" Looking at his drawn card, his smile reflected his focus. It was pin-point and sharp enough to cut a diamond.

--------------------

Ichigo, though his hands were still rubbing Eri's ears to keep her preoccupied, watched Nikolai's stance carefully. ("The way he is standing is familiar. Where have I seen it before though?")

----------------------

Nikolai placed the card he had drawn down. "My choice is this monster!" A shadowed form slowly formed on his field…

----------------------

Eri's purrs slowed and her vision returned to normal as she realized that the rubs to her ears were growing much slower. Tilting her head up sleepily up Ichigo, she immediately was fully focused when she realized that he looked terrified. "Ichigo, what's wrong?"

Her ears picked up the gasps from everyone else as well. ("What could be so surprising?") Turning her head to look at the screen, she could only gasp as well.

---------------------

"Final Shadow Smash Brute!" Nikolai's monster was a large-bodied humanoid monster with gigantic fists. (1800/1500) "Let me show you just how friendly I can be, Achmed! Go Smash Brute, Rolling Tackle!" His monster charged across the field and crashed its shoulder into the Egyptian duelist's set monster. A few moments later it was sent sliding back to his field.

"My monster was Gravekeeper's Spy!" (1200/2000) Pointing at his revealed black-robed monster, Achmed removed a card from his deck. "When this flip effect monster is flipped face-up, I may special summon a Gravekeeper's named monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck to the field!" A black-robed Egyptian holding a cane appeared on his field. "My choice is Gravekeeper's Curse, who when normal summoned, flip summoned or special summoned deals you 500 points of damage!" His monster started to chant and a golden light sprang to life around Nikolai's body.

Achmed- 4000

Nikolai- 3300

Nikolai barely seemed affected by the damage. "After Smash Brute finishes damage calculation with a defense mode monster, that monster is destroyed!" The Spy shuddered and then exploded. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

----------------------------------------

("That can't be right…") Ichigo pulled his deck out of his pocket and fanned out the cards. ("They're all here. Smash Brute, Night Slasher, Midnight Romancer…")

Erian looked at the surprise on many of the faces in the room in confusion. "What's so surprising? He's got the same deck as Ichigo, so…"

"That can't be possible though." Adriel grimly set his jaw line. "The Final Shadows are special, and they weren't printed through normal means so there shouldn't even be a chance that those are simply copies." He looked back at Ichigo. "Do you know what is going on, Pilkington?"

Eyes trembling, Ichigo shook his head and kept watching the screen. ("Another set of Final Shadows? Where did they come from?")

"It doesn't matter though." Griff crossed his arms across his chest and nodded resolutely. "My dad will beat that guy. He can't possibly use the Final Shadows better than Ichigo."

"If it was me…" Ichigo's voice was wavering, but he forced the words out. "Those set cards should be Night Signal and Evil Eye. They have to be!"

----------------------------------------

Achmed drew the top card off of his deck, at the same time opening his field magic card slot and slapping a card down into it. "I activate the field magic card Necrovalley!" All around them huge stone walls rose into the sky. "While this field magic card is in play the power of all Gravekeeper's named monsters increases by 500 points!" (Gravekeeper's Curse: 1300/1300)

Nikolai barely noticed, his eyes locked ahead and watching Achmed's movements.

After a few moments Achmed pointed at his Gravekeeper's Curse. "I tribute my monster to summon Gravekeeper's Chief!" A black-robed Egyptian holding a snake-headed staff appeared on his field. (1900/1200+500/5002400/1700) "When Gravekeeper's Chief is tribute summoned I can special summon one Gravekeeper's named card from my graveyard to the field!" His Gravekeeper's Curse reappeared. (1300/1300) "At this time my special summoned Gravekeeper's Curse deals you 500 points of damage!"

Once more Nikolai was covered in a glowing golden light, and once more he seemed unaffected.

Achmed- 4000

Nikolai- 2800

Achmed held up one of his hand cards. "I activate Gravekeeper's Dark Curse, which can only activate when Necrovalley is in play. One magic or trap card in play is selected and destroyed!" One of Nikolai's two set cards flipped up and revealed the trap card Evil Eye, which shattered. "And now my attack is ready! Go Chief, attack Smash Brute!"

Nikolai closed his eyes. "I will not allow you." His Smash Brute punched the ground and both of Achmed's monsters dropped to their knees. "I reveal my face-down Smash Quake, which switches all monsters on your field to defense mode. For every one of them switched, you take 500 points of damage."

Achmed- 3000

Nikolai- 2800

--------------------------------

Silence held over the room, and then Erian spoke plainly. "Well, one out of two isn't bad."

Ichigo clenched his hands tightly. "Smash Quake...I've…I've never heard of that card." This brought another round of gasps from his oldest friends.

-----------------------------------

Drawing, Nikolai finally opened his eyes. "I summon Final Shadow Night Slasher!" (1100/800) A dramatic black-robed form appeared on his field. "When this monster is summoned, I may select one monster in play with current attack or original attack less than its own and destroy it!" He pointed at the Gravekeeper's Curse. "Of course my choice is that weakling!"

Achmed gasped as Night Slasher appeared behind his spellcaster and slashed it across the back, shattering it instantly. "Interesting, but also dangerous. With the power of Necrovalley that 1100 monster can easily be conquered."

"Conquered?" Nikolai's held up Polymerization. "I beg to differ. I activate Polymerization and fuse the Night Slasher on my field with the Final Shadow Avenger Zero in my hand to summon…" A bat-winged warrior appeared in the air above his Night Slasher and then the both of them were pulled into a swirling vortex of light. "…Final Shadow Night Wingman!" (2600/1500) A pure black steel-winged cybernetic warrior appeared on his field.

-------------------------------------

Adriel stared at the bewildered look on his rival's face. ("He's never heard of that card either? Could it be possible that this Nikolai knows Ichigo's deck better than Ichigo?")

---------------------------------------

"Night Wingman, attack the defense mode Gravekeeper's Chief with Night Wing Rave!" Nikolai's monster flew in close to the Egyptian duelist's monster and then everything went dark. A few moments later light returned to the field just as the Gravekeeper's Chief shattered. "When Night Wingman battles with a defense mode monster and its attack is higher than the defense of the attacked monster, then the difference is deal in damage to your life points!"

Achmed- 2100

Nikolai- 2800

Achmed was impressed, at least up to this point. ("His abilities so far are good, but during the next turn I'll have to stop testing him.") Then he was sliding backwards as Smash Brute punched him right in the chest.

Achmed- 300

Nikolai- 2800

Inserting a card into his duel disk, Nikolai looked at Achmed calmly. "I end my turn."

Achmed drew and inserted a card into his duel disk. "I begin my turn with Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." Pulling two cards off of his deck, he added them to his hand. "With this I will end the duel. The power of Necrovalley is the power of the graveyard, and as such I activate the magic card Necro Blast!" A fireball of blue ectoplasm exploded out of his graveyard and slammed into Nikolai's chest. "You now take 400 points of damage for every monster in my graveyard, and that damage is doubled if I have Necrovalley in play!"

Achmed- 300

Nikolai- 1200

Achmed held up another card. "And once more, I activate Necro Blast!"

------------------------------

Griff pumped his fist into the air triumphantly. "Hah, that was easy! Go Dad!"

Ichigo's thoughts were muddled. ("I…can't understand what cards he has. His Final Shadows are different than mine?")

--------------------------------

Nikolai narrowed his eyes angrily. "Such a cowardly way to win your duels won't be allowed either!" His face-down card flipped up. "I activate Shadow Swirl! This card allows me to remove one Final Shadow on my field from the game and special summon a same level Final Shadow to my field from my deck! Come out now Final Shadow Soul Blader!" (1000/1000) A grey-cloaked warrior holding a large grey sword appeared on his field. "For every removed from play card I have, its attack increases by 300!" (1300/1000) "However, the power of Shadow Swirl allows me to remove the special summoned monster and any monsters on my field from the game! After this completes, I may special summon one fusion monster that has the names of the removed monsters in its text!" His Night Wingman and Soul Blader disappeared. "You've already lost, Achmed! My choice is the monster that earned my nickname for me!" A pair of wide black-steel wings appeared on his field, followed by a version of the Night Wingman that was covered in grey armor. "Night Wing Herald!" (0/0)

"But the effect of Necro Blast is about to wipe out your life points, so there's nothing you can do to stop it…" Achmed suddenly clutched at his chest as pain exploded through him. "No, that can't be…"

Achmed- 0

Nikolai- 1200

"When Night Wing Herald is summoned you lose 1000 life points, and then an additional 300 life points for every removed card there is. Therefore, you lose." Nikolai crossed his arms across his chest as the field faded away. "I won't fault you for trying, but I will admit that I'm unimpressed by your performance." Turning, he walked away from the dueling field. "Perhaps when you get better I'll play you again."

----------------------------------

"…….." Griff stared at the screen, his face as pale as it could be. ("Dad…lost?")

Ichigo suddenly stood up and walked out, shattering the silence. "I…need to go." He was unsure of anything at the moment. For someone to have the Final Shadows was amazing enough, but from what he could tell so far…if he dueled Nikolai with Final Shadows, he would lose miserably. ("I have to find out how he got them.")

_To be continued…_


	25. Embodiment of Might Part 1

A cardboard stage slowly lowers into view. Its curtains pull back to reveal Ichigo looking away from the audience and at one end of the stage, wearing the silver and black bodysuit he was wearing during the last 'Recap of the Crazy Stuff'. He is looking at the ground seriously, eyes closed. "Nikolai Corben's deck is a Final Shadow deck. His deck is the same as my own. So I have to know…who is the better Shadow duelist? Is it him, or me? But first, I have to improve my skills with my deck. At my current level he'd crush me."

The curtains close and when they open again it shows Eri, Krieger and Griff in their school uniforms.

Eri crosses her arms across her chest and frowns. "Where did Ichigo go? He's not in his room…"

Griff crosses his arms across his chest. "He's not at any of the dueling arenas…"

Krieger sighs and crosses his arms across his chest. "Perhaps we'll find him if we keep looking?" They all nod and the curtains close.

Once more the curtains open to reveal Nikolai Corben standing alone, a deck fanned out in front of his face. "This will work. I will bring you out of hiding, Final Shadow duelist." The curtains fall and the lights dim.

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 25: Embodiment of Might (Part 1)

Ichigo closed his eyes, the smell of the ocean in his nose and the sound of the crashing waves in his ears. "It's my turn, draw!" Pulling the top card off of his deck, he kept his eyes closed and held the card up in front of his face. ("This is Pot of Greed.") Opening his eyes, he nodded at the sight of a smiling green jar. "I activate Pot of Greed and draw two cards!" Pulling two cards off of his deck, he held them off to his side. "These are Polymerization and Fusion Recovery." Flipping them up, he snarled at the sight of Evil Eye and Final Shadow Vortex Mercenary.

After a few moments he looked at the small metal box that sat about twenty feet from him. "Computer, I surrender this duel." Shuffling up his deck, he sighed. ("I'm not ready yet. I even brought out this duel simulator from storage too.") "Computer, run simulation number thirty-five, but set the life points of the opponent to 8000 instead of 4000 and replace the two set cards with cards appropriate to the situation. Choose those cards at random however, so I can't guess what their exact effects are."

The box beeped and a few moments later a titanic three-headed white-scaled dragon appeared before him. (Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon: 4500/3800) Behind it a pair of set cards shimmered into existence, and a life point counter sprang up over the box itself. (8000) _"Objective: Win in this turn. You have no cards in play and five cards in hand. You begin this simulation at the start of your turn."_ The voice was a calm female one that emanated from the box.

Ichigo nodded and drew his five cards. "It's my turn!" He drew and flipped the cards back to his face so he couldn't see it. "This is Final Shadow Avenger Zero!" Flipping the card around so he could see it, he grinned. It was that card. "Alright, I activate the field magic card Immortal Clocktower Hideout!" A giant Clocktower erupted into the air behind him. "When a Final Shadow or Final Shadow God battles with a stronger monster, it gains 1000 attack points!"

"_Reverse card open."_ One of the computer's two set card flipped up. _"Aerial Destruction destroys one field magic card when it is activated."_ The Clocktower shuddered, cracks appearing along its body. Then after a few moments it shattered.

Ichigo was still smiling. "Not a problem." His field magic card slot opened again. "I activate the field magic card City of Shadows!" All around them giant skyscrapers rose into the sky, and a deep black mist fell over the quiet cityscape. "When this card is activated I target one card in play and remove it from the game!" The face-down card on the computer's field disappeared. "Also, I play Moon of Legend!" He discarded Avenger Zero. "By discarding one card from my hand while City of Shadows is in play, I can special summon Moonlight Romancer from my deck!" The tuxedo-wearing Final Shadow God appeared on his field and bowed to the titanic dragon. (1400/1200)

"The effect of Moonlight Romancer is that when he's summoned by the effect of Moon of Legend I can add one Moonlight Romancer specific card from my deck to my hand!" Removing a card from his deck, he flipped it up. "I activate Moonlight Love!" A trio of pink hearts appeared over the three heads of the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and it floated over to his field. "When Moonlight Romancer is in play I may, for the turn, control an opponent's face-up monster."

After a few moments the half-demon frowned. ("Man…") Sighing in a depressed fashion, he held up the last two cards in his hand. "I play the magic card Dressed for Success, discarding a card from my hand to equip a monster on my field with an equipment magic card from my deck. My choice is Moonlight Cane." A long cane appeared in the hands of his Moonlight Romancer. "The attack of my monster increases by 500." (1900/1200) "Also, I send one level four or lower Final Shadow monster from my deck to the graveyard to power up Moonlight Romancer by that monster's attack. My choice is the 1800 attack Smash Brute." (3700/1200)

He half-hearted pointed at the simulator. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and Moonlight Romancer attack directly." Both of his monsters unleashed their attacks. (CLP: 0)

While the field cleared Ichigo dropped to his butt and sighed, the sandy beach's relaxing atmosphere lost to him. ("Even now I don't think I could beat Nikolai though. The way he dueled using his Final Shadows…") Standing up, he shuffled his deck. "Once more, but this time with 16000 life points!"

-----------------------------------------

"Ichigo, where are you?" Eri sniffed the air again, crouching on all fours limbs. "Come out already! You were around here at one point or another in the last hour!"

Krieger and Griff both stared at the demoness, and then they shrugged to each other. They had no idea why she was acting like a dog.

Eri's ears perked and she hurled herself into the nearby bushes. "There you are!" A few moments later a cry of surprise echoed from beyond where the demoness leapt, followed by a loud thud.

Griff groaned and ground his palm into his forehead. ("Man…she's acting like Ichigo tends to act…") Running past the bushes, he got ready to help up whoever Eri had knocked down. Right past the bushes there was a dirt trail, and Griff was more than a little surprised by what he saw there.

Eri was face-down on the trail, her arms outstretched and her body twitching slightly. From the fact that she was limp, the Egyptian boy could only assume that she had knocked herself unconscious. And if the lump that was developing on her head was any indication of what had happened, she must have leapt into a rock. ("Except…") He glanced around in confusion. ("The roads clean…what did she hit?")

"Ow..." The bushes on the other side of the path rustled slightly. "What was that all about?"

Griff gulped loudly as he put two and two together. ("Eri's a half-demon, so the strength of her leap would probably have shattered stone.") If the demoness had head-butted a normal human being, they'd have probably broken whatever bone her skull had connected with. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." The bushes parted and someone stepped out. Griff would have categorized them, but his brain was having trouble fathoming what he was seeing.

"Griff, is everything…" Krieger's head emerged from the bushes, and his eyes bugged out of his head at what he saw. "Oh my…"

---------------------------------------

"_Objective: Deck out the opponent in this turn. You have no cards in play and five cards in your hand. According to your specifications, the number of cards remaining in the opponent's deck has changed from ten to forty."_ The computer beeped a couple of times and then hummed to life. A face-up card appeared in play on its side of the field. (Nightmare Steel Cage; Normal magic card- This card remains on your field after being played. Neither you nor your opponent may attack. Destroy this card during your second standby phase.)

Ichigo took a deep breath and then drew. "This is Final Shadow Count!" Flipping the drawn card over, he nodded at it. "Correct." Sliding a different card into his disk, he smiled slightly. "Debt Collector is a continuous magic card that activates when the opponent would lose a card from their hand by one of my card effects and they have no cards in their hand. I can discard the top three cards of their deck as compensation."

Throwing a card onto his disk, he smirked as a black-clothed ninja appeared in play on his field and struck a pose. "I summon Final Shadow Ebony Ninja in attack mode!" (900/0) "Also I play the magic card Shadow Replication, which can only activate when Ebony Ninja is in play." Four more Ebony Ninja appeared on his field. "Four Ebony Ninja Tokens are special summoned to my field. They cannot attack." (900/0x4)

His hand slammed a card into his disk. "Anointment of Shadows treats all monsters on my field as Final Shadows for the duration of the turn!" Another card slid into place next to it. "Final Shadow Count is a magic card that forces the opponent to discard one card from their hand for every Final Shadow I have in play!"

The computer whined and spat fifteen cards out of its body, all of them dissolving into thin air. (Cards remaining in deck: 25)

Holding up the last card in his hand, Ichigo grimaced as he still didn't feel it. ("The connection with this deck isn't strong enough.") "My last card is the magic card Rush Hour Night. I tribute all Final Shadow monsters on my field if I have no cards in my hand." His five Final Shadow Ebony Ninjas disappeared. "For every monster sacrificed, the opponent must either discard a card from their hand or the top two cards of their deck. In the case they have no cards in their hand; they must instead discard the top three cards of their deck. Also, because the effect of Debt Collector triggers since the enemy has no cards in their hand, you discard six cards from your deck for each of my monsters. Five times six is thirty, and that's how many cards you lose!" (Cards remaining in deck: 0)

As the field faded away, the half-demon rubbed the back of his head in frustration. ("This is ridiculous. Most duelists would feel more than competent as they are now, but for some reason I can't stop convincing myself that if I were to duel Nikolai right now he would walk all over me.") Pounding his fist into his open hand, he exhaled loudly. "Alright then, let's try something different!"

---------------------------------

Eri awoke feeling absolutely horrible. Through her swimming thoughts, she was vaguely reminded of when she had gotten a taste of alcohol. Though comparing this to a hangover was a bit silly…this felt a lot worse. "By the nine hells…what hit me?"

"Oh, you're finally awake?" Her ears perked a little and flicked to find the location of Griff's voice. "Nothing hit you, stupid. You threw yourself right into somebody."

"That doesn't make sense…" Sitting up slowly, Eri refused to open her eyes until the spinning feeling in her stomach intended to stop. "If I had run into someone, they'd have been broken apart. I feel like I was hit by a car though…"

"Heh…well, the person you ran into is kind of…special." Griff was laughing very nervously. "Actually, she'll be back pretty soon and you'll get the chance to meet her. For right now though recover…that bump on your head is pretty freaking huge."

Nodding slowly, the demoness slowly returned to lying on her back and tried her hardest to recover her focus.

------------------------------------

"That was an excellent duel today, Corben-san." Nikolai's manager bowed once more to his prized duelist. "You did an excellent job, and even though it was for charity you also managed to take down a pro league duelist."

"A pro league duelist…" Nikolai walked into his hotel room. "Indeed. Thank you very much for your kind words." Then he closed the door and walked over to a laptop that sat on a table he had moved into the room. ("Even now I feel the wheels turning…") Sitting down in front of the computer, he opened it and started typing. "First, let's see if he's offered an official challenge."

A few moments later he frowned. "No, no official challenge from the Final Shadow duelist yet. However, I won't give up. I'll run this deck as long as it's necessary until he shows up." Closing the laptop, a deep sigh escaped his lips. "However, that does not make this any easier. I wish dearly for a chance to…" His cell phone rang. Pulling it out of his pocket, he held the device up to his ear and pressed the receive button. "Hello?" The voice on the other end was a very cold one, and it didn't sound pleased. "Is that so?"

Standing up and walking across the room, the pro league duelist looked out the window of his room and out across the sea. For a few minutes he listened to the voice on the other end, and then he growled at the receiver. "I don't believe you have the right to order me to do anything, regardless of your power in the world. Good night, Mr. Halo."

Closing the phone and tossing it onto the bed, he clenched his fist in anger. ("So, the mysterious rising star of the business world knows something about the Final Shadows. I'm betting he even knows who the one I am searching for is.") It didn't matter though. He would find the Final Shadow duelist using his own methods, and not become the puppet for some cold-hearted monster like Yami Halo.

------------------------------------------------------

Eri's ears perked and she sat up, the pain from his headache already nearly gone. "We have company." A few moments later Krieger walked into the clearing, a deep red blush on his face. ("Huh? Why's he blushing?")

"…and I still can't believe I got to meet the famous idol Krieger Reinhardt." The voice coming from the trees sounded female, and it sounded more or less normal.

"Is that the girl who I ran into?" Eri noticed that Griff was snickering about something. "Answer my question, fool." When he nodded she stood up and brushed herself off. Bowing her head and closing her eyes,her dialect changed to a much more traditional form of Japanese with her next words. "I apologize deeply for not paying attention to where I was going. Please forgive me for any injuries I may have caused you."

The sound of two pairs of footsteps got closer, and the female voice spoke again. "Oh, don't worry about it. I'm more worried whether or not you're alright."

Eri, eyes still closed and head still bowed, continued talking in that traditional dialect. "I am unharmed."

Griff sighed exasperatedly. "Eri, open your eyes and look at the girl before you start apologizing. I don't think you could physically injure her unless you tried."

The demoness opened her eyes and she saw a normal pair of sneakers. ("What's he talking about?") She lifted her head up to look at the girl's face. "…I…see."

The girl she had run into looked fairly normal. She had chestnut brown-colored long hair tied up in a ponytail up around the back of her head, and she had a pair of normal hazel eyes. She actually looked kind of like Ichigo, considering her skin was the same kind of pale peach color that his was too.

She was wearing an Osiris Red uniform, pants and all, which alone was rather strange since the demoness had never seen female students wearing a uniform for that dorm. What added to the strangeness of that was that the girl was also wearing a heavy Osiris Red winter coat over her uniform, as if to cover her body. Evenher strange clothingdidn't surpass what Eri found to be absolutely amazing about this girl, her height. She was at least eight feet tall, if not taller. It wasn't like she was tall and skinny either. Sheseemed, considering what little of her body Eri could actually see, to be a normal sixteen year old girl.Justbigger."Yo, I'm Teruha Chikara. Your friend's already told me your name, Eri-san, so I guess we can skip the introductions."

Eri gaped at the other girl for a few moments before realizing she was making an ass out of herself. Quickly regaining her composure, she nodded. "I…I see! Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you Teruha-san."

Griff smiled and stood up, standing next to Teruha with a big grin on his face. "Apparently Teruha here is a big fan of Krieger's songs, so I guess you could say it was luck that we ran into her." He smirked at the bright red blush across Krieger's cheeks. ("I will rib you until the end of time about this, Krieger.")

Teruha suddenly grew an intense smile, and she leaned in close to look right into Eri's face, which left the demoness rather off-balance. "I've heard from Griff that you're the top-ranked duelist of the academy at the moment." When Eri nodded she stood up straight again and pounded her right fist into her left hand. "Then I want to duel you right now, Eri-san. Will you accept my challenge?"

Eri glowered and looked away. "I'm looking for Ichigo right now, maybe later."

"Ichigo?" Teruha kept smiling. "Oh! I know who you're talking about!" Crossing her arms across her chest, she grinned at her advantage. "And I just happen to know where he is too."

Eri sneered at Teruha, showing off her fangs. "Then you'll tell me right now, if you know what is good for you."

"Win and I'll be glad to tell you." Teruha smiled and walked over to a nearby tree, pulling out a large backpack and removing a duel disk from it. Strapping the massive device to her arm, she walked to the other side of the clearing. "Ready?"

"Keh…it can't be helped." Eri glanced at Griff, who sighed and handed her a duel disk. Sliding her deck into place, the demoness activated the device. "Duel!"

-----------------------------

Only a few dozen feet away, a small black cocoon was hanging onto the branch of a tree. It started to pulse, giving off a weak crimson glow.

_To be continued…_


	26. Embodiment of Might Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

Author's Notes: So, how is it so far? Is there something you'd like to see more of? Give me some freaking feedback here, people. And yes, I'm talking to all you lurkers out there…I want to hear your opinion!

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 26: Embodiment of Might (Part 2)

"_Ichigo?" Teruha kept smiling. "Oh! I know who you're talking about!" Crossing her arms across her chest, she grinned at her advantage. "And I just happen to know where he is too."_

_Eri sneered at Teruha, showing off her fangs. "Then you'll tell me right now, if you know what is good for you."_

"_Win and I'll be glad to tell you." Teruha smiled and walked over to a nearby tree, pulling out a large backpack and removing a duel disk from it. Strapping the massive device to her arm, she walked to the other side of the clearing. "Ready?"_

"_Keh…it can't be helped." Eri glanced at Griff, who sighed and handed her a duel disk. Sliding her deck into place, the demoness activated the device. "Duel!"_

Eri- 4000

Teruha- 4000

Griff and Krieger sat near the edge of the clearing to watch. Neither of them had yet to see whether or not Eri's dueling skills had improved since the end of last year, so now was their chance to see what deck placed her as the number one ranked duelist in the Academy.

"I begin, draw!" The demoness yanked the top card off of her deck, the afternoon sun shining down on her. "I summon Apprentice Red Riding Hood in attack mode!" (300/400) A little blond-haired girl wearing a red hood over her head appeared in play. "Also…" Eri's field magic card slot opened and she placed a card into it. "I play the field magic card Apprentice Academy!" The background around them turned to that of a large elementary school. "While this card is in play, all Apprentice named monsters can attack you directly."

Teruha narrowed her eyes at the new field they were standing in. "Why play a field magic card during the first turn when you don't gain any bonuses from it?"

"You'll see soon enough." Eri inserted a card into her duel disk. "I place one card face-down on the field and at the end of the turn I activate Apprentice Red Riding Hood's special ability!" A golden coin appeared in the air next to her. "At this time a coin is flipped. If I guess what side it lands on correctly, then the attack of my Apprentice is doubled." The coin launched into the air and then came crashing down next to her, kicking up a small cloud of dust. "I call Heads." The dust cleared to reveal Tails. (150/400) "Damn…end turn."

Teruha took a deep breath…and then started tugging on her collar. "I can't take it anymore!"

"Huh?" Eri blinked in confusion as her opponent removed her duel disk. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking off this freaking coat! It's way too hot!" Dropping the duel disk to her side, she undid the buttons for the Osiris Red winter coat and hurled it away, revealing her normal Osiris Red uniform. She also revealed that the sleeves to her uniform were gone, leaving her arms bare.

"Did you adjust your uniform or something?" Eri sighed. "Technically that's against the rules…"

Teruha flushed red in the cheeks and picked up her duel disk, putting it back on and removing her hand of cards from her pants pocket. "I didn't make this uniform. It's a special order from the faculty requested by my family. I'm assuming it's like this because it would take too much effort to make sleeves to fit my arms when the guys making the uniform don't know my sizes."

Eri snickered. "I hope you aren't complaining about being too tall…I'd kill for that kind of height."

Griff sweat-dropped. "Uh ladies…the duel?"

"Oh yeah!" Teruha drew. "It's my turn! Now then, allow me to introduce you to the Chikara method of dueling!" Fanning out her hand, she smirked. "Chikara's _Chikara_, that is my family's motto and that is where my dueling skills are found! Come out now, Gilasaurus!" (1400/400) A large brown-scaled velociraptor appeared on her field. "Gilasaurus can be special summoned, at which time you are allowed to special summon a monster from your graveyard. However, in this case, since you have monsters in your graveyard, you can't make use of that ability."

Eri looked like she was about to start laughing. "A Dinosaur Deck? You mean people actually use the Dinosaur type?"

"….." Teruha had a vein bulging out of her forehead now. "You know, I feel like punching you in the face right now."

Eri's sneer concealed the fact that inwardly she was smiling. ("That's right, lose your cool and attack with your little lizard. Just watch what happens when you run face-first into my trap.")

Teruha suddenly smiled slyly. "Whew…" Exhaling loudly, her body went limp for a moment as she relaxed. "You nearly got me there too. I need to be more careful with my temper." Her field magic card slot opened. "As for your set card, which I assume is a trap…I activate Jurassic World!" The schoolyard disappeared, replaced by a steamy jungle with volcanoes in the background.

Eri's eyes widened and she looked at her face-down card worriedly. ("Without Apprentice Academy in play Hide and Seek will only let me use its first effect.")

The Osiris Red pointed at her Gilasaurus. "First, the effect of Jurassic World increases the attack and defense power of all Flying-Beast and Dinosaur monsters in play by 300!" (1700/700) "Also, any trap that targets a Dinosaur monster on my field is negated and destroyed. And finally, when you attack a monster on my field I may switch that monster to defense mode if I wish!"

"Hey Eri, I think you might have to eat your words." Griff said this in a sing-song voice towards the demoness, and his reply was an angry growl. "Sorry, shutting up now."

Teruha glanced at Eri's set card and frowned. ("That, without a doubt, has to be a trap. If it's not a target trap though, then it's still dangerous. Maybe I should just let Gilasaurus attack?") As she looked at her hand, she felt the strength waiting there to be used. ("No way, I can't hold back against somebody like the top student of Duelist Academy!")

"I special summon another Gilasaurus the same way I summon the first one!" Another brown velociraptor appeared on her field and roared along with its brother. (1700/700) "Go now, Gilasaurus number one! Attack her little Red Riding Hood!" The monster roared and charged towards Eri's monster.

"Reverse card open!" The demoness' face-down card flipped up and her monster disappeared, while a tree, a rock, and a bush appeared on her field. "Hide and Seek activates when I have only one Apprentice monster on my field and it is attacked! First I select two non-monster cards from my deck!" Removing a pair of cards from her deck, she picked up her Apprentice Red Riding Hood off of her disk and shuffled the three cards together. "Now then…" She placed the three cards face-down on the middle three spots of her disk. "Alright, she's under one of these cards. Good luck finding her though."

Teruha closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ("This choice will affect the outcome of the duel.") "My choice is the card on my right! Go Gilasaurus!" Her monster leapt forward and dropped its claws onto the bush, shredding it into little bits of plant matter. "She wasn't there?"

Eri smirked. "Nice try, but unfortunately for you Hide and Seek allows only one monster on your field to attack each turn while it's in effect during the first turn it was activated."

Teruha frowned. "Man that sucks. I'll just place a card face-down and end my turn then." A card appeared face-down on her field behind her two Dinosaurs.

"It's my turn then!" Eri drew and then slid three cards into her middle disk slots. "I place three cards face-down on the field and then I'll play Card of Sanctity. Both players draw cards until they are holding six in their hand!"

Teruha grinned at how correct her assumption had been when she had placed her trap face-down. "I knew you'd do something like that, and that's why I set this face-down! Go Survival Instinct!" Her face-down card flipped up. "This trap lets me remove Dinosaur monsters from my hand from the game to gain 500 life points per card!" Holding up the two cards in her hand, she winked and slid them into her back pants pocket. "Your attempt to gain a card advantage over me failed."

Eri- 4000

Teruha- 5000

Eri growled as both of them drew six cards. "Maybe, but it's still my turn! And my next card will let me pick up what I left behind. Go Giant Trunade!" A powerful wind blew across the field. "All magic and traps in play return to their owner's hands." Her three set cards appeared back in her grasp, and Jurassic World disappeared as it returned to Teruha's hand. "Now I'll place three new cards face-down on the field and end my turn. Summoning at the moment is pointless, since you have a pair of monsters in play stronger than my highest level four monster."

"You might want to rethink your deck concept if you don't have a level four monster that can beat my Gilasaurus monsters in battle." Drawing, Teruha reopened her field magic card slot and once more Jurassic World reappeared. "I will win this duel at this rate. First though I will add to my attack power! Come out now Archaeopteryx!" A blue-feathered lizard-bird hybrid appeared on her field. (300/1300) "According to the effect of Jurassic World, it gains 300 attack and defense points!" (600/1600) "Now I activate its effect and attack your life points directly!" The newly summoned monster flew over Eri's two remaining hiding places and unleashed a powerful screech that left the demoness clutching at her wolf ears in pain.

Eri- 3400

Teruha- 5000

"And now my two Gilasaurus will attack your two remaining hiding places!" Teruha punched at the air in the direction of the tree and the rock. "Charge!" Her two monsters tackled the two objects and shattered them.

Eri slowly stood up and brushed back her hair from her wolf ears. "You nearly blew my eardrums out with that attack."

Teruha hmphed. "Are you telling me that you can't even stand a weak attack like that?"

"You needn't worry about me!" Eri snapped the top card off of her deck. "I activate the magic card Cost Down, discarding one card from my hand to lower the level of all monsters in my hand by two for the turn!" Throwing a card onto her disk, she smirked as a black-haired man wearing a light purple shirt and black pants appeared on her field. "I summon Academy Teacher Rascal!" (2200/1700) "Rascal-sensei, attack Archaeopteryx now!"

Teruha pointed at her monster and it folded its wings in on itself. "I activate the effect of Jurassic World to switch my monster in defense mode!" Then her monster screeched in pain as a bull-whip snapped across its beak and it exploded.

Eri growled darkly. "I forgot about that effect…damn it, end turn!"

Holding a single finger up, Teruha waved it in the air chidingly. "You're about to lose your temper, so you'd better hurry up and calm down. Anyway, it's my turn!" She drew and grinned at what she had pulled. "I activate the magic card Magical Mallet. With this card's effect I can shuffle any number of my hand cards back into my deck and then draw the same number I shuffled in. Therefore I choose three cards."

Shuffling three cards back into her deck, she quickly redrew and pounded one of the new cards down. "I summon Velocityrapter!" (1700/300) A partially cybernetic dinosaur with jet engine welded to its back appeared in play. "Attack Rascal now!" (2000/600) "Also, when this monster attacks I use its effect to remove any number of Flying-Beast, Reptile or Dinosaur monsters from my graveyard to power up its attack by 500 during the damage step!" She held up her Archaeopteryx and it disappeared from her hand. "Take this Eri-sempai, Driver Fang!" (2500/600) The engines on her monster's back ignited and the cybernetic monster hurtled across the field, crashing into Eri's monster and shattering it before it pounded right through Eri as well.

Eri- 3100

Teruha- 5000

Eri slowly lowered her arms from the guard position they had assumed when the attack had hit. "You're not bad, but you're not exactly hard to out-think either! Reverse card open!" Her face-down card flipped up and Rascal reappeared in play. "Time Machine lets me revive one monster that was just destroyed as a result of battle." (2200/1700)

Teruha's monsters roared and she wound up her free fist, thrusting it forward at Rascal. "I won't let my monsters be stopped! Gilasaurus number one, attack Rascal!" Her fist unfurled and she revealed that she had been holding one of her hand cards there. "I activate the quickplay magic card Rush Recklessly, powering up one monster on my field by 700!" (2400/700)

Eri grimaced while she heard Krieger and Griff gasp in the background. ("Damn it, she's relentless!") Then the raptor monster slashed through her teacher monster with its talons once more, shattering him again.

Eri- 2900

Teruha- 5000

Sliding back a little farther from the backlash, Eri pointed at her set card. "I activate the trap card Arts and Crafts Day! At the cost of 1000 life points I can remove one normal trap or quickplay magic card in my graveyard and copy its effect! My choice is Time Machine!" Rascal appeared again. (2200/1700)

Eri- 1900

Teruha- 5000

"Weren't you listening to me before?" Teruha punched her fist towards Rascal and her other Gilasaurus charged. At the same time she slammed a card into her disk. "You can't stop my charge! Go Rush Recklessly!" (2400/700)

Eri's eyes widened right before her monster was destroyed again and she was forced back to the edge of the clearing by the backlash of the third blow.

Eri- 1700

Teruha- 5000

Teruha smiled savagely and inserted a card into her disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Eri felt it now. It was like there were four raging monsters on Teruha's field. ("Her connection with her monsters and their one-minded method of relentless combat is amazing. At this rate…") She drew. Flipping the drawn card up, she smirked. "I activate Pot of Greed and draw two cards." Adding two cards to her hand, she slid two cards into her disk. "I place two new cards face-down and then I summon Apprentice Black Riding Hood in defense mode." (300/400) A purple-haired girl wearing a black hood appeared on her field in a crouching position. "At this time I activate her effect!" A golden coin appeared in the air next to her. "A coin is flipped. If it is heads then I gain 500 life points. If it is tails I lose 500 life points. Go!" The coin launched into the air and then came crashing down on her field, kicking up a cloud of dust. ("Please be heads…I need help here.") A few moments later the cloud cleared to reveal it had landed with Heads face-up. "Thank you for small favors. End turn."

Eri- 2200

Teruha- 5000

Teruha snapped the top card off of her deck and pointed at Apprentice Black Riding Hood. "Full Force Charge, all of you!" Her first Gilasaurus roared loudly and leapt at the little black-hooded girl.

"Reverse card open!" One of Eri's face-down cards flipped up. The card had a picture of a black hood and a red hood hanging from a pair of wall hooks. "Similarities in Appearance allows me to send one Apprentice Red Riding Hood or Apprentice Black Riding Hood from my field to the graveyard to special summon her opposite!" Her Apprentice Black Riding Hood disappeared and her blond-haired Red Riding Hood appeared on the field once more. (300/600) "She's in attack mode, and with that I reveal my face-down trap card Triple Chance Time!" A trio of golden coins appeared on her field. "At this time I select one monster with a coin flip effect and trigger it three times!"

Teruha let out a low growl. "You can't expect to get three heads one after another, can you?"

"Let's find out! Go Triple Chance Time!" The three coins launched into the air and came crashing down behind her one after another, throwing up huge clouds of dust. When the dust cleared, it revealed three tails. (33/400)

Griff groaned and rubbed his head in sympathy for Eri. "And that's why I hate those kinds of card effects…"

Teruha let out an amused laugh and then pointed at Eri. "Go now Gilasaurus, tear down her monster!"

Eri smirked and her face-down card flipped up. "Actually, all I was hoping for was either three tails or three heads. I reveal The Last Hope of a Heroine!"

"Last Hope…of a Heroine?" Teruha stared at Eri's final trap card. "What a weird name…"

"Weird or not, it's the thing I needed!" Removing her Apprentice Red Riding Hood from her disk, the demoness also discarded two cards from her hand. "This trap can only trigger when my Apprentice Red Riding Hood is the only monster on my field and she has less than 100 attack points. At the cost of two cards from my hand, help arrives!" Fanning out her deck, she smiled and held up seven cards. "I send the three Holy Triad cards, Holy Triad Completion, Apprentice Werewolf, Apprentice Young Magician and Apprentice Red Riding Hood to the graveyard!" A bright light exploded from her field. "Love, Courage and Hope…these are the three forces that summon the ultimate monster from my deck!"

Krieger stared at the pillar in amazement. "This kind of light…is something that Eri is summoning?"

Griff was just as amazed. He was used to Eri being the one to summon some kind of unholy demon, not something that produced light.

A blond-haired female that looked to be about the same age as the demoness appeared in play, wearing a blue, red and white dress and holding a plastic toy bow. "Magical Princess Holy Up!" (1900/1300)

Teruha growled in rhythm with her Dinosaurs. "What the hell is this, some kind of joke?"

Eri lifted up her duel disk, and sparkles of pink light floated from her graveyard and around Holy Up's body. "For every Apprentice monster in my graveyard, Holy Up gains 300 attack points." (3100/1300)

Still growling, the Osiris Red nodded to Eri. "I end my turn then."

The demoness pulled the top card off of her deck. "I finally managed to stop your charge, but now it's time to clear the field!" She pointed at Holy Up. "Saint Fairy Navigation!" The Magical Princess aimed her bow into the air and fired, the beam of pink light disappearing into the sky and exploding in a bright burst of color. A loud screech came from the sky above and a glittering hot pink-colored bird lowered towards the field. "During my standby phase Holy Up allows me to equip her with the Wing Kris equipment magic card!" The bird's body shimmered and condensed, changing into a gold and pink sword that landed into the Princess' hand. "This increases her attack strength by 1000 and lets her attack all monsters in play!" (4100/1300)

"What?" Teruha gasped as the Magical Princess charged at her field. "Oh no you don't! At this time I activate the effect of Jurassic World!" Her three Dinosaurs all dropped into crouching positions right before the teenage princess cleaved each of them apart with her new weapon.

Eri let out an annoyed growl. "I forgot about that stupid effect again! Argh!" She looked like she was on the verge of tearing her hair out of her head.

"Calm down Eri!" Griff yelled at the demoness. "Sheesh, just because you couldn't finish her off this turn doesn't mean that during the next turn you can't strike the final blow soon, right?"

After a few moments of breathing deeply, Eri nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn. It's your move, Teruha. Good luck rushing me while Holy Up is in play, guarding my life points."

Teruha looked at Eri's Magical Princess calmly, and then after a few moments she narrowed her eyes. "Chikara's _Chikara_." Then she drew and her upper lip curled up slightly. "I play Pot of Greed!" Drawing two cards, she slammed a card down onto her field. "Come out now Des Feral Imp!" (1600/1800) A black-scaled lizard-humanoid appeared on her field. "Also, I play Ultra Evolution Pill, sacrificing my monster to summon a Dinosaur from my hand!" Her Des Feral Imp disappeared and a giant two-legged Dinosaur appeared on her field. "Come out now, Ultimate Tyranno!" (3000/2200)

"Not even close to Holy Up's strength!" Eri started to sneer, until she realized that Teruha was looking just as angry as her snarling Dinosaur was. "What's the matter, can't you handle the fact that you're going to lose?"

"Me? Lose?" Teruha slid one of the remaining cards in her hand into her disk. "At the cost of 800 life points I'll revive one of my monsters with the power of Premature Burial!"

Eri- 2200

Teruha- 4200

"Which one could possibly help?"

"None of them!" Teruha pointed at her set card. "Go Big Burn! When a monster in either player's graveyards is targeted by an effect, all monsters in both graveyards are removed from the game!" An explosion of fire came from both of their graveyard slots as all the monsters inside them were consumed. "And that means the number of Apprentice monsters in your graveyard is zero!" (Magical Princess Holy Up: 2900/1300)

Krieger and Griff both stared wide-eyed at Teruha. ("No way…")

"Ultimate Tyranno, show her the strength of the Chikara family!" She roared along with her monster and pointed at Holy Up. "Absolute Bite!" (3300/2500)

Eri growled and pointed at her set card. "Go Bird Shield! This continuous trap card switches Holy Up to defense mode and makes her impossible to destroy in battle! Also, any monster that is stupid to battle with her is destroyed!" A pink and golden bracelet appeared on Holy Up's wrist and a glowing translucent barrier of red appeared between her and the charging Ultimate Tyranno. "In other words your charge carried you into defeat!"

"Get out of my way, weakling!" Slamming the last card in her hand into her duel disk, Teruha roared along with her Tyranno once more as it tore right through the barrier and Holy Up's bracelet shattered. "Go Prehistoric Charge!"

"What?" Eri threw up her arms just before the Dinosaur snapped Holy Up between its teeth and crushed the Magical Princess in its jaws. "That's impossible!" And then Ultimate Tyranno sent her flying backwards as it struck her with its claws.

Eri- 0

Teruha- 4200

Teruha took a deep breath and smiled, calm again. "You forgot the power of Jurassic World again. Any trap that targets my Dinosaurs, in this case your Bird Shield destruction effect, is destroyed. Therefore your defense destroyed itself because it tried to stop my charge. And the last attack?" She motioned to the card she had inserted into her duel disk. "I activated the quickplay magic card Prehistoric Charge. When a Dinosaur on my field destroys an opponent's monster as a result of battle, it can attack once more in a row during the activated turn."

Eri stumbled to her feet, feel sore all over. "I'll admit this much…the last time someone knocked me aside like that they were my father, and he's the only man I would tolerate that kind of behavior from. In your case though…" She smiled slightly. "I'll simply start treating you like a female version of Ichigo. Dangerous in a duel, I mean."

Griff bit his tongue and stored all female Ichigo jokes for a later time. It just didn't seem to carry the right kind of sting behind it if Ichigo wasn't around to hear it and get angry.

Krieger just stared at Teruha in adoration. "She…she's incredible! Just like Eri said, she duels like Ichigo."

"If you mean they both seem to take it really seriously, then yeah." Griff sat up and looked up at the fading sunlight. "Hey, the sun's going down. It's nearly five or so, how about we head back?"

"Huh?" Teruha turned to look at the Egyptian Duelist. "Didn't you want me to show you where that Ichigo guy was?"

"You actually knew where he was?" When she nodded Griff sighed. "Wow, I'm really expecting the worst out of people today. I just thought you made that up to get Eri to duel." Turning, he walked over to Eri. "So, shall we go recover your prince, princess?"

Nodding, Eri bowed slightly to Teruha. "Lead the way, if you please."

--------------------------

As they left, the cocoon, which had swollen to the size of a bed, started to tear down the center. From its tear a smelly red substance dripped free.

_To be continued…_


	27. Hero's Reminder Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 27: Hero's Reminder (Part 1)

Ichigo sat with his knees curled up against his chest, looking out at the ocean as it raged across the sandy beach. His rump was freezing cold, partially because he was using the duel simulator as a seat, and also because it the sun was starting to set in the distance. ("I still don't feel it. This computer can't challenge me. In fact, even against Resshin I didn't feel that excitement that I used to get from my duels.")

It had been so long since he dueled against another duelist of incredible power just for fun. ("I can't even get enjoyment out of my cards now. The Final Shadows are drifting away from me because I can't enjoy my time using them.")

The waves crashed again and a spray of seawater freckled his cheeks. "Its times like wish I dad was still alive. He was always fun to duel because I was never sure if I could beat him. Without opponents like him and Rikuo around I just don't feel like I'm being challenged properly…"

Standing up, he started laughing to try and relieve his stress. "Man, I sound like the biggest ass on the planet. That kind of stuff should be said by guys like Adriel, not me. After all, I'm Ichigo Pilkington!" He pounded a fist against his chest. "As the big strong protector of Duelist Academy I can't show weakness, even if it's in the face of somebody I can't possibly defeat!"

Another wave crashed in the distance and his puffed-up chest deflated slightly. "I can't even convince myself at the moment." Rubbing his head frantically, he let out a loud sound of exasperation. "Argh, I'm hopeless! How can I expect to defeat somebody like Nikolai when I don't even have the strength to convince myself that winning is possible?"

"Maybe you just need the proper challenge?" The voice that spoke was nearby, and it was very familiar. In many ways it sounded like Ichigo, if just because it had that same carefree tone to it that the half-demon always exhibited. "I got a call this morning from Erian that you were stressing out over Nikolai Corben. I'm assuming it's because you've seen him duel, and you think that you can't possibly match his Final Shadows with your own, right?"

Ichigo's ears perked up and he turned swiftly to see that there was a puffy brown-haired young man in a red blazer and a pair of blue jeans standing with his back against a nearby rock pile. "Judai-sensei, what are you doing here?"

Yuki Judai laughed at the surprised look on his student's face. "You should see yourself right now. You look a lot like you did whenever your father or I would summon a high-level Elemental Hero fusion. It was that look of amazement as a mighty warrior of justice appeared to battle against evil."

Blushing, Ichigo tried to straighten his face. After a few moments though he realized that was impossible. "Man, why are you here? I can't feel worried as long as I know you're nearby."

Walking over to the half-demon, Judai patted him on the shoulder. "Why do you think I came?"

"Because you don't have anywhere to stay right now and you decided you may as well fly down here since Erian called you." Ichigo dead-panned this, as he knew how irresponsible his mentor was sometimes.

Sweat-dropping, Judai cleared his throat to try and hide the fact that Ichigo was absolutely right. "Anyway, I think I know exactly what you need right now." He grinned and lifted up the duel disk that was already attached to his arm. "What do you say?"

Ichigo's wolf ears twitched in excitement and he started hopping up and down. "A duel with you, Judai-sensei?" Scrambling over to the duel simulator, he put under one arm and grabbed his duel disk with the other. "Alright, but let's go over there!" He pointed over at a special spot he knew of where they could duel undisturbed.

Judai couldn't help but smile at how happy Ichigo looked now. ("All it took was for him to get a challenge from someone his inner duelist deemed as worthy.")

----------------

A few minutes later they were standing in a small spacious cave with a waterfall pounding down in a semi-circle in the background. Through that waterfall the falling sun could be seen, sending a beautiful spectrum of colors across the interior of the cave.

Ichigo grinned widely. "Isn't it amazing? I found it within the first month I started exploring the island. I've decided to call it the Rainbow Arena, because…"

Judai sweat-dropped and activated his duel disk. "Ichigo, don't get too sidetracked alright? Otherwise I won't be able to enjoy this duel."

"Sorry." Ichigo activated his duel disk as well. "Who would you like to go first?"

"Allow me!" Judai and Ichigo faced off, their expressions serious as they both yelled out, "Duel!"

Judai- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

With the rainbow reflections from the waterfall projecting onto his duel disk, Judai drew the top six cards of his deck and flipped them around so he could see the cards. "I don't intend to hold back, Ichigo!"

"That's just how I want it!" Ichigo drew his opening hand as well.

The legendary hero duelist threw a card onto his disk. "I summon Elemental Hero Featherman in defense mode!" (1000/1000) A green feather-suited superhero appeared on his field in a crouching position. "Also, I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn there."

Ichigo grinned childishly. "Here I come, Featherman!" His free hand snapped the top card off of deck and he grinned at what he drew. "Come on out Psyche Vizier!" (1200/1300) A female humanoid with a metal helmet covering her head appeared on his field. "Attack Featherman now with Psychic Strike!" His monster unleashed a blast of red light from its helmet that hit Featherman in the chest and shattered him. "At this time the effect of Psyche Vizier special summons any monster she beats in battle from your graveyard to my field!" Featherman appeared on his field and struck a heroic pose. "I'll summon him in attack mode!"

"But you still sent him to the graveyard." Judai's face-down card flipped up and a giant H was projected against the ceiling of the cavern. "Hero Signal activates when a monster is sent from my field to the graveyard as a result of battle. I can then special summon a level four or lower Elemental Hero monster from my deck or hand to the field!" A blue-armored superhero appeared on his field in a spray of bubbles. (800/1200) "My choice is Elemental Hero Bubbleman, who when summoned allows me to draw two cards because I have no other cards on my field!" Pulling two extra cards off of his duel disk, Judai smiled to Ichigo. "And of course I'm summoning him in defense mode, becausef otherwise you could use the Featherman you took to attack him."

Ichigo smiled back and inserted a card into his disk. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Judai rubbed at his chin and looked at Ichigo's set card. ("I don't really know these Final Shadows as well as his old Cyber Shadows, but I'm betting that he's expecting me to attack his Psyche Vizier, since if it's defeated then all monsters it controlled return to their owners.") "It's my turn!" Now with seven cards in his hand, he had a lot of possible things he could do. ("However, if I attack too heavily then I might throw Ichigo into following my pace…") Suddenly he realized he really was analyzing this too much. "Student or no, I'll treat you like any other opponent! I equip Bubbleman with Bubble Shot!" A large bazooka with a water tank attached to it appeared over Bubbleman's shoulder. "This powers up Bubbleman's attack by 800 points!" (1600/1200)

Ichigo gulped. ("Here he comes…")

Judai pointed at Bubbleman, who stood up and aimed his new weapon at Ichigo's Final Shadow. Both superhero and hero duelist smiled at same time. "Here I come, Bubble Shooter!" Bubbleman's weapon unleashed a spray of water that pounded into the female thief and shattered her.

Judai- 4000

Ichigo- 3600

Judai smiled confidently at Ichigo. "Hey Featherman, while you're over there go ahead and give him a Featherbreak to grow on before you come back!"

Ichigo threw up his arms right before the green superhero kicked him in the chest.

Judai- 4000

Ichigo- 3800

Ichigo shook his head out and waved goodbye as Featherman returned to Judai's field. "Oh by the way, I activated Option Hunter when you defeated my Psyche Vizier, letting me gain its attack in life points."

Judai nodded. "I thought as much." Inserting a card into his disk, he smiled to Ichigo. "Alright, I place one card face-down and end my turn. Come on Ichigo, don't let me beat you this easily."

Ichigo drew and threw down one of his other cards. "I summon Final Shadow Night Slasher!" A dramatic black-cloaked form appeared on his field. "When this monster is summoned I can select one monster with original or current attack less than his and destroy it!" His monster disappeared and a few moments later Bubbleman shattered. "Sorry Bubbleman. And sorry to Featherman too!" Night Slasher reappeared in play and flew towards the other superhero.

"Reverse card open!" Judai's set trap flipped up and a swirling barrier of blue light appeared and absorbed the Night Slasher's charge. "The effect of Hero Barrier lets me negate the next attack that is used against an Elemental Hero monster during this turn."

Ichigo sighed and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Man, I should have seen that coming. Oh well, end turn."

Judai drew. "I activate the magic card Heat Heart, powering up Featherman by 500 points!" Red energy flowed around Featherman's body. (1500/1000) "Attack Night Slasher now with Featherbreak!" His superhero flapped its wings and sprayed the black-robed form with a storm of razor-sharp feathers, instantly shredding its black cloak to the four winds and leaving nothing else behind.

Judai- 4000

Ichigo- 3300

Judai nodded to Ichigo. "Go ahead, it's your turn."

Ichigo grimaced and drew. ("Alright, he's heating it up slowly. At this rate he may start using fusions against me.") Deep down that's what he really wanted. While this kind of civil back and forth was fun, he wanted to force Judai-sensei to fight him with his full force. "I play the magic card Wings of the Avenger, letting me special summon a monster with Avenger in its title from my hand to the field!" A bat-winged warrior appeared on his field. "Come out now, Final Shadow Avenger Zero!" (2600/2000)

Judai's eyes widened. "Oh? So that's the high level Final Shadow?"

"Yup! Avenging Angel Blade!" Ichigo grinned as his Final Shadow slashed through Featherman easily. "End turn!"

Judai- 2500

Ichigo- 3300

Judai felt the pain from the Solid Vision System burn against his chest. And then he smiled and drew. "Alright, I get the point Ichigo. Are you ready to duel for real?"

Ichigo nodded and clutched the three cards in his hand tightly. "Of course!"

"Good…" Judai's wide smile didn't disappear, but something about his appearance became much more intense. "I won't treat this quite so much like a friendly little duel then! Prepare yourself Ichigo!" Flipping the drawn card up, he revealed a green E. "Emergency Call adds one Elemental Hero card from my deck to my hand!" A female superhero appeared on his field in a burst of bright red flames. "You're up Burst Lady!" (1200/800)

Ichigo knew what was coming now. ("So you're bringing him out already, Judai-sensei?")

Judai snapped up another magic card. "Silent Rebirth revives Featherman to my field in defense mode!" His green feather-bodied superhero reappeared on the field in a crouching position. "And now for Polymerization!" His two field E-Heroes were sucked into a swirling vortex on his field. "Flame Wingman, come out now!" (2100/1200) A half-green and half-red superhero with a dragon head for one arm appeared on the field and let out a warped battle cry.

Ichigo grimaced. ("Flame Wingman…Judai-sensei's favorite card.") "But he's not strong enough for Avenger Zero!"

Judai kept smiling intensely. "After all this time Ichigo, you know what else I'm holding." His field magic card slot opened. "I activate the field magic card Skyscraper!" Huge buildings rose into the sky all around them, mixing with the fading rainbows caused by the waterfalls and setting sun to create a beautiful background. "While this field is out, whenever an Elemental Hero battles with a stronger opponent it gets a 1000 point boost during the damage step."

Ichigo was crying anime tears now. "Eeeep…."

"Flame Wingman, attack Avenger Zero with Skyscraper Shooter!" Judai's superhero leapt up to the top of the tallest building and then dove, body aflame, right into Ichigo's warrior. A few moments later Avenger Zero was burnt to a crisp.

Judai- 2500

Ichigo- 2800

Crossing his arms across his chest, Judai grinned to his still play-crying student. "And you take the attack of your destroyed monster in damage too, thanks to Flame Wingman's effect."

"I know and that's why I'm crying." Ichigo watched as Flame Wingman slowly lowered down to the ground in front of him. "Please be gentle?" Then he was engulfed in flame as the superhero's dragon arm released its wrath.

Judai- 2500

Ichigo- 200

Sliding two cards into his duel disk, Ichigo's intense smile didn't falter. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn. Still crying, Ichigo?"

"Of course not." The smoke from Flame Wingman's effect cleared to reveal Ichigo smiling as well. "I just thought it's been a while since I've felt that burning attack though, so for old time's sake I let Flame Wingman see me be afraid."

Laughing, Judai was still amazed at how silly his student could sometimes be. "You're still a weird kid. However…" He smirked. "You're also a tricky opponent. I have a feeling that you've got some tricks up your sleeve yet."

"You would be right!" Ichigo snapped the top card off of his deck. "And I intend to show you those tricks now, Judai-sensei! Against you I can go full out with the power of the Final Shadows!"

-------------------------------------

Teruha sighed and looked out across the empty beach. "He was here." She noticed that Eri was on all fours and sniffing the ground. "And what, pray-tell, are you doing?"

"Sniffing out Ichigo. He's near here…" The demoness blinked and her ears perked up to full mast. "Hey, Yuki Judai was here at one point or another…really recently too!"

"Yuki Judai, Ichigo's mentor?" Griff went silent and suddenly turned to look at Krieger. "You can smell things too right?" When the half cat-demon nodded the Egyptian Boy grabbed his friend's collar and shook him rapidly. "Then hurry up and get sniffing! If those two are together they might be dueling, and I want to see Judai-san when he's dueling!"

Teruha reached over and grabbed the back of Griff's collar, lifting him off the ground and bringing him about to face her. "What are you doing to Krieger-sama?"

"Not…a…" Griff started sweating as he realized she was fixing with the same angry glare she had given Eri during that duel. "Ummm….I'm sorry."

Dropping him on his butt, Teruha smiled sweetly. "You're forgiven, but don't pick on Krieger-sama anymore or else I'll next time I won't be so forgiving."

Krieger just stiffly walked after Eri; blushing from ears to cheeks at the attention he was being given.

_To be continued…_

Author Note: Yes, in English I should be saying Judai Yuki, but I'm too used to hearing Yuki Judai. And yes, I'm only posting this part to say exactly that.

And now I offer a question to those of you out there who seem to hover about and criticize those who use canon characters. How have I done so far? Have I portrayed a good Judai, considering he's about twenty or so now?


	28. Hero's Reminder Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 28: Hero's Reminder (Part 2)

"_Flame Wingman, attack Avenger Zero with Skyscraper Shooter!" Judai's superhero leapt up to the top of the tallest building and then dove, body aflame, right into Ichigo's warrior. A few moments later Avenger Zero was burnt to a crisp._

_Judai- 2500_

_Ichigo- 2800_

_Crossing his arms across his chest, Judai grinned to his still play-crying student. "And you take the attack of your destroyed monster in damage too, thanks to Flame Wingman's effect."_

"_I know and that's why I'm crying." Ichigo watched as Flame Wingman slowly lowered down to the ground in front of him. "Please be gentle?" Then he was engulfed in flame as the superhero's dragon arm released its wrath._

_Judai- 2500_

_Ichigo- 200_

_Sliding two cards into his duel disk, Ichigo's intense smile didn't falter. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn. Still crying, Ichigo?"_

"_Of course not." The smoke from Flame Wingman's effect cleared to reveal Ichigo smiling as well. "I just thought it's been a while since I've felt that burning attack though, so for old time's sake I let Flame Wingman see me be afraid."_

_Laughing, Judai was still amazed at how silly his student could sometimes be. "You're still a weird kid. However…" He smirked. "You're also a tricky opponent. I have a feeling that you've got some tricks up your sleeve yet."_

"_You would be right!" Ichigo snapped the top card off of his deck. "And I intend to show you those tricks now, Judai-sensei! Against you I can go full out with the power of the Final Shadows!"_

Judai smiled and crossed his arms across his chest. ("Alright Ichigo, you'd better not be kidding.") "Show me then…"

"Gladly!" Ichigo slammed a card into his disk. "I activate the magic card Avenging Bonds! When an Avenger that was on my field is in the graveyard because of an opponent's attack or card effect, I can special summon another Avenger from my deck to the field at the cost of my normal summon for the turn and if I have no monsters in play!" A monster that looked just like Avenger Zero appeared on his field, except this monster was holding a pair of spiked steel shields. "Final Shadow Avenger Guardian appears!" (2000/2600) His monster dropped to one knee and brought the shields up in front of it. "Also, I play the magic card Security System Company. If I have no magic and trap cards in my magic and trap card zone, I can look at the top three card of my deck."

Fanning those three cards out, he removed one of them and inserted it into his disk. "If one of those cards is a trap card, I may set it face-down on my field and then shuffle the other two cards back into my deck."

Judai glanced at the newly set card curiously. ("I wonder what it is…")

"Also, I activate the continuous magic card Mirage of Nightmare and place one card face-down on my field!" Ichigo nodded to Judai. "I end my turn. However Sensei, keep in mind that the attack power of my Avenger Guardian cannot match the strength of your Flame Wingman, and therefore Skyscraper won't let your hero power up enough to break my defense."

Judai nodded and drew. "Yeah, that's true."

Ichigo's Mirage of Nightmare started to glow. "During your standby phase I activate the power of Mirage of Nightmare to draw cards from my deck until I'm holding four." With his hand back to normal, the half-demon felt a little safer. ("I'm guarded against his attack for the turn, and the power of my Mirage of Nightmare replenished my hand too.")

Judai had to smile at the hope he could see in Ichigo's eyes. ("He thinks he's safe for the turn too.") "Sorry Ichigo, you're far from protected." Sliding a card into his duel disk, he watched as it appeared next to his other two cards. "I set the card I drew face-down and open my face-down card! Go Mirror Hero!" A copy of his Flame Wingman appeared in play. "Mirror Hero transforms into a copy of one Elemental Hero monster on my field. However, that copy cannot attack."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes in confusion. ("Why would he summon a copy Flame Wingman if he can't attack with it?")

"Reverse card open!" Judai smirked as his earlier set card flipped up to reveal a shining light. "Guiding Light is a trap card that lets me draw four cards if I activate it while I have two fusion monsters in play!" Pulling four cards off of his deck, the hero duelist tossed a card down on his field. "Come out now Sparkman!" A yellow and blue-armored superhero appeared on his field in a blast of lightning. (1600/1400)

"Sparkman…" Ichigo gulped loudly. "Oh no, that means…"

"That's right, I activate Spark Gun!" A grey laser appeared in the newly summoned superhero's hand. "While Spark Gun is equipped to Sparkman I can change the mode of a face-up monster in play three times before it is destroyed! Spark Gun's effect activates now!" A blast of blue lightning leapt out of the weapon and his Avenger Guardian, the dark warrior slowly standing up. "Now that your monster is in attack mode, you're as good as done! Flame Wingman, attack with Flame Shooter!" The dragon-armed superhero exploded into flames and launched towards Ichigo's monster.

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo's field was covered by a glowing barrier of green light. "Draining Shield negates your attack and gives me life points equal to the attack of your Flame Wingman!" His other face-down card flipped up as well. "Also, I activate Emergency Provisions in chain!" His face-up Draining Shield and Mirage of Nightmare dissolved right before Flame Wingman's burning strike was absorbed.

Judai- 2500

Ichigo- 4300

Judai grinned. "That's pretty cool. However, you're still in trouble! Sparkman, attack Avenger Guardian! Spark Flash!" (2600/1400) His superhero unleashed a shockwave of lightning that tore into Ichigo's monster and blew it apart.

Judai- 2500

Ichigo- 3700

"Also I activate De-Fusion!" Judai's Flame Wingman shimmered and disappeared, replaced by Burst Lady and Featherman. "At this time Mirror Hero is destroyed." The copy Flame Wingman shattered. "Featherbreak and Burst Fire!" His two revived heroes leapt across the field and struck Ichigo with their attacks, creating a huge explosion of force that sent the half-demon sliding backwards on his tiptoes. "End turn."

Judai- 2500

Ichigo- 1500

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo thanked his lucky stars that he managed to survive his mentor's onslaught for that turn. "Okay, it's my move!" He drew. "I activate the magic card Light Factory of Selective Production!" A pair of cards slid out of his graveyard. "This card allows me to add two effect monsters from my graveyard to my hand, but these monsters cannot be summoned and cannot be discarded by my own card effects for the duration they are there!" Holding up Avenger Zero and Night Slasher, he inserted the returned monsters to his hand and got ready. "Here's where my counterattack begins, Judai-sensei!"

"Bring it on, Ichigo!" Judai smiled widely as he realized that his student was serious. ("Let's see how he will escape this situation…")

"From my hand I activate Polymerization!" Ichigo held up a pair of cards. "I fuse Night Slasher and Smash Brute from my hand together to summon Doom Juggernaut!" A roaring black-metal bodied giant appeared in play on his field. (2200/1900) "Doom Juggernaut's special ability prevents you from playing traps the turn he is summoned, so here I come Featherman!" The giant punched at the superhero, shattering it with the mere force of its strike. (2000/1000)

Judai- 2300

Ichigo- 1500

"And now…" Ichigo dramatically pointed at the buildings around them. "When Doom Juggernaut defeats a monster in battle I may also destroy one magic or trap card in play!"

Judai gasped as his field magic card slot opened and Skyscraper was spat out.

Inserting a card into his disk, Ichigo grinned at Judai. "End turn, Judai-sensei."

"Now that's the Ichigo I remember!" Judai drew. "Of course, that doesn't mean that you're even close to winning! Just because I don't have Skyscraper in play doesn't mean that I can't defeat your fusion!" He pointed at Burst Lady, who disappeared in a flash of light. "I tribute Burst Lady to summon Elemental Hero Necro Darkman in attack mode!" (1600/1800) A red-skinned demonic hero appeared on his field.

"His attack is the same as Sparkman's, so the chances of him defeating Doom Juggernaut are more or less zero!" Ichigo pointed at Judai. "Sorry, but…" His eyes widened as Judai's set card flipped up.

"Soul Union bypasses that defense though! It lets me add the attack of one Elemental Hero in my graveyard to the attack of one Elemental Hero on my field!" Red fire exploded along Necro Darkman's body. "I add Burst Lady's 1200 attack points to Necro Darkman!" (2800/1800) "Necro Darkman, attack Doom Juggernaut with Dark Claw!" His hero leapt across the field and slashed one of its claws through Ichigo's fusion, blowing it apart.

Judai- 2300

Ichigo- 900

The half-demon snapped out his hand and pointed at his face-down card. "Go Night Signal!" A humanoid warrior wearing a black-metal helmet appeared on his field. "Void Mercenary denies you the chance to attack with Sparkman!" (1700/1600)

Judai kept grinning. "That was a close save on your part, but that doesn't mean you've won yet. End turn."

"Maybe not, but the chance to counter-attack is now!" Ichigo drew. "I activate Warrior Returning Alive and bring back Smash Brute!" (1800/1500) A giant humanoid appeared on his field. "Attack his monsters guys!" Ichigo's two monsters launched forward and shattered Judai's two monsters. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Judai- 2000

Ichigo- 900

"Ho…you managed to clear my field." He drew. "Thanks."

Ichigo face-fell as he realized his mistake. "That was Necro Darkman!"

"Right!" Tossing down a card from his hand onto his disk, the hero duelist grinned as a golden superhero appeared on his field. (2600/1800) "Necro Darkman allows me to once per turn normal summon a high level Elemental Hero without sacrifice when he's in my graveyard! Therefore you just let me summon Edgeman!"

Ichigo stared at the newly summoned hero in frustration. "Man…I just can't seem to gain an advantage over you…"

"Power Edge Attack!" Judai pointed at Void Mercenary. "That will be the end if you let it hit!"

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo's face-down card flipped up. "Shadow Healing increases my life points by 1000 for every Final Shadow in play!" Black energy flowed around his body right before the mighty Elemental Hero ran its blades through his mercenary and shattered it.

Judai- 2000

Ichigo- 2000

Judai started laughing again. "Look who's talking about not being able to gain an advantage. I can't gain a finishing blow against you no matter how hard I try. End turn."

Ichigo looked down at the Avenger Zero in his hand. ("I can't summon you, and even if the opportunity was there I wouldn't be able to take it. However…") He drew. "I activate Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." Holding up one of the drawn cards, he mentally thanked those lucky stars once more. "Research on the Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards during the same turn that Pot of Greed has been activated." Now that he had four cards in his hand, he also had a great idea. "I activate Fusion Recovery to add Night Slasher and the Polymerization I used earlier to my hand!" The two named cards left his graveyard and he added them to this hand.

"Also, I use the magic card Avenger Recovery, letting me send a card from my field to the graveyard to add Wings of the Avenger or an Avenger named monster from my graveyard to my hand!" He inserted Smash Brute into the graveyard slot of his disk and removed Wings of the Avenger.

"Here we go Judai-sensei, Polymerization activates from my hand!" His Night Slasher and Avenger Zero appeared in the air above his head. "Also…I use the Wings of the Avenger in my hand as part of the fusion!" The magic card in his hand disappeared along with his monsters, and a demonic-armored warrior erupted onto his field, black mist pouring from his body. "I fusion summon Final Shadow Night Wing Avenger!" (3200/2500)

Judai's eyes widened at the new fusion. "3200 attack points?"

"Night Wing Avenger, show him the strength of the shadows! Avenger's Final Slash!" Ichigo's monster launched forwards and slashed its wing across the front of Edgeman's chest, shattering it instantly. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Judai- 1400

Ichigo- 2000

Judai smiled slightly and drew. "That's pretty big Ichigo. However, I can't lose to you that easily!" He held up Pot of Greed and Research on the Pot of Greed. "So let's see what my deck has in store." Drawing four cards, he smirked. "Go Miracle Fusion!" A shining vortex appeared in the air above his head. "By removing Featherman and Burst Lady from my graveyard…" The named heroes appeared and then dissolved. "Flame Wingman returns!" The dragon-armed superhero appeared in a flash of fire and wind. "And then Warrior Returning Alive, bringing back Sparkman to my hand!"

("Sparkman and Flame Wingman…") Ichigo felt that excitement again, but this time there was fear included with it. "That could only mean one thing."

"That's right." Judai snapped up the Polymerization card in his hand. "Go Polymerization, fusing Flame Wingman with the Sparkman in my hand!" A shining metal-armored version of Flame Wingman appeared on the field and let out a mighty battle cry. "Shining Flare Wingman, I'm leaving it all in your hands!" (2500/2100) "For every Elemental Hero in the graveyard, he gains 300 attack points!" (4300/2100)

"Wait a second!" Ichigo started counting on his fingers. "Bubbleman, Necro Darkman, Edgeman, Flame Wingman, and Sparkman…that's only five! Why does he have 4300 instead of 4000?"

"Remember Mirror Hero?" The hero duelist held up his graveyard. "While in my graveyard it counts as an Elemental Hero. And now then, Shining Flare Wingman, attack Night Wing Avenger!" His superhero lifted into the air and charged up a green ball of light within its hands. "Shining Shooter!"

Ichigo threw up his arms right before his monster was consumed by a blast of green light from his mentor's ultimate fusion.

Judai- 1400

Ichigo- 900

"And that's the end, as Shining Flare Wingman deals you the attack of the destroyed monster in damage to your life points!" Judai pointed at Ichigo…and then blinked as his Shining Flare Wingman slowly returned to his field. "Huh? Why didn't it activate its effect?"

Ichigo, smoke rising from his uniform, exhaled loudly. "Sheesh that was close! Luckily I managed to activate my face-down Life Guard, which triggers when I would take effect damage. Instead, I discard the top card of my deck for every 1000 increment of that damage." He slid the top three cards off of his deck and inserted them into his graveyard.

Judai inserted the last card in his hand into his duel disk. "You're on your last leg, Ichigo. With no cards in hand and no cards on your field, all you have left is the card you draw at the start of the turn." He smiled cheerfully. "Can you still win?"

"Let's find out!" The half-demon placed his right index and middle fingers on the top card of his deck. ("Can I actually do it? I doubt it but I've gone this far without backing down so I can't stop now!") "Judai-sensei, before I make the last move of this duel I have to thank you for pushing me to my limits and beyond. Without you I'd never have learned about what it truly means to be a hero…"

Judai sighed exaggeratedly. "You're turning this into something a little too mushy, don't you think?"

Ichigo laughed. "Yeah…you're right. Draw!" Holding up the drawn card, he felt it now. ("This is the bond. This is what I lacked.") "The Final Shadows were bored. They were also a little irritated at how afraid I was acting. Now though…" He held up Night Fusion. "They are ready to summon the ultimate force!" His graveyard made a weird belching noise and spat out a stack of cards. "I remove ten Final Shadows from my graveyard!"

"Ten Final Shadows?" Judai blinked at the serious look on Ichigo's face. "What are you trying to do?"

"I'm going to summon the redeemed warrior of light." Pointing up towards the ceiling of the Rainbow Arena, he smiled slightly. "Here we go, Judai-sensei!" A white-armored knight slowly lowered onto his field in a flash of bright white light. "I fusion summon Final Shadow Redeemed Ultimate!" (?) The knight lifted up its sword slowly, and started to fill the cavern with brilliant white light. "For every Final Shadow and Final Shadow God in my removed from play pile, Ultimate's attack and defense are equal to that number times 800!" (8000/8000)

"8000 attack points…" Judai spoke breathlessly. "What an incredible power…"

"Redeemed Ultimate, attack Shining Flare Wingman with Blade of Shadowed Light!" Ichigo pointed at Judai's fusion. "Whether or not this attack strikes will determine it all!" Redeemed Ultimate lifted up its sword; the blade's light condensing into a solid mass that increased its size. And then it dove, winding up for the finishing slash.

Judai smiled happily. "With one card you summoned a monster far stronger than Shining Flare Wingman…" His face-down card flipped up. "Unfortunately…my set card was the quickplay magic card Battle Fusion!"

"Battle Fusion?" Ichigo's eyes widened as suddenly Shining Flare Wingman was glowing so brightly that it was burning in past his eyelids.

Judai winked to his student, even though he knew Ichigo couldn't see him past the light of Shining Flare Wingman. "Battle Fusion activates when two fusions battle each other! The attack of your fusion is added to the attack of my fusion!" (12300/2100) "Fight back, Shining Flare Wingman!"

Both monsters of light collided, and then Redeemed Ultimate let out a cry of pain and exploded.

Judai- 1400

Ichigo- 0

When the spots in Ichigo's vision cleared, he saw Judai standing right in front of him. "Ichigo, thanks for the great duel." The hero duelist extended his hand to his student, who gratefully took it and shook.

Suddenly a loud roar of pain echoed from outside the cave.

"Aw man, now what…" Ichigo glanced at Judai and then they both ran outside of the cave.

_To be continued…_


	29. Say What Now?

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 29: Say What Now? 

Teruha sighed and watched as Eri, Krieger and Griff peeked around the edge of the entrance to the cave where that Ichigo guy was dueling. "Hey, why don't you all just go in?"

Griff shook his head and stepped back, as it seemed that Judai-san and Ichigo had stopped their duel for a moment to talk. "No way, I'm not going to interfere. From the looks of it this is student/mentor bonding time."

Shrugging, the Osiris Red student walked off without another word. ("Regardless, I'm out of here. It's getting late and I feel like going to the dorm and taking a shower already.")

-----------------------------

As she walked through the forest towards the Obelisk Blue girls' dorm, Teruha thought back to the duel with Eri and the subsequent encounter beforehand. "Those guys knew Krieger-sama, so I guess they can't be all that bad if a cool world idol like him would hang out with them."

She stopped in her tracks and tilted her head to the side as she thought of something. "Wait, what were those ears on Eri-sempai's head about? And come to think of it, Krieger-sama had them too." Somewhere the ground shook from an explosion, probably from the duel that Ichigo guy was participating in.

"Oh!" Teruha pounded her hand into her fist. "Of course, they must have been cosplaying!" Snapping her fingers, she shoved her hands into her pockets and walked off. "Darn it and me without my camera. I'd have loved to have gotten a picture of Krieger-sama while he had those ears."

A few moments later she stopped in her tracks as she heard a low growl come from the nearby underbrush. "Hello? Who's there?"

"I need your soul…I need your soul to fuel me…" A slim clawed hand slowly edged out from behind the trunk of a nearby tree. "Your soul will be mine!" Something flew out from behind the tree, diving for her.

----------------------------

Eri's ears perked and she stepped back from the edge of the cave's entrance. "Did either of you hear a scream?"

Krieger nodded. "It sounded like Teruha-san…"

"Let's go!" The demoness ran towards the trail that led back towards the forest. "Come on, Griff!"

Krieger sighed and followed right behind her, easily keeping up with her inhuman speed. "Don't even bother; he's completely sucked into that duel. I'm betting he won't even notice that we left."

-----------------------------

They both arrived to find Teruha standing alone on the trail and wiping off her knuckles on her jacket. "Yo, Krieger-sama and Eri-sempai." About ten feet from her there was a humanoid lying crumpled against a tree. "Sorry if I yelled loud enough to bother you guys, but this nutcase came leaping out of nowhere talking about stealing my soul."

"What…what happened? Are you alright?" Krieger was worried that maybe Teruha had been pulled into a darkness game.

"I'm absolutely fine, Krieger-sama." She thumped a fist against her chest proudly. "The crazy lady had a glass jaw. It only took one punch to put her lights out."

Eri fell over laughing while Krieger flushed a white in the face. "You…punched her?"

"Yeah…should I not have?" Teruha pointed over at the humanoid by the tree trunk, only to realize that she was gone. "Huh? Where'd she…" Huge pillars of purple and black light exploded from the ground. Seconds later Teruha disappeared from sight as the space in between those pillars was filled with that same purple and black energy.

Eri slowly sat up, blinking at the pulsing darkness game sphere stupidly. "How…was a darkness game formed that fast?"

Krieger just let out a little 'erp' noise and went limp. "Teruha-san…"

---------------------------------------

Teruha looked around at the endless-seeming expanse of purple and black darkness which was on all sides of her. "Oh great, it got that dark already? Is there an eclipse tonight or something?"

"I must have your soul…" That same form from before appeared about twenty feet away from her in the darkness. Even though there should was no light, it could be seen clearly. It was a distinctly female form covered from head to toe in fine purple silk. Up at the humanoid's head a pair of deep jade eyes opened from behind a pair of eyeholes. "I, Velvet, must take your soul and feast upon it! I hunger!" A crimson-colored duel disk appeared around her arm, deck already in place. "This darkness game will be my trial!"

"…." Teruha sighed and tossed her backpack off to the side. "If you just wanted to duel then all you had to do was ask, crazy lady." Removing her duel disk from the bag, the Osiris Red student placed it on her arm and slammed her deck into its slot. "Alright, let's do it! Duel!"

"Darkness Game…begin!" One of Velvet's slim hands drew the top five cards of her deck.

Velvet- 4000

Teruha- 4000

Teruha shrugged again. "Darkness Game huh?" Yawning, the female student crossed her arms across her chest and closed her eyes. "Keep on talking about whatever weird things you want, but that won't change the fact that this is a duel. And I don't lose my duels once I get my Dinosaur Charge started."

Velvet slid the top card off of her deck and added it to her hand. "I summon Gokipon in defense mode!" (800/800) A little roly-poly bug wearing a cape appeared on her field. "Also, I place one card face-down on my field." A face-down card appeared on her field. "End turn."

Teruha opened her eyes and smirked. "Draw!" Flipping the drawn card straight into her hand, she tossed down a different card. "Come out now Gilasaurus!" (1400/400) "When I special summon Gilasaurus in this way then you get to special summon a monster from your graveyard. However, since you don't have any monsters in your graveyard that isn't a problem." Another Gilasaurus appeared on her field. "And therefore I can special summon Gilasaurus number two without fear of retribution either." (1400/400)

"And I'm far from done there!" Teruha pointed at one of her Gilasaurus, which shuddered and exploded. "I sacrifice one of these two to summon Dark Driceratops!" (2400/1500) A large winged triceratops appeared on her field and roared loudly. "Dark Driceratops, show this lady your power! _Denka_!" Her Dinosaur roared and with a flap of its wings hurled itself across the field, crashing through Velvet's little insect easily. "Plus when Dark Driceratops battles with a defense mode monster and its attack is higher than the opposing monster's defense, the difference is dealt in battle damage to you!"

Velvet- 2400

Teruha- 4000

Velvet inserted her Gokipon into the graveyard. "When my Gokipon is sent to the graveyard as a result of battle I can add one insect monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck to my hand." A card slid out of her deck on its own and she plucked it up, slowly sliding it into place amongst the cards she was holding.

"It's a shame you can't summon that monster to protect yourself!" Teruha pointed at Velvet. "Gilasaurus, attack her life points directly!" Her monster roared and charged forwards.

"Reverse card open…" Velvet's face-down card flipped up and a giant spider web formed on her field, the strands of it strategically set to block the Gilasaurus. "When I activate Queen's Web I can negate any number of direct attacks during that turn."

Teruha let out a very animal-like snort of displeasure. "I'm not ready to fully charge yet, so I'll let that one slide." She inserted a card into her duel disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Velvet slowly drew the top card of her deck. "You are an interesting creature. I can tell by smell that you are not fully human too…however, it's only a faint scent. Are you a demon in disguise perhaps?"

"A demon?" Teruha growled, as did her two dinosaurs. "I'd watch you tongue if I were you! I'm Teruha Chikara!"

"I'm afraid I don't know that name." The silken creature slowly lifted up the drawn card. "However, you mentioned something about a charge before. Perhaps you meant the power of your monsters?"

"That's right!" Pounding her chest a couple of times, Teruha smirked. "The strength of my Dinosaurs is uncontested!"

"Really?" Velvet placed a monster on her disk. "Let's test that theory. I summon Pinch Hopper in attack mode." A large green grasshopper monster appeared on her field. (1000/1200) "Also I play the magic card Multiplication of Ants. One insect monster on my field will be sacrificed as a cost to this card." Her Pinch Hopper disappeared and a pair of large green ants now stood on her field. "After which I can special summon two Army Ant Tokens (500/1200) in attack mode!"

"Heh, so what?" Teruha snickered at the two bugs. "Their attack strength is merely 500 points, so they're not even close to touching my monsters."

"To quote you, 'so what?" Velvet's graveyard slot started to glow. "When Pinch Hopper is sent from my field to the graveyard it lets me special summon an insect type monster from my hand to the field." Placing a card down, she laughed elegantly as a huge horned beetle appeared in play. "I choose to special summon Saber Beetle." (2400/1500)

Teruha glanced at her Gilasaurus and then at her set card. ("That's right, come bring your Saber Beetle over and try to kill my Dinosaur.")

Two purple threads unraveled from Velvet's hand and slid into her graveyard slot. "I remove Pinch Hopper and Gokipon from the game as a cost for my Doom Dozer." The two named cards were yanked out by the threads and tossed into the darkness. "Come out now, my destroyer." A loud roar pierced the air and huge centipede slithered into play, gnashing its jaws together. (2800/2600)

Teruha looked up at the Doom Dozer worriedly. ("That thing's defense is enormous...")

"Doom Dozer, attack Dark Driceratops!" Her centipede roared again and reared up, diving its head down to crush the Dinosaur with its jaws.

"Reverse card open!" Teruha's face-down card flipped up and all of the monsters on the field stopped their movements, each one lifting a few feet into the air. "Zero Gravity switches the modes of all face-up monsters in play. Therefore everybody goes to defense mode!"

From behind their silken cover Velvet's eyes narrowed. "You are stubborn prey. I place two cards face-down and end my turn." A pair of cards appeared behind her Saber Beetle and Doom Dozer.

"Prey?" Teruha let out a low growl that was echoed by her two Dinosaurs. "The only prey here is you! It's my turn, draw!" Flipping her drawn card up and pinching it to her wrist with a pair of fingers, she pointed at her two monsters. "I switch Dark Driceratops and Gilasaurus into attack mode." Both of her monsters stood up and let out a pair of insulted roars.

"It seems I've made you upset." Velvet laughed elegantly once more. "That's good, your soul will taste much better if your fighting spirit was near its peak when you lost."

"There's no chance I can lose!" Teruha slammed a card onto her disk and a blue-feathered lizard-bird appeared on her field. "I summon Archaeopteryx (300/1300) in attack mode!" The card she had drawn was the one she was smirking at now. "Also, I'll play the magic card Ultra Evolution Pill-Revised Formula!" Her Archaeopteryx was swallowed up in a pillar of golden light. "I sacrifice one winged-beast type monster on my field to summon a dinosaur from my hand!"

"Really? What will you summon that could possibly get past my defense mode Doom Dozer? Do you even run a card that has enough attack points?" Velvet started laughing again.

"You think it's funny to mock my Dinosaurs?" Teruha slammed the last card in her hand down and an earth-shaking roar erupted from her field as a giant bone-armored Tyrannosaurus Rex appeared in play. "Ultimate Tyranno will shut you up!" (3000/2200)

"Oh my, what a pretty lizard…he looks absolutely delicious." Velvet's Doom Dozer started to slobber all over the invisible floor. "Even my precious beast can't wait to taste it."

A pair of veins bulging out of her forehead, Teruha wound up her right fist rapidly. "Go Ultimate Tyranno, attack all of her monsters with your effect!" She punched at the air towards Velvet violently, all of her monsters roaring in tandem with the mock strike. "Chikara's _Chikara_! Full Force Charge!" Ultimate Tyranno roared again and stomped across the field, getting ready to tear away everything that was in its path. "Absolute Bite!"

Velvet's eyes narrowed slyly. "Thank you for making a fool of yourself."

"What?" Teruha's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. ("Those two set cards…I got carried away and summoned Ultimate Tyranno before I should have!") She had intended to summon Ultimate Tyranno after she had triggered Velvet's traps with the attacks of her other two monsters.

"Reverse card open." Velvet's set card flipped up and a line of silk shot from the trap into Teruha's graveyard. "Enhanced Web lets me sacrifice one insect monster on my field to activate a trap in your graveyard!" One of her two Army Ant Tokens shattered and suddenly every monster in play was floating a few feet in the air. "I'll use your Zero Gravity and switch all of my monsters back to attack mode." Her Doom Dozer reared up again and roared, and her Saber Beetle lifted its horn to point at Teruha's field.

The Dinosaur duelist, on the other hand, watched in horror as all of her monsters collapsed into defense mode. "My charge…"

"Is nullified. It's my turn." Velvet didn't draw the top card of her deck though. "I open my face-down Honeycomb Cluster trap card during my draw phase. This negates my draw for the turn, and instead I draw one card for every insect monster on my field." Drawing three cards from her deck, she laughed again at the now very worried-looking Teruha. "My my, where did that ferocious opponent I had from before disappear to?"

Teruha bit her lower lip and forced her expression into a grim one, refusing to show fear. "Take…your…turn." Her voice was whispered, and her mixed feelings of both anger and fear were like a heavy shroud around her shoulders. ("I screwed that up so badly…damn it, my temper made a fool out of me again.")

"As you wish." Opening her field magic card slot, Velvet tossed down a card. "I activate the field magic card Forest." All around them trees and underbrush sprang to life, the darkness replaced by a serene forest setting. "All insects on my field gain a 200 attack and defense point bonus." (Army Ant Token: 700/1400) (Doom Dozer: 3000/2800) (Saber Beetle: 2600/1700)

Teruha let out a strangled noise of anger at the sight of her opponent's monsters getting ready to attack her almost defenseless dinosaurs. ("I'm sorry…I screwed up big time. Forgive me guys.")

"Doom Dozer, attack Ultimate Tyranno now!" Velvet's laughter started again as the giant centipede brought its jaws crashing down against the mighty Dinosaur's neck, shattering it. "Army Ant Token, attack Gilasaurus!" The green ant marched across the field and bit down on the raptor's neck, shattering it as well. "And finally, Saber Beetle, attack Dark Driceratops!" The beetle opened its wings and propelled itself straight through the last defending monster. "Saber Beetle and your Dark Driceratops have a lot of things in common. For example, they both deal damage to the opponent's life points regardless of whatever mode the opponent's monster was in."

Velvet- 2400

Teruha- 2900

The silk-covered woman gently inserted a card into her duel disk. "And with that I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Teruha took a couple of deep breathes, but no matter how hard she tried the red-hot anger in her stomach wouldn't disappear. "Damn it!" Spinning around, she ran over to one of the trees created by the Forest card and punched it as hard as she could, sending cracks through the whole plant's rigid body. Then she was being rained upon by leaves as the tree shed much of its cover in the face of anger. "Alright…" Brushing some leaves from her hair, the Dinosaur duelist returned to her field. "Draw!" Snapping the card up, she solemnly met Velvet's eyes with her own. "I activate Turnabout Treasure, letting me draw one card for every face-up card you have in play!" Drawing four new cards, she threw one of the cards down and a large stegosaurus appeared on her field. "I summon Dark Stego in attack mode!" (1200/2000) "Dark Stego, attack the Army Ant Token!" Her new Dinosaur made grumbling noise and charged across the field, swatting the large insect with its tail.

Velvet- 1900

Teruha- 2900

While her monster returned to her field, Teruha inserted the other three cards in her hand into her disk. "I place three cards face-down on my field and end my turn. Take your best shot."

"Gladly…" Velvet drew and pointed at Dark Stego. "Saber Beetle, attack her monster and cut her life points down as well! I hunger for her soul!" The beetle opened its wings and hurtled forwards, its horn lowered to pierce through Teruha's monster. "This is the beginning of the end!"

"We'll see about that! During the moment it is attacked, Dark Stego switches to defense mode!" Teruha's monster switched into a crouching position right before it was pierced.

Velvet- 1900

Teruha- 2500

"You still don't have enough life to survive my wrath! Doom Dozer, eat her alive!" Velvet pointed at the girl and the centipede roared loudly, charging across the field to crush Teruha with its jaws. "You're finished…"

"I can't let that happen…not here, not ever!" Teruha pointed at one of her set cards. "I activate Call of the Haunted, and at the same time I chain the trap card Fossil Knowledge! For every two dinosaur, winged-beast and reptile type monsters in my graveyard, I may draw one card!" Drawing three cards, she braced herself and shuddered as pain spiked through her body. "However, this gift comes at the price of 500 life points per card I draw past one."

Velvet- 1900

Teruha- 1500

"And with the effect of Call of the Haunted, I will revive my Ultimate Tyranno!" Her mighty Tyrannosaurus reappeared on the field and roared at the charging Doom Dozer. (3000/2200) "Would you still like to attack?"

"Yes…" Velvet pointed at her set card. "I reveal Rising Energy, discarding one insect from my hand to power up Doom Dozer by 1500 points!" (4500/2800) "Now you truly are finished."

Teruha closed her eyes. "No, far from it actually. The only one of us that is going to be finished in the end is you! Reverse card open, Jurassic Impact!" A bright fire lit up the sky. "This trap can only activate when I have a Dinosaur in play and less life points then you when you attack! All monsters in play will be destroyed, and for each one destroyed the owner of that monster will lose 1000 life points!"

Velvet gasped. "What?" And then flaming meteors fell from the sky, crashing down amongst the monsters in play and shattering them. "In response then, I'll activate the quickplay magic card Poison of the Old Man! With its effect, I'll gain 1200 life points!"

Velvet- 1100

Teruha- 500

Teruha drew. "Since you have no cards in play, I could finish you off now. However, the effect of Jurassic Impact prevents either player from summoning until the start of your next turn." She placed a monster face-down on her field. "However, I can set monsters. So I'll set a monster face-down and end my turn."

Velvet snapped the top card off of her deck. "I activate the magic card Pot of Greed!" Drawing two cards, she opened her field magic card slot once more. "I sacrifice the Forest card for the field magic card Dark Hive!" All around them the forest grew dark, huge clots of a strange purple material covering the trees. "While this card is in play, I am able to summon one Hell Insect Queen from my hand to the field. This is the only way to summon her." A gigantic bulbous insect with chitin made entirely of human bone appeared on her field. (4500/3000) "And there's a reason that the only way to summon her is this way. When she is summoned all other cards on my field are destroyed, including Dark Hive!" The field card was spat out of her disk.

"Afterwards, all monsters in my graveyard are removed from play." A loud buzzing sound filled the dark void. "But I get something very precious out of this deal. And that is that all removed monsters I have become Dark Brood Tokens!" Five towering bone-bodied praying mantis monsters appeared on her field, one after another. (3000/3000x5) "As you can tell by now, Hell Insect Queen lets me use my magic and trap zone for monsters while she is in play as well. The only upside you get out of this deal though is that I cannot enter my battle phase during the turn I summon her. So go ahead my prey, make your move."

Teruha growled at that insult that was thrown her way again. "Now I have to win on general principle! Draw!" Holding the drawn card up to her face, she smirked slightly. "Let's see how lucky I am. Reverse monster open!" A black humanoid lizard appeared on her field in a standing position. "Des Feral Imp (1600/1800) lets me shuffle one card in my graveyard back into my deck." She held up Ultimate Tyranno and shuffled it into her deck.

"At this time you triggered the effect of Hell Insect Queen!" Black energy flowed into Velvet's body. "For every monster you summon I gain 800 life points!"

Velvet- 1900

Teruha- 500

Teruha held up Pot of Greed. ("Please…let me draw him!") Pulling the top two cards off of her deck, she blinked stupidly at one of them. "I forgot all about this guy." Her lips suddenly curled up and she snickered. "I activate the magic card Ultra Evolution Pill, sacrificing my reptile to summon a Dinosaur from my hand!"

Velvet- 2700

Teruha- 500

Her Des Feral Imp disappeared, replaced by a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex with a giant bone crown protruding from its skull. "I special summon King Tyranno in attack mode!" (2000/1400)

"Only 2000 attack points? Are you stupid?" Velvet laughed. "The power of your monster cannot defeat my Tokens or my Queen!"

"King Tyranno gets his name for a special reason. It's because all other Dinosaurs know when to pay heritage to a true monarch!" Phantom versions of her two Gilasaurus, Dark Driceratops, and Dark Stego appeared on her field, all of then kneeling before the king. "For every Dinosaur in my graveyard, King Tyranno gains 200 attack points!" (2800/1400)

"Also, by discarding one card from my hand I can remove one Dinosaur monster from my deck and give King Tyranno its effect for the turn." Fanning out her deck, she held up Ultimate Tyranno and grinned. "Ultimate Tyranno, at the start of my battle phase, attacks all monsters on my opponent's field. Therefore King Tyranno is going to consecutively kick your monsters' asses five times in one battle phase!"

"What part of 3000 attack points don't you understand, you stupid girl?"

"And what part of Chikara's _Chikara_ did you not understand?" Teruha slammed a card into her disk. "I activate Rush Recklessly, increasing the attack of King Tyranno by 700 points!" (3500/1400)

Velvet gasped in amazement. "Impossible…you summoned something stronger than my Tokens…"

"Yeah, scary ain't it?" Teruha wound up her punching arm. "King Tyranno, _Danke_!" Punching at Velvet, she roared along with her monster as it proceeded to trample the Dark Brood Tokens one after another.

Velvet- 200

Teruha- 500

Velvet suddenly picked up her elegant laugh again. "Oh wait…your monster has to attack all monsters on my field, doesn't it? Therefore your 3500 King Tyranno is about to be consumed by my 4500 Hell Insect Queen!"

Teruha roared on her own this time and pointed at Hell Insect Queen. "One more time!" Then her King Tyranno suddenly leapt into the air and crashed down on top of the Hell Insect Queen, squishing it flat.

"Impossible…" Velvet stumbled back in surprise. "How did you do that?"

"From my hand I activate Bloody Rampage!" Teruha was still growling angrily, looking like she was on the verge of going berserk just like her King Tyranno. "The effect of Bloody Rampage activates when I target a monster that has destroyed at least one monster on the field as a result of battle. For every monster the selected monster has destroyed as a result of battle, during that single damage step it gains 1000 attack points!" (8500/1400)

"Then why didn't you just trigger it after the first monster was destroyed? Wouldn't you have won?" Velvet didn't understand, but she was suddenly afraid as the King Tyranno charged towards her with its teeth bared.

"Because then I wouldn't get the satisfaction of watching my King crush each and every one of your little pain in the ass bugs!" Teruha's anger cooled as she heard Velvet scream in pain when her King Tyranno struck directly. "I should just let him bat you around a little bit, but honestly you're not worth it." King Tyranno faded away as the duel ended.

Velvet- 0

Teruha- 500

--------------------------------

Eri watched the darkness orb in interest. "I heard that last roar…I wonder what's going on in there that would be so strong that we could hear it outside of the darkness orb."

Krieger shivered and was already standing ready to leap behind a nearby bush. "If all else fails I'll leave it to you, alright Eri?"

"Yeah, leave it to me." Eri watched as the darkness orb collapsed to reveal an unharmed Teruha and Velvet, the latter cowering in the middle of the path. ("Dino Girl is just full of surprises.")

Teruha huffed and stomped off towards the Obelisk Blue girl's dorm. ("I need to go take a shower because now I'm in a foul mood.") Glaring at the still cowering Velvet, she disappeared from sight without saying a word to Eri or Krieger.

Eri fell over laughing again. "I…I…I can't stop laughing…help me Krieger…"

Krieger just sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Is it really that funny?"

Neither of them noticed that Velvet had already disappeared.

--------------------------

Teruha walked along the edge of the lake that led to the girl's dorm with an angry look still on her face. ("Thinking back on it, I should have let King Tyranno slap that nutcase around for a little while. Maybe it would have calmed my nerves.") Even though the night sky and that stars should have helped her relax, she still felt extremely pissed off.

A strong wind blew by, and the sound of a pair of extra feet on the grass could be heard. "That was an impressive display of power."

Teruha glanced behind her, eyes narrowed dangerously. "Disappear before I take my frustrations out on you."

"I'm afraid I cannot." The lithe creature slowly walked towards the Osiris Red girl. "I need your soul."

Teruha turned and cracked her knuckles. "That's it, I'm busting your chin open!" She charged forward about two steps, and then lifted into the air as she felt thousands of thin strands of silky material wrap around her and pull her up into the air. "Hey!"

Velvet continued her slow approach. "Unfortunately I have recovered my normal strength, so your threats of physical violence mean little to me." The threads tightened in rhythm with Velvet's fingers. "Now I will pull your soul right out of your chest."

Teruha snarled and struggled, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't break even one strand. ("I don't have anyway to apply force to so many different points at once.")

Velvet stopped a few feet away from Teruha. "Join with me. Give me your soul, and feed my hunger."

"_Hold it!"_ A loud voice cried out.

Velvet glanced off towards the trees. "Who dares to interfere?"

A bright circle of light illuminated a shadowed figure that stood on the edge of the grass. "I am the hero of the heavens!" An armored hand snapped down to point at the Vengeance. "In the name of love, justice, and fabric designers everywhere, I won't allow you to use a fine quality product like silk for your evil purposes!" A star of white light shone off a set of snow-white teeth. "I am Starlight Savior!"

"Ah, the loud-mouthed guardian has arrived." Velvet turned to face the hero. "I was hoping I'd meet you soon. Now then, if you would be so kind as to surrender peacefully."

"Huh?" Starlight Savior cracked his knuckles. "I think you misunderstand the…"

"Actually, I think you're the one who misunderstands the situation." Velvet tightened her hand and the strands around Teruha's body all yanked taut, eliciting pained gasps from the girl. "I can easily apply enough pressure to chop this human into hundreds of bloody chunks. Now then, surrender."

"…." Right eye twitching, the hero dropped to his knees and placed his hands behind his head. "You win, but let her go." He could feel strands of silk slowly wrapping around his individual body parts.

"No." Velvet flexed her other hand and Starlight Savior was yanked into the air. "I intend to kill both you and her, taking the source and her soul to my masters." Turning, she held her controlling hand right in front of Teruha's face. "This will only hurt for a moment, dear." Then she screamed as the Osiris Red girl bit down on the space between her thumb and index finger. "Let me go! Let me go!"

Starlight Savior started laughing. "You're the most absolutely sad Vengeance I've ever seen. Do you even know what you're doing?"

"Silence!" Clenching her free hand, Velvet's strand multiplied and began to cocoon the hero. "I'll store you like that for later." Her gaze turned to look at Teruha. "As for you…" A slight smirk could be made out from under her silky cover. "Now you get the chance to play hero." Aiming her non-being bitten hand at the cocoon that was Starlight Savior, she started laughing as the whole bundle of purple silk started condensing. "If you don't want me to crush that fool alive, then I suggest you let go of my hand!"

Teruha glanced over at the cocoon and then back at Velvet, a daring smile in her eyes.

"You don't think I can?" The Vengeance turned to look at the cocoon, and only found a large number of shredded threads. "How?" Something on the ground caught the moonlight. It was a wine-colored guitar pick.

"_The night blows with the eternal rapture of a hero's arrival. And I, El Mariachi Verdadero, weave that rapture into the melodies that touch the heart and soul. I shall leave the rest of this to you, Senor Starlight."_ A sound of a guitar began playing in distance, slowly getting quieter.

"Who are all you people?" Velvet snapped her head around, trying to locate the guardian. "And where are you, guardian?" A strange sensation of weight fell over her for a moment, and then she realized that Teruha had disappeared. "That's impossible…"

"Nothing is impossible for a hero that has control over the flow of time." Starlight Savior stood back where he had been before, with Teruha standing behind him. "Regardless though, this is the end."

Velvet's growled and snapped her hands up, summoning her threads to embrace and tear the hero apart. "Die!"

"**Awaken Taurus, Soul of Destruction!"** A dark blue crystal crossbow formed in Starlight Savior's grasp. Lifting the weapon up, he brought the Vengeance into his sights. **"Divine Star Crash!"** Pulling the trigger, he had to lean forward as the crossbow released a pounding beam of dark blue light big enough to engulf the Velvet completely.

From within the torrent of energy, Velvet cried out in pain as the threads were blown away from her body. **"Good…shot!"** And then her outline dissolved into nothingness.

Willing away Taurus, Starlight Savior turned and bowed to Teruha. "And with that I take my leave. It was a pleasure to meet you, Teruha-san."

"I…never told you my name." Teruha narrowed her eyes and leaned in close to the hero.

Starlight Savior stiffened and got ready to make his super-leap exit. "Ah…well…your reputation precedes you! Farewell!" He bent down at the knees to leap…and then was swallowed up in a pillar of dark blue light.

Teruha stared at Ichigo, who looked like he was pretending to be a frog or something. "Wow…that was really some exit…" She said this sarcastically, of course.

"Eh?" Ichigo stood up and looked around in confusion. "Wait, what? Huh? Why?" Snapping up his right hand, he stared at his ring. "Why?" The Infinity Mind answered him by proceeding to shatter into little shardlets, spraying a few broken pieces of itself at his face. "...Erian's gonna kill me."

_To be continued…_


	30. Clash of the Shadows Part 1

Disclaimer: I'm in a bad mood all of a sudden. Maybe it's because I don't own Yugioh GX? Nah, that couldn't be it.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 30: Clash of the Shadows (Part 1)

"…and so that's what happened." Ichigo nodded resolutely to Erian, who was standing in his room with Erian.

"Ichigo, you didn't say anything." Erian motioned to the desk, where there was a paper towel laid out with dozens of little dark blue fragments on it. "You just walked in with this, put it down on the desk, and then said 'and so that's what happened."

"Did I now?" Ichigo turned and walked towards the door. "Well then, I think I'll just go for a walk." After touching the doorknob Ichigo yelped in pain and leapt backwards, blowing on his now fire-engine red appendage. "There's a fire outside! The doorknob is red-hot!"

"A fire?" Erian walked up to the door. "Come in."

The doorknob slowly turned, and the door creaked open to reveal Resshin dressed in his Obelisk Blue overcoat and glowing orange. "Ichigo Pilkington, I will kill you. I sensed it." His voice was dangerously low. "I will rip out your throat as well. I will burn you to ash. I will…"

"Erian, save me!" Ichigo ran behind his friend, cowering. "He's going to kill me!"

"Whoa!" Erian held up his hands soothingly at the slowly approaching Resshin. "What's the matter Resshin? What did he do?"

"The Infinity Mind…it shattered!" Resshin pointed at Ichigo accusingly. "And it is his fault! It was in his possession!"

Erian twitched a couple of times. "Ichigo, is this true? Did the Infinity Mind really shatter? Are those dark blue pieces of glass over there…what's left of it?"

"Yeah." Ichigo sweat-dropped. "Listen, I didn't do anything though. It just happened on its own and…"

"Ichigo-san, please step outside." Erian turned and fixed his roommate with a cold glare. "Resshin and I need to speak in private."

"But…but…" Ichigo realized that Erian was escorting him outside by force. "Hey wait! It's cold out there!" Then he was thrown outside, the door slammed shut behind him.

-------------------------------------------

Grumbling to himself, Ichigo shivered again and sat on the roof of the Osiris Red dorm. "Man, it's not my fault that the stupid thing went and shattered on its own! They're acting like I took a hammer to it too." Growling under his breath, he pulled out his PDA and flipped open the cover. "I guess I'll use this chance to send my challenge out to Nikolai."

_Dear Nikolai Corben,_

_I saw you using the Final Shadow cards today, and I have to say that I'm really impressed. They're a great set of cards and I was wondering if you wanted to come to Duelist Academy and duel my Final Shadows. It would be a great match. Contact me soon._

_Ichigo Pilkington_

Closing his PDA, Ichigo was about to pocket the device when it beeped. "Huh?" Popping it open, he saw that he had a new message.

_I will be waiting for you tommorow. Please make sure that you're ready, as I do not intend to hold back against you at all._

"…Wow, that was a quick response." Closing the PDA's cover, he stood up and paced the roof while waiting for Erian to tell him it was okay to come back inside. ("I'll get to have my duel against him tommorow.")

-----------------------------

The crowds of students who were more than willing to spend the Sunday doing something interesting poured into the Obelisk Blue arena that had been sealed for a special charity duel that was being sponsored by Nikolai Corben.

According to the information he had provided news sources last evening, the rising star of the pro duelist league had wanted to test his rare Final Shadow deck against another deck of the same kind. And the only other Final Shadow deck's location had been unknown, up until just last night when he had gotten contact with the owner.

In celebration of this newly discovered information, he wanted to hold a special duel against Ichigo Pilkington. It didn't matter who won, as he intended to donate five million dollars of his own money to any charity designated by the winner.

The cheers of the crowds of students were nearly deafening, as the whole mood of this entire duel was so uplifting. Most of the time a duel against Ichigo Pilkington was a battle to the death, or some other such heavy-handed form of Duel Monsters. In this case it was just a duel between two users of similar decks.

Ichigo yawned loudly while Griff rubbed his shoulders to try and get the kinks out of his neck. "Man, Erian didn't let me back in last night. He and Resshin must have been up all night talking."

"I'm betting they just forgot about you." Griff spoke this cheerfully though he was fixing a death glare up at Erian and Resshin, both of which sat together at the very front of the stands. ("Damn, they're both looking awfully serious considering this duel's outcome won't affect them at all.") "Anyway, are you sure that you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine." Ichigo yawned again. "Sleep can't stop me from enjoying a great duel!" Then he realized that across the field Nikolai was smiling at him cheerfully. Returning the grin, the half-demon remembered his duel against Judai the other day. ("Judai-sensei helped me regain my confidence. Now I'll show this guy the power of the real Final Shadows.")

---------------------

Up in the stands Eri smirked slightly as she looked down at the field. "This will be amusing. I can't wait to see just how powerful Ichigo really is when he's fighting another Final Shadow deck."

Teruha had yet to mention her encounter with Ichigo yesterday. Something about this felt strange though. "Eri-sempai, are you certain that this Ichigo guy is…well…"

"Spit it out." Eri snapped.

"Is he human?"

"Of course not." Eri crossed her arms across her chest and snickered at the confused look on Teruha's face. "His dueling skills are beyond normal."

Teruha nodded slowly. "I…see…" That was a relief. Even for cosplayers, something was really weird about some of the students at Duelist Academy.

Chris just smiled from off to Eri's other side and watched the field expectantly. ("Ichigo-san, show me your full power too. One day soon I'm going to get a duel in against you, and I want to see just what I'm up against.")

-------------------------------

Adriel glanced over at Griff as the Egyptian duelist sat down next to him and Krieger. "So, what did Ichigo have to say? Is he confident that he can win this?"

Griff nodded. "You know him. He thinks that it's close to impossible for him to lose. And of course it's not arrogance…"

"It doesn't tend to be with him, does it?" Krieger smiled warmly. "Ichigo's just relaxed when he duels. I guess the worst we can say about him is that he is a little spoiled when it comes to winning his duels."

"Perhaps so, but something about this Nikolai Corben is extremely off." Adriel couldn't help but feel that somehow there was something more to this than just a duel between Final Shadow duelists. ("The real question is still how he got those cards. It shouldn't be possible.")

---------------------------------------

"It's a pleasure to meet you finally, Ichigo Pilkington." Readjusting his duel disk, Nikolai grinned. "I've been curious about your duelist abilities, and the abilities of your Final Shadows. I wanted to see just how much like my Shadows they really were."

Ichigo rubbed an index finger under his nose. "Trust me, they're awesome. As for similarities, I'll guess we'll see pretty soon." His duel disk activated. "The duel of the Final Shadows begins here!"

"That it does." Nikolai's smile lost its warmth, turning icy-cold. "And I wonder just what kind of connection you have to that which I seek."

"Duel!" Both of them yelled, drawing their opening hands.

Nikolai- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

-----------------------------------------

Somewhere in the darkness, a pair of eyes opened and watched the two boys. ("So these are the ones who I sensed? Interesting…let's see what they can do.")

-------------------------------------------

Resshin growled down at Ichigo. "So they're beginning. And now the real test. Let's see what about this human of yours shattered the Infinity Mind, shall we?"

Erian looked on in anger. ("Ichigo, I can't offer you my trust in this duel. I've lost the trust I had in you, because for some reason the Infinity Mind shattered itself while in your possession. That alone should make me hate you…but…I can't bring myself to such emotions in the sight of your frowning face.")

--------------------------------------------------------------

"I begin! Draw!" Nikolai's cold smile increased slightly. "There is room in this duel for infinite wonders, eh Ichigo?" There was an emphasis on the word infinite.

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo suddenly felt like he was asked a real question through that rhetoric.

"Never mind for now, let's just see what the stars have for us, shall we?" This time his emphasis was on stars. With his drawing hand he placed the card he had gotten for the turn onto his disk. "I summon Final Shadow Shield Guardian in defense mode." A black-suited warrior holding a large metal riot shield appeared on his field in a crouching position. (0?) "This monster's defense is equal to the number of defense mode monsters on my field times 1500." (0/1500) "Also I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn. Go right ahead Ichigo. Show me your Shadows."

"Heh, draw!" Ichigo tossed down a card. "I summon Final Shadow Night Slasher!" A dramatic dark-robed form appeared on his field. (1100/800) "When he's summoned, I select one monster in play with attack less than his own and destroy it! Guess who I'm choosing?" Nikolai's Shield Guardian exploded.

"Reverse card open." Pointing at his set card, Nikolai continued to smile coldly as it flipped up. "Starlight's Crossing lets me special summon a level four or lower monster from the top four cards in my deck when one monster on my field is destroyed by an opponent's effect."

"Starlight's…Crossing?" Ichigo scratched the side of his head with a nail. ("I think he's trying to tell me something.")

"My choice is Final Shadow Night Slasher!" (1100/800) Nikolai pointed at his field, where a copy of Ichigo's monster appeared in play.

"The same as mine?" Glancing at his hand, Ichigo grinned. "That's fine. I'll just place one card face-down and end my turn." A card appeared behind his monster. ("When he summons a stronger monster to destroy Night Slasher I'll use Night Signal and summon back-up.")

"Draw." Nikolai held up Pot of Greed. "I draw two cards, and perhaps one of them will present me with a road worth traveling, don't you agree?" The emphasis was on traveling.

Ichigo sweat-dropped and crossed his arms across his chest. "Dude, are you mocking me? Come on now, this isn't funny at all. Am I supposed to get whatever obscure joke you're making about me?"

"Apparently your brain is too full of stupid to understand what I'm telling you." Inserting the cards he had gotten through Pot of Greed into his hand, Nikolai's smile disappeared. "Let me make room in your skull so that perhaps some inkling of understanding can find its way."

Ichigo growled. "And what happened to Mr. Smiles and 'let's have a fun duel?"

"I do believe he was a façade, but you can tell me in a minute." Holding up a pair of cards, Nikolai smirked as a vortex appeared in the air above him. "I activate Polymerization and fuse the Final Shadow Avenger Zero and the Night Slasher on my field together!" His Night Slasher disappeared and was replaced by a metal-winged demon-armored warrior. "I'm sure you know Final Shadow Night Wingman already!" (2600/1500)

The crowds all stared in amazement at one of Nikolai Corben's trademark monsters. He never summoned it this early in a duel.

Ichigo kept growling, his eyes locked on Nikolai. ("It's this act huh?") Suddenly his face calmed and he smirked back. "Come and get me then."

"With pleasure! Night Wingman, attack his monster with Night Wing Rave!" Nikolai's monster launched in and right before it collided with Ichigo's Night Slasher everything when dark. When light returned to the field the battle was already over. Night Slasher had been torn to little shreds of dark cloth. "End turn."

Nikolai- 4000

Ichigo- 2500

"Hold it!" Ichigo pointed at his set card. "Go Night Signal!" Void Mercenary appeared on his field and struck a pose. (1700/1600) "Draw!" He slammed four cards into his disk. "I place four cards face-down!" While those four cards appeared face-down on his field he placed the last card in his hand on his field. "Then I special summon Final Shadow Ebony Ninja since it is the last card in my hand!" A black-clothed ninja appeared in play. (900/0)

Nikolai's cold smile lilted slightly. "I see, intending to draw cards are we?"

"Of course." Ichigo removed a card from his deck. "When Ebony Ninja is special summoned from my hand by its effect I can activate the magic card Ebony Calling Card from any location. Ebony Calling Card's effect has us both draw two cards." Drawing two new cards, he smiled slyly to Nikolai. "What's the hold-up? Are you going to draw?"

"As you said before...of course." Adding two cards to his hand, Nikolai already knew what was coming. ("He intends to defeat my Night Wingman now with a fusion of his own.")

("I'll bet you won't see this coming.") Ichigo pointed at one of his four set cards. "I reveal The Warrior Returning Alive, bringing Night Slasher to my hand!" The dramatic shadow-form appeared on his field alongside his Void Mercenary and Ebony Ninja. "Also I reveal Polymerization, fusing my three Shadows together!" A trenchcoat-wearing warrior appeared on his field. "Come out now, Lord of Knives!" (2800/2300)

-------------------------------

Up in the stands Griff and Krieger leapt to their feet. "Go Ichigo!"

Adriel just smirked. "So, Lord of Knives eh? Good, let that imposter suffer a little bit of pain, Pilkington."

From down a little farther into the stands Eri snickered at the surprised looks on Chris' and Teruha's faces. "That's right; this is your first time seeing one of Ichigo's fusions isn't it? Well then watch this; I'm sure you'll be impressed."

-------------------------------

"Lord…of Knives?" Nikolai narrowed his eyes in surprise. ("It seems he had Final Shadow cards I've never heard of.") "If you're so happy about your summon, then hurry up and come!"

"Lord of Knives!" Ichigo pointed at Night Wingman. "Attack with Infinite Knife Barrage!" The trenchcoat of the fusion warrior flew out behind him as he revealed rows upon rows of throwing knives under his clothing. Grasping handfuls of the weapons, he hurled them across the field and slashed Night Wingman apart.

Nikolai- 3700

Ichigo- 2500

"At this time the effect of Lord of Knives activates now!" Ichigo pointed at Nikolai. "You discard the top five cards of your deck and for every discarded monster you lose 500 life points!"

Nikolai pulled the top five cards off of his deck in one swift tug. "Two monsters." Discarding the five cards into his graveyard, a red aura sprang to life around his body.

Nikolai- 2700

Ichigo- 2500

"End turn." Ichigo knew he had the advantage now. ("With this I'll be able to win. Lord of Knives took down his Night Wingman before he could summon Night Wing Herald.")

"Draw." Nikolai looked into Ichigo's eyes calmly. "Tell me, can you truly look so safe? This deck is like yours, and if that is the case then you know relaxation is not an option." A grey-robed warrior holding a grey sword appeared on his field. "I summon Final Shadow Soul Blader." (1000/1000)

"Soul…Blader." Ichigo's eyes widened in realization. "Oh no…"

"Oh yes." Nikolai held up Night Fusion. "Come out now, Night Wing Herald!" A pair of phantom black wings appeared on his field as Soul Blader and the Night Wingman in his graveyard were removed from the game. (0/0) "For every removed from play card I have you take 300 life points of damage plus 1000." The wings flapped once and blasted Ichigo with a pair of jet-black crescents of darkness.

Nikolai- 2700

Ichigo- 900

--------------------------

"His life points are nearly gone." Teruha frowned at Nikolai. "This guy is strong too. He might even be stronger than however strong you say Ichigo might be."

"That's where you are mistaken." Eri smirked. "Night Wing Herald's effect only works once, and with zero attack points it will be easily defeated."

Chris shook her head. "Look at Nikolai's face. He doesn't look worried at all."

----------------------------

"You're the first opponent to ever survive the power of Night Wing Herald." Nikolai chuckled coldly. "However, that simply means you will be defeated by the real fusion."

"The real fusion?" That didn't make any sense to Ichigo. "You used the power of Night Fusion to summon Night Wing Herald, so what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about my monster." Nikolai's Night Wing Herald dissolved. "When Night Wing Herald's effect completes itself, it removes itself from the game and special summons Phantom Night Wingman!" A grey-colored version of Night Wingman appeared on the field. (2500/2100) "For every removed from play monster I have, this monster increases its attack by 300 points." (3400/2100) "Attack now, Phantom Wing Rave!" Spreading its metal wings, the new fusion yelled out a battle cry and flew into Lord of Knives, shattering it.

"Go Option Hunter!" One of Ichigo's face-down cards flipped up just before he was hit by the backlash. "I gain the attack of Lord of Knives in life points!" Then he screamed as Phantom Night Wingman landed in front of him and started glowing dimly, searing his skin with its grey light.

Nikolai- 2700

Ichigo- 300- 3100- 300

"You take the attack of any monster that Phantom Night Wingman destroys in damage, so your life gain trap only preserved you for the turn. Now go ahead, Ichigo." Inserting four cards into his disk, Nikolai continued smirking. "It seems you have no idea what I'm talking about, which is a shame because it seems like you might just be the person I'm looking for."

Ichigo sucked in his breath and dropped to one knee, trying to recover from the pain. ("I'm sure of it now. I wasn't sure at first, but now I know without a doubt.") After a few more moments of rest he stood up. "The Final Shadows aren't your real cards."

"Excuse me?" Nikolai narrowed his eyes. "What would make you say that?"

"There is no connection between you and them. They're as false as your kindness is." Ichigo drew. "I activate Pot of Greed." Drawing two cards, he smiled at the cards in his hand. "I activate Night Fusion." A swirling vortex of shadow appeared in the air above him. "With this card I will remove Lord of Knives, Night Slasher, Ebony Ninja and Void Mercenary!" Bright white light fell over the field. "Awaken now, Final Shadow Redeemed Ultimate!" (?) A shining white knight lowered onto his field. "His attack and defense are equal to the number of removed from the game Final Shadows I have times 800!" (3200/3200)

"Close, but not close enough!" Nikolai glanced at his Phantom Night Wingman. "My Final Shadow is still stronger."

"I activate the magic card Dimension Goddess." A female wearing a blue robe with crystalline blue hair appeared on Ichigo's field. "I offer one monster card from my hand and remove it from the game, gaining that monster's attack in life points!" Holding up Final Shadow Psyche Vizier, he smirked as the card disappeared. (1200/1300) "What was that about my guy not being strong enough?" (4000/4000)

Nikolai- 2700

Ichigo- 1500

Nikolai growled out right before Ichigo's knight slashed through his monster, shattering it.

Nikolai- 2100

Ichigo- 1500

While Redeemed Ultimate returned to Ichigo's field, the half demon smiled. "Sorry Nikolai, but it looks like the real Final Shadows have pulled through. At this rate you'll be defeated."

Bracing himself against the backlash of his monster's destruction, Nikolai continued to growl. "It's far from over, Ichigo." Lowering his guarding arm, the Russian boy pointed at his set cards. "Reverse card open now. Chaos Sacrifice lets me offer cards from my field to my removed from the game pile to gain 700 life points apiece. Also, if I offer two or more cards then I may draw one card!" One of his three still set cards flipped up. "And I choose to activate Chaos Signal!"

"Chaos Signal?" Ichigo gasped in surprise as the flipped up trap projected a swirling vortex of light and darkness into the sky. "A signal trap?"

"That's right. With it I can special summon a level four or lower Chaos Shadow monster from my hand or deck to the field when a monster on my field is destroyed and sent to the graveyard through battle!" All around them the air grew dark and hazy.

"Awaken from your rest, my Shadows of light and darkness!" The dark air slowly condensed, forming into a winged warrior with dozens of crystalline blades coming out of its body. "Awaken from the darkness, Chaos Shadow Tear Devil!" (800/800)

"Chaos Shadow?" Ichigo stared at the new monster in amazement. "Another shadow deck?"

"Don't speak so plainly of it, if you please." Nikolai pointed at his three cards that weren't Chaos Sacrifice. "Now I offer these three cards." All three of them were removed and he drew a card.

Nikolai- 4200

Ichigo- 1500

------------------------------

"A new Shadow deck?" This was echoed by Eri, Adriel, Krieger and Griff all at the same time. They knew that there were decks out there like Ichigo's previous shadow monster decks, but this was the first time they'd ever seen a deck that wasn't wielded by Ichigo which carried the name Shadow in its title.

"So it's begun…" Erian's eyes closed sadly. "This is what we thought. Between the two of them, one will have to the loser."

Resshin nodded. "This duel decides our future dealings with the humans, so let's see who the winner will be."

-------------------------------------

Ichigo glanced at Redeemed Ultimate. "Nikolai, you can't expect to defeat my monster with that thing."

Nikolai drew. "Do you even know what a Shadow deck really is? From the way you keep babbling on and on, you don't apparently."

"What a Shadow deck really is?" Ichigo looked at his deck and then at his monster. "My Shadows are heroes, who will fight against tyranny everywhere using the powers of darkness."

"And that's where your ideals muck up the whole thing." Nikolai motioned to Tear Devil. "A Shadow deck exists when a soul of darkness who wishes to redeem themselves is created."

"I'm not a soul of darkness, so your theory is wrong." Ichigo pointed at the holy light coming from his Redeemed Ultimate. "If anything, this monster proves your theory wrong."

"That's quite the contrary." Nikolai closed his eyes. "Light does not mean you are not a soul of darkness. A soul of darkness is simply a being who exists to wield the powers of the darkness games. They are very few, and growing fewer with each generation. These are why our cards are called Shadows, as opposed to something else. You and I…" He motioned to the stands. "…are completely different from these people. Even though I am a human, and you are half demon, it matters not. We both can feel the darkness, and we both can experience its power without any true harm to our souls. In other words, we are the pinnacles of any shadow duelists' desires."

"That's all well and good, but why do I care?" Ichigo shrugged this 'revelation' off. "It doesn't matter to me at all."

"I suppose it wouldn't. You don't seem to care about anything but what is right in front of you." Nikolai's field magic card slot opened. "Let's continue then! I activate the field magic card Chaos City!" All around them giant buildings rose into a now dark sky. But something was extremely wrong with the picture. All of the buildings were twisted in odd directions, or in shapes that could not stand on their own according to the laws of physics. "While this field is in play, whenever a monster on your field is removed from the game you lose 500 life points. And with that, Tear Devil will get rid of your light monster before it causes me anymore problems! Fist of Sorrow!" His Chaos Shadow spread its wings and launched into the air, slashing a hole in the sky with the blades on its body. "Disappear forever, Final Shadow."

Ichigo gasped as his knight was sucked into the hole in the sky, which closed right behind him. "No!"

Nikolai- 4200

Ichigo- 1000

"This is the power of the Chaos Shadows. They can forever send the enemy to another world, one where there is no escape." Nikolai held up a finger to indicate there was more. "However, Tear Devil is not without a heart. For every three level stars of a monster he removes, you get to draw a card. So go ahead Ichigo, draw."

"Redeemed Ultimate was level ten, so I draw three cards." Adding three cards to his hand, Ichigo now was holding five. But that didn't make the fact that his fusion monster was gone any better.

"The Shadows battle in this place." Nikolai motioned to the Chaos City around them. "Ichigo, I wonder how long you will last against a deck that was born of the same desires as your own. Come now, Ichigo Pilkington, and let me see your connection to the stars. Show me it, before my Chaos Shadows destroy you!" Sliding a card into his disk, the Russian duelist nodded to the half demon. "It's your chance now. End turn."

_To be continued…_


	31. Clash of the Shadows Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 31: Clash of the Shadows (Part 2)

"_The Shadows battle in this place." Nikolai motioned to the Chaos City around them. "Ichigo, I wonder how long you will last against a deck that was born of the same desires as your own. Come now, Ichigo Pilkington, and let me see your connection to the stars. Show me it, before my Chaos Shadows destroy you!" Sliding a card into his disk, the Russian duelist nodded to the half demon. "It's your chance now. End turn."_

"A battle between shadows huh?" Ichigo drew. "The Final Shadows will win in a duel that much I'm sure of!"

"Your confidence will be your undoing in this battle, Ichigo." Nikolai glanced at his set card. ("But I don't intend to stop you. Go right ahead and start your spiral into defeat by triggering my trap card.")

"We'll see, Nikolai!" Ichigo threw a card down onto his disk and a grey-robed form holding a grey sword appeared on his field. "I summon my Final Shadow Soul Blader!" (1000/1000) "For every removed from play card I have, it gains 300 attack points!" (2800/1000) "Go Soul Blader, attack Tear Devil now!"

Nikolai's monster cried out in pain as the Final Shadow slashed it down the middle.

Nikolai- 2200

Ichigo- 1000

Bracing himself against the backlash, Nikolai snapped out his hand and his face-down card flipped up. "I reveal the continuous trap card Chaos Portal! All Chaos Shadows that go from my field to my graveyard are removed from the game, and also increase my life points by 1000!"

Nikolai- 3200

Ichigo- 1000

"End turn!" Ichigo knew that with his Soul Blader his chances of winning were high. ("Especially with its attack at 2800 points.")

"Draw!" Nikolai snapped up a card and threw it onto his disk. "Come out now!" A gargoyle-winged warrior holding a huge sword in one hand appeared on his field. "I summon Chaos Shadow Daigren Blade!" (2200/1700)

"A four-star 2200 attacker?" Ichigo stared at the newly summoned monster in amazement. "That's nuts!"

"It might be, but since it cannot attack you directly you shouldn't need to worry." Pointing at his monster, the Russian Duelist laughed. "However, the real danger here is the power of my Chaos City! When I summon a Chaos Shadow monster I may choose to remove it from the game to gain its original attack in life points!" Daigren Blade dissolved into thin air.

Nikolai- 5400

Ichigo- 1000

"And now I activate Planar Fusion!" Nikolai's sneered. "With this card I can send removed from the game monsters to my graveyard to special summon a Chaos Shadow fusion monster!"

"A fusion that uses monsters that have been removed from play?" Ichigo smiled slightly. "That's pretty cool…"

"I don't need you to patronize me!" Tear Devil and Daigren Blade appeared on his field. "Fuse together!" Both of the Chaos Shadows disappeared, replaced by a dark warrior wearing devil armor and holding an ornate giant metal spike. "Chaos Shadow Impale Daigren appears!" (1900/1900)

"Huh?" Ichigo blinked at the new monster. "It only has 1900 attack points. What could it do to my Soul Blader?"

Chaos City started to glow, while Nikolai's Impale Daigren yelled out a battle cry. "Inside the Chaos City all Chaos Shadow fusion monsters gain 1000 attack points!" (2900/1900) "Attack Soul Blader with Vlad's Legend!" The fusion roared again and dove forwards, stabbing Ichigo's monster in the chest. Soul Blader let out a weak cry of pain and then dissolved away. "And don't forget that any monster defeated on your field is removed thanks to Chaos City, along with you taking an extra 500 points of damage!"

Nikolai- 5400

Ichigo- 400

Thrusting his fist forward, Nikolai sneered as one of Ichigo's hand cards shimmered away. "Did I forget to mention its other effect? When Impale Daigren deals you life point damage one card at random is removed from your hand. If this occurs, I may draw a card." Pulling the top card off of his deck, he inserted it into his disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo growled and muttered something under his breath before drawing. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn." Two cards appeared alongside the card he had set before when he had activated the effect of Ebony Ninja.

"It's my turn, draw!" Nikolai pointed at Ichigo. "Impale Daigren, attack his life points directly!" His monster shuddered and disappeared. "What?"

Ichigo smiled slightly and held up the De-Fusion he had set last turn. "Let's see, De-Fusion sends your monster back to your fusion deck and special summons the pieces. However, you can't special summon the fusion materials from anywhere but your graveyard…"

Now it was Nikolai's turn to smile. "You idiot, that's exactly where Planar Fusion sent them!" Daigren Blade and Tear Devil reappeared on his field. (2200/1700) (800/800) "At this time I'll sacrifice Daigren Blade to Chaos City!" The mighty Chaos Shadow dissolved again.

Nikolai- 7600

Ichigo- 400

"Tear Devil, direct attack!" Nikolai sneered as his monster yelled out a battle cry and dove towards Ichigo. "This is the end!"

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo's set card flipped up and his Soul Blader reappeared in play. (3100/1000) "Soul Return special summons Soul Blader to my field for the turn if it was in my removed from play pile!"

Nikolai motioned with his hand and his Tear Devil returned to his field. "When your monster removes itself you will lose. End turn." However, Soul Blader didn't disappear. "Why?"

"It's because of my face-down Dimensional Anchor quickplay magic card." Ichigo's set card had flipped itself up. "This card allows me to select one monster on my field. For the course of the turn that monster cannot be removed from the game." The half demon drew. "I place two cards face-down on my field and attack with Soul Blader!" His monster leapt across the field and prepared to slash through Nikolai's monster.

"Not this time!" Nikolai pointed at his set card, which flipped up and spat out a barrier of swirling light and darkness. "Chaos Shield allows me to make all battle damage to all Chaos Shadows during this turn zero!" The grey blade of Soul Blader clanged harmlessly against his defense. "Perhaps another time, Ichigo."

"End turn." Ichigo felt it now, the feeling that only a real opponent gave him. ("This is his real deck. If any deck can defeat me, it's Nikolai's Chaos Shadows.")

("So this is the guy that fate has brought me to. So far he seems pretty stupid, but something is there underneath that dense skull. There's a strategist who doesn't even know his own power.") Nikolai drew. "Tear Devil, Fist of Sorrow!" His monster tore the air open and Soul Blader was sucked out of the game. "That's the end. With your monster removed, your life points are zero!"

Ichigo shook his head. "Not yet." One of his two face-down cards was face-up. "Masterful Evasion sends one instance of effect damage from me to you." He also drew a card through the effect of Tear Devil.

Nikolai- 7100

Ichigo- 400

"And again victory slips past me because of your dueling skills." Nikolai inserted a card into his disk. "Since I cannot attack during the same turn that Fist of Sorrow is activated, I'll have to place one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. "I summon Final Shadow Smash Brute!" (1800/1500) A burly humanoid appeared on his field and pounded its fists together. "Attack Tear Devil now!" Smash Brute punched the Chaos Shadow right in the chest and shattered it. "According to your Chaos Portal you gain 1000 life points, but you also lose 1000 life points. However, now your Tear Devil is off the field, and it can't remove any more of my monsters."

"So what?" Nikolai snapped his free hand across his field and his set card flipped up. "I reveal Dimension Drop! At the cost of 800 life points I can restore one removed from play monster to my field and equip it with this card!" His Daigren Blade reappeared in play. (2200/1700)

Nikolai- 6300

Ichigo- 400

Ichigo snapped up one of his three hand cards. "I activate the quickplay magic card Shadow Wiretap! This card activates when the opponent special summons a monster. I gain that monster's attack in life points. End turn."

Nikolai- 6300

Ichigo- 2600

Nikolai scoffed and drew. "Life gain won't save you! Go Daigren Blade!" His monster leapt forward and slashed through Ichigo's Smash Brute. "Also, you take 500 extra damage since your monster was removed."

Nikolai- 6300

Ichigo- 1700

"I place two cards face-down and end my turn." Nikolai looked directly into Ichigo's eyes once more. "Let me ask you a question, Ichigo. Why do you duel? Why do you fight the dark blood that has infested this Miracle World?"

Ichigo drew. "I duel because I can and I fight because I can! I've made new friends who needed my help and I will…" The half demon hmm'ed and rubbed his chin. "Oh, that's what you were talking about. Alright, now it makes sense."

"I don't know what's more surprising…the fact it took you this long to figure it out or that you're not surprised I know about it." He pointed at Ichigo. "Continue with your turn for now. I got the information I wanted out of your answer."

Nodding, Ichigo tossed a card down. "I summon Final Shadow God Midnight Romancer!" A tuxedo-wearing humanoid appeared on his field and tipped its top hat to Nikolai. "Also, I activate its effect! You draw a card while I gain 3000 life points!"

"Wrong." One of Nikolai's face-down cards flipped up. "I activate the trap card Chaos Defuse Magic! One monster effect that is chained to this counter trap will be negated and the monster itself leaves the game!" Midnight Romancer disappeared.

Nikolai- 6300

Ichigo- 1200

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head in frustration. "Man, that was bad. End turn."

Nikolai drew. "Since Daigren Blade cannot attack you directly, I'll have to end my turn here."

Ichigo drew and nearly face-fell at what he had pulled. ("Thousand-Eyes Idol? Huh?") He stared stupidly at the card for a few moments…and then figured it out. ("I'm guessing Erian is really really mad at me then.") This must have been what Infinity Traveler Null Entity transformed into when Erian's trust wasn't with him. "End turn."

Nikolai drew. "End turn once more."

Drawing again, Ichigo prayed for something he could actually use. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Nikolai drew again. "I summon Chaos Shadow Wishmaster!" (1000/1200) A black-robed humanoid with numerous crystal balls floating around his body appeared in play. "When this monster is summoned I remove the top card of my deck from the game. I also do this during each of my standby phases. Now Wishmaster, attack his life points directly!" One of those crystal orbs that hovered about the body of his new monster launched forwards and slammed into Ichigo's chest. "End turn."

Nikolai- 6300

Ichigo- 200

Ichigo drew once more, a drop of sweat on his forehead. ("Alright! It's Mirror Force…") "I place one card face-down and set one monster face-down on my field! End turn!"

Nikolai calmly drew, his eyes looking at Ichigo's set card sadly. "You have offended them. I can sense it in that set card." He held up the card removed by the effect of Wishmaster. "Treasure of the Different Dimension, when in my removed from play pile, comes back to my hand and both of us draw two cards." Adding two more cards to his hand, he removed the top card of his deck from the game. "You understand that this is the end, don't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo motioned to his three set cards. "These set cards will protect me. I'm ready for anything you can throw at me."

"No." Nikolai closed his eyes, suddenly looking very angry. "No, you are not! The card I hold tells me the truth about you, and now that I see what has happened I know the truth about you, Ichigo Pilkington! You shattered it…"

"That again?" Ichigo sighed. "I didn't do anything! The thing shattered on its own!"

"I won't tolerate any of your excuses! Now that I know this I see the absolute truth about you, Ichigo Pilkington!" He narrowed his eyes, looking at Ichigo like one looked at an enemy.

"….You've lost it." Ichigo sighed. "That doesn't make any sense."

"It doesn't? Then can you explain how else it would have shattered like that?" Nikolai waited patiently for an answer, but none came. "I thought so. Regardless, I see now that you are nothing but a waste of skill."

"What are you talking about now?" Ichigo tapped the top of his deck. "You said it yourself about the skill of a Shadow deck user."

"That means nothing in their eyes! Skill means nothing if the light in your heart and the idea of friendship between you and one of the Travelers is forgotten!" Nikolai tossed a card onto his disk and a floating spindly-bodied humanoid appeared on his field. "I summon Infinity Traveler-Illustrious Vision!" (400/400)

"A Traveler?" Ichigo's eyes widened in amazement. "You have a card like that too?"

"Who are you to talk?" Nikolai pointed at Ichigo's set monster. "That card was the bond between you and whatever Traveler gave you its trust, but even now that trust has faded. I will be taking that card back and returning it to its owner!" He clenched one fist in front of his face. "You don't deserve to be part of this battle, Ichigo Pilkington!"

"What do you know?" Ichigo motioned at his chest. "I have sworn to protect the earth, and I will do so until my dying breath!"

"…" Nikolai just looked at Ichigo quietly.

"That's right, you have nothing to say to my oath, do you?" Ichigo started to smile…

"Your oath is a waste of air." Nikolai crossed his arms across his chest, a jaded smile on his face. "There is no point to making promises when a selfish bastard such as you cannot understand the true danger this war is to the world!" He pointed at his monster. "Show him the truth…show him what will happen if he fails. Show him what all should know!" The spindly-armed humanoid started chanting.

Ichigo's eyes widened for a moment…and then he dropped to his knees, shaking uncontrollably. "What…was that? That vision?"

Nikolai breathed in and out, as he remembered it as well. "It is the fate of our world if we fall. If is the fate of all of us!"

The cards in Ichigo's hand dropped to the ground in front of him, while his frightened eyes replayed those images once more. ("The world…no, the universe…all of it was obliterated.")

"This is the power of our enemy! And you are supposed to be our leader? Don't make me laugh!" Nikolai pointed at his Illustrious Vision. "Activate your effect now, Illustrious!"

Ichigo tilted his head to look over at Erian in confusion. ("I…Erian…please, I need your support. I need you to tell me we can win.")

Erian sadly closed his eyes, refusing to look at Ichigo. ("No, we cannot win. With the destruction of the Infinity Mind, we have lost our strongest weapon. Your disregard of this threat alone showed me the truth…you don't care what happens to us as long as the earth is safe.")

"You're wrong!" Ichigo leapt to his feet and yelled at Erian. "You're my friend, and I want to understand! I didn't take it seriously, but I can change!"

("It's too late for that.") Erian closed off his link with Ichigo, and then bond that connected them disappeared with a whimper. ("Yes…the other Travelers and myself, in the end, are alone. There is no reason to let this continue…") "Nikolai-san…" He stood up and yelled down to the Russian duelist. "If you check the monster that on his field, you'll find it to be a blank card. Therefore, I do believe he is cheating."

"Illustrious Vision's effect lets me, once per turn, reveal either all set monsters on your field or all set magic and trap cards on your field!" Ichigo's set monster shimmered and flipped up face-up to reveal a blank card. "I see…I do believe that means you lose by disqualification, correct?"

The stands erupted into confused whispers, objections and insults towards Ichigo.

Nikolai- Winner

Ichigo- Disqualified

The field cleared away, leaving Nikolai and Ichigo as the only two actors on the 'stage.'

The Russian duelist turned to face the exit. "I suppose I will have to lead. Thanks to you, our chances of winning this war are nearly zero. Therefore…" He glanced back to glare at Ichigo angrily. "Do not involve yourself in this battle anymore. You've done enough damage already, Ichigo Pilkington. More likely than not, it will be your fault that the earth you have sworn to protect will be destroyed. And when that happens…when that happens…" He spat on the dueling ring and walked away. "Consider yourself lucky that I pity you more than I hate you, sad fool. You were given a power you could not comprehend, and that you should not have even known about."

Ichigo arms hung limply off to his sides, and he stumbled to his feet. Turning, he numbly looked up at the stands, and at all of the different reactions to his apparent 'cheating.' ("It will be my fault…it will be my fault…") Squeezing his eyes shut, he ran out of the arena as fast as he could. ("I won't let it be! I will find a way to make things right!")

-----------------------------------------------

The dark eyes looked upon this interesting development with a smile. "How strange, how these creatures fight amongst themselves for the strangest things." Readjusting his clothing, the man turned and walked away from the viewing portal. "Perhaps this is my chance…to meet one of these creatures up close. These demons are certainly interesting…"

_To be continued…_


	32. Ichigo's Desperate Gamble

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 32: Ichigo's Desperate Gamble

_Ichigo, what happened? Why were you yelling? Please answer one of us, we're all looking for you._

_Krieger_

Closing his PDA, Ichigo tossed the device to the other end of the cave. ("I can't come back to any of them. Not now.") After his loss to Nikolai he had gone up into the mountains and was hiding out in a little known cave location. Here he would be able to think in peace of a way to help his friends.

Fanning his Final Shadow deck in front of him, Ichigo sighed. "You guy's are my last method of fighting. If I can't fight the Blood Children as Starlight Savior, I'll fight them as Ichigo Pilkington!" The phantasmal forms of Midnight Romancer, Rage Demon, Crystal Knight, and Halo Breaker appeared on the field in front of him. "All of you…thank you for always being by side no matter what." The phantasms disappeared as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. ("Somebody's coming? Great…")

His ears perked at the sound of a harp being played. ("Huh?") He had been about to hide, but nobody that he knew played a harp. "Who's there?"

A shadowed form slowly stepped into the cave, holding a small harp in one arm and playing it with the other. "I am but a simple observer, Ichigo Pilkington."

"A simple…observer?" Now on his guard, Ichigo got ready to run. "I don't know what you want, but if…"

"You wish to help save the world, do you not?" The harp's sweet melodies ended, and the object in the shadowed form's hands disappeared. "That is your wish, correct?"

"If it is, what of it? What do you want?" Ichigo really wasn't in the mood to be cheerful towards a stranger.

"Allow me to introduce myself." The form stepped into the light to reveal a man dressed in a deep crimson-colored trenchcoat and a pair of deep crimson pants. His hair was a royal purple, and his eyes were of the same color. "I am known as Prince Rysel, heir to the Blood Children throne."

"…." Ichigo slowly slid into his guard. "What is it you want with me? Who are the…"

"There is no need to play stupid." Rysel adjusted his coat. "I watched your duel against the other boy, Nikolai Corben. And I saw how you were betrayed by them for something that wasn't your fault."

"They had good reason to be mad at me though!" Ichigo clenched his fist, still on the edge. "Now answer me! What do you want?"

"I am the leader of the invasion of my people." He spoke softly and formally. "Therefore I thought I would present you with an opportunity." A crimson duel disk appeared around his arm. "If you can defeat me in a duel, then I will withdraw my forces from your planet."

"What?" Ichigo growled. "Don't mess with me!"

"I give you my word." Bowing, Rysel placed his hands at his sides. "You said it yourself, didn't you? If I cannot defeat them as Starlight Savior then I will defeat them as Ichigo Pilkington."

"And I still say that you're lying! Why should I believe that you are who you say you are? If you were the leader of all the Blood Children forces on Earth then you wouldn't have come out like this!"

"Is that so?" Rysel sighed and rolled his eyes at the absurdity of Ichigo's statement. "I dislike being coddled like a child by my attendants. Besides, what's the fun of being the puppetmaster when you can't let the audience see you from time to time?" He offered a hand to Ichigo in symbolism. "Will you take this chance? It is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stop the whole of the threat to your planet. Would you really turn your back on it?"

Ichigo growled and slammed his deck into his duel disk. "I swore I'd make things right for my mistake, and if this is my chance then there's no way I'd ever pass it up!" The device activated. "Come on, Rysel! Let's do it!"

"That's the spirit!" Pulling a deck out of his pocket, the Blood Children Prince inserted the stack of cards into the slot and activated the device. "I find this Duel Monsters game so interesting. Is this truly how major conflicts on your world are solved?"

Ichigo- 4000

Rysel- 4000

Ichigo looked down at his deck. ("Final Shadows, give me your full strength! If this guy is the real leader of the Blood Children then we can't hold back!") He drew his opening hand. "I'm first, draw!" Looking at the drawn card he smirked. "I activate Wings of the Avenger! This magic card lets me special summon one Avenger named monster from my hand to the field!" A dark-winged warrior appeared on his field. "Emerge now Final Shadow Avenger Zero!" (2600/2000) "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"I shall begin then. Draw." Pulling the top card off of his deck, Rysel looked at his hand and then held up a card. "I activate the magic card Pot of Kindness, as a gift to you. Please, Ichigo, draw two cards."

("Pot of Kindness? People actually play that card?") Ichigo drew two cards and added them to his hand. "I don't get why you're giving me cards, but do as you please."

"Pot of Kindness lets me also draw one card." Adding one card to his hand, the prince placed a monster face-down on his disk. "I place one monster face-down and end my turn."

"Draw!" Ichigo threw a card from his hand onto his disk and a tuxedo-wearing humanoid appeared on his field. "I summon Final Shadow God Midnight Romancer!" (1400/1200) "Go Gentleman's Aura! You get to draw a card, while I gain 3000 life points!" A green light engulfed his body. "It's not quite the same as the gift I gave you, but I hope you appreciate it."

Ichigo- 7000

Rysel- 4000

Rysel bowed politely and drew. "I do indeed, thank you very much."

"Now then, go Avenger Zero!" Ichigo pointed at the set monster. "Avenging Angel Blade!" His winged warrior flew forwards and slashed through the set monster. "And now for my direct attack! Go Midnight Romancer!"

"Are you so sure that is wise?" Rysel pointed at Avenger Zero, which now stood on his field. "It would be a waste of your newly gained life points."

Ichigo's eyes widened at the fact that his monster card was no longer on his disk. "What happened?"

"That would be the effect of Blood of Cerberus." (0/0) Rysel held up his monster card. "When this monster is destroyed as a result of battle, the monster that destroyed it falls under my control. Also, that monster gains 500 attack points." (3100/2000)

"3100…" Looking at the cards in his hand, Ichigo quickly realized that this guy was no amateur when it came to dueling. ("It's fine though. My Final Shadows are with me in this duel, and I won't lose with their power behind me.") He inserted two more cards into his disk. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Very well then, draw." Rysel looked at his drawn card and then at Ichigo's field. "From what I have learned, you are the Blue Osiris of Duelist Academy are you not?"

"Yeah, that's me." Ichigo narrowed his eyes warily. "Why?"

"I was just trying a little bit of…what was it called?" Rubbing his chin, the prince suddenly snapped his fingers in remembrance. "Ah yes, small talk. However, you do not seem very relaxed. Very well, I will continue." He held up a card. "I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." Adding two cards to his hand, Rysel held up another two Pots of Kindness. "If you please, draw four cards." He drew two.

Ichigo frowned and drew four cards. ("Why does he keep making me draw cards? So far he hasn't used any cards to gain benefits from such an effect.")

"Now then, I will activate the continuous magic card Blood Siren's Harp." A large golden harp with a woman's head etched into the fine metal appeared on his field and started playing loudly. "At this time you select one monster from your hand and I special summon that monster to my field. If you cannot summon a monster, then this card is destroyed, I draw two cards, and you take 1000 life points of damage."

Ichigo growled and held up the only monster in his hand. "I'll give you Final Shadow Psyche Vizier then." The card disappeared from his hand and a female thief wearing a metal helmet appeared on Rysel's field. (1200/1300)

"Ah, another of your fine Shadows." Rysel motioned to his harp, and blood started to flow out of the mouth, nostrils and eye sockets of the female etching. "The monster targeted by this card's effect also gains 500 attack points." The red liquid leapt forwards and forced itself into the openings in the Vizier's helmet. (1700/1300) "Psyche Vizier, attack Midnight Romancer!"

"Not a chance!" Ichigo snapped his hand out and one of his face-down cards flipped up. "I activate the power of my Rose-Lit Entrance trap!" Midnight Romancer struck a dramatic pose and placed a rose in between his lips. "When this card is activated I can negate one attack from you and also activate Romancer's effect!" A green aura flowed around his body once more.

Ichigo- 10000

Rysel- 4000

The prince drew a card. "Avenger Zero, attack now!" Spreading its wings, the Avenger Final Shadow dove towards Ichigo's Midnight Romancer. Right before it connected though it hit a glowing green barrier that sent it flying back to his field. "Ho? What was that?"

"Draining Shield negates your attack and gives me life points equal to the negated monster's attack." Ichigo smirked as that green glow surrounded him again.

Ichigo- 12600

Rysel- 4000

Rysel chuckled. "You are quite an amazing boy, Ichigo Pilkington." Holding up a card from his hand, he inserted it into his disk gently. "Take this, as a gift from me to you." A continuous magic card appeared on his field. "It is called Blood of Hermes, and when played it transfers itself to your field." The card shimmered off of his field and appeared alongside Ichigo's remaining set card.

"Huh?" Ichigo blinked at the card that appeared in one of his duel disk slots. "Why'd you give me a card?"

Rysel walked up to Ichigo and held out a trio of cards that had come from his hand. "These belong to you now, Ichigo. Make good use of them."

Lifting an eyebrow, Ichigo grasped the cards and held them up to his face. "Mosquito Mage? Mosquito Bomb?"

"That is correct." Turning, Rysel returned to his field. "When a card with Blood in its title goes under your control, those cards transfer themselves from my hand to your hand." Flourishing around so he was looking at Ichigo, the prince continued his calm smile. "Mosquito Mage triggers its effect first. For every card in your hand you now gain 1000 life points."

Ichigo- 21600

Rysel- 4000

"You're…you're really a weird guy, you know that?" Ichigo looked at his nine card hand. "What's with letting me draw cards and gain life points?"

"Please, allow me to explain the effect of Mosquito Bomb." Pointing at Ichigo, Rysel continued his explanation. "The effect of the two Mosquito Bombs I gave you now activates. Please select a monster on your field and gain its attack in life points. Since your only monster is Midnight Romancer, your life points increase by 1400 twice."

Ichigo- 23000- 24400

Rysel- 4000

Ichigo sweat-dropped. "Wow…ummm, thanks?"

"You're very welcome." Rysel bowed deeply. "I aim to please my friends, Ichigo." Standing up at his full height again, he held up his finger. "However, I'm going to have to request my cards back."

"Ummm, I can't just give them to you." Ichigo looked down at the Mosquito cards in his hand and realized they were glowing. "Hmmm?"

"The effect of Mosquito Bomb comes first this time." Rysel held up a hand. "After the life gain effect completes you lose 2000 life points and the Mosquito Bomb returns to my graveyard."

"What?" Ichigo's eyes widened right before he disappeared within a pair of massive explosions.

Ichigo- 20400

Rysel- 4000

"Now then, for my Mosquito Mage it is a bit different." The prince watched as a human-sized insect in robes appeared on his field. "After it has given you life points it special summons itself from your hand to my field. Also, its attack and defense are equal to the number of life points you have gained since the start of this turn to when it was summoned. (14400/14400)

"14400 attack points?" Ichigo growled in amazement. ("That's why he gave me so many cards and life points. He wanted to maximize the power his monster gained!") "However, your battle phase is over so you can't attack me this turn."

"That is very true." Rysel inserted a pair of cards into his duel disk. "I can place two cards face-down on my field, along with setting a monster, and end my turn though."

Ichigo snapped the top card off of his deck. ("This guy is amazing alright. However, I can't falter here. I swore that I would fix this problem, and that's exactly what I will do!") "I summon Final Shadow Void Mercenary!" (1700/1600) A dark-helmeted warrior appeared on Ichigo's field.

"At this time the effect of my monster activates! When it is summoned I can send one card on my field back to its owner's deck to add one equipment magic card from my deck to my hand!" Blood of Hermes disappeared back into Rysel's deck and he slammed a new card home. "Now I equip my monster with the equipment magic card Void Quantum Cannon!" A long silver futuristic rifle appeared in the hands of his mercenary. "This powers him up by 500 points!" (2200/1600)

A black wooden cane appeared in the hands of his Moonlight Romancer. "And the equipment magic card Moonlight Cane powers up my monster by 500 points!" (1900/1200) "Also I can send one level four or lower Final Shadow from my deck to my graveyard to power up Midnight Romancer by the discarded monster's attack for the turn!" Discarding Smash Brute (1800/1500) he pointed at his warrior as its power rose. (3700/1200) "Now I attack with my two monsters! Void Mercenary, attack Psyche Vizier!" His mercenary aimed its rifle and fired a purple blast of energy that hurtled towards the female thief.

"Reverse card open." Rysel watched as the blast swerved and slammed into his set monster. "My Shift trap changes your attack target to my face-down monster." A few moments later Void Mercenary was standing on his field. "And that was another of my Blood of Cerberus monsters, which means your Void Mercenary is under my control and now gains 500 attack points." (2700/1600)

"I won't let you defeat me here! Go Midnight Romancer, attack Avenger Zero!" The tuxedo-wearing hero leapt into the air and came flying in to strike down the mightiest Final Shadow under his enemy's control.

Rysel's face-down card flipped up. "I activate Awakening of Thy Eyes." Holding up the last card in his hand, he continued to hold that calm smile. "By discarding the Blood of Cerberus that is in my hand, I can seize control of the opponent's attacking monster."

Midnight Romancer lowered his weapon and landed on the prince's field facing Ichigo. "My apologies Ichigo, but it seems like even your monsters have betrayed you to come and work for me."

Ichigo stared at each of his monsters in turn, all of them looking more than ready to destroy him if they were ordered to. ("I can't give up! I swore that I would win!") "I place one card face-down and activate Emergency Provisions!" Midnight Cane, Void Quantum Cannon, and his two set cards all vanished. (Midnight Romancer: 1400/1200) (Void Mercenary: 1700/1600)

Ichigo- 24400

Rysel- 4000

"I place the last three cards in my hand face-down on my field and end my turn." Ichigo smiled slightly. ("This setup will work. He can't get past my defensive traps without sacrificing all of his resources now, and even if he does get through he'll barely scratch all of these life points I have.")

Rysel drew casually. "Ah, a very nice draw. Ichigo, let me ask you just what you think of the Blood Children. Well?"

"What do you think?" Ichigo asked this spitefully. "You guys are planning on destroying the whole universe! Why would anyone want to do that?"

"Why?" Rysel held up the card he had drawn. "This card's effect will make it all very clear. I play the magic card Absolute Domination! This magic card gives all monsters on the field that are owned by you a double attack point bonus." (Midnight Romancer: 2800/1200) (Void Mercenary: 3400/1600) (Avenger Zero: 5200/2000) (Psyche Vizier: 2400/1300)

("Come on then, come and attack.") Ichigo smiled nervously. ("With my set Truce of Opposing Forces trap card I'll be able to return all monsters on the field back to their owner's hands, so I'll reclaim all of my Final Shadows in one move!")

"Do you understand? The aim of my family's kingdom is to rule the universe, not destroy it. It is filled with creatures of hatred and darkness. These are beasts that are a danger to even themselves, and they must be cleansed. Some think this is cruel of us, but it is a necessary evil." He touched his chest gently with a nail. "I love this world, and its beauty. I wish to protect it as well, because it is a place filled with wonders I do not understand."

Ichigo stared at Rysel in confusion. "You wish to…protect this world?"

"Yes, of course I do." He motioned to the cave around them. "If I wanted this world destroyed, then don't you think I would bring such a thing about easily? No, I wish to preserve this world's beauty, and live here peacefully with all humans. But to do that I must first remove those who crashed-landed here and brought all of this strife."

"The Travelers…" Ichigo clenched his fist weakly, trying to focus his anger. "I can't allow that! You won't hurt them!"

"You would protect them, even though they lied to you? Even though one of them made a fool of your image as an honorable hero? Even though they no longer wish to have relations with you, and took away your friends?" He sighed sadly. "Ichigo, think about your position now. You have sworn to protect this world, and your friends have all betrayed you. Would you sit by idly as they beat you like a dog and spit upon the friendship they offered you?"

"You're no better…" Ichigo sounded not so sure now. ("He's right…Erian and the others instantly threw me aside the moment they learned the Infinity Mind had been destroyed. They hated me for it...for something I didn't even cause!")

"Why is that? Is it because I am part of a kingdom that wishes to bring about a single universal order?" Rysel shook his head. "No Ichigo, I don't believe that makes me like them. I have never betrayed my friends, and I would never betray a planet as beautiful as this one."

Holding out a single hand to him, he smiled warmly. "Ichigo, would you hate me for wanting to protect this world? I wish to be your friend, but unlike them I offer friendship over the protection of the Earth and its people. That is a friendship I would not break, as I wish to protect this planet as well."

Ichigo stared at Rysel. "You…you have to be lying!"

"Let us find out then, shall we?" The prince pointed at Ichigo. "Direct attack!"

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo's burned with anger now. "Truce of Opposing Forces returns all monsters on the field to their owner's hands!" The trap faded to indicate it had activated, but nothing happened. "What?" Then all of his opponent's monsters unleashed their attacks. Each one struck his body one after another, creating a chain of explosion that shook the entire mountain to its core.

Ichigo- 0

Rysel- 4000

Ichigo was on his knees, staring at the stone floor. ("I failed. I was unable to defeat the leader of the Blood Children.") There was no anger anymore. Now there was just a feeling of emptiness. "I can't uphold my oath to protect this world…"

"That is not true." The smoke parted to reveal Rysel standing over Ichigo, a hand extended. "Your Final Shadows simply understood who the real duelist who wished to protect the Earth was. Now come with me, Ichigo. I will help you uphold your oath."

His duel disk falling off of his arm, Ichigo slowly reached up and took Rysel's hand.

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"Didn't you love the look on that insolent Osiris Red's face?" A boy wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform snickered. "Now we know why he was considered such a powerful opponent. Who'd have thought it was because he was cheating after all of this time!"

The other five Obelisk Blue students laughed along with him. They had all returned to the lobby of the Obelisk Blue dorm and were having a great time now that there was an excuse for why Ichigo Pilkington had been able to beat them after all of this time.

"Thinking about it, what was with that stupid guy anyway? He was shouting at someone right before he was revealed for the cheat he was."

Suddenly the front doors to the Obelisk Blue dorm swung open, filling the lit lobby with the light of the afternoon sun. "Boys, what's all this whispering and chattering about me and cheating?" Ichigo slowly walked in, wearing a crimson trenchcoat and a pair of crimson pants. "I don't believe any of you have the right to talk about cheating, seeing as how you all like to talk about things behind other people's backs."

"What do you want, Cheat Osiris?" One of the Obelisk Blue boys stepped forward and glared at the half demon.

"What do I want?" Ichigo smiled calmly. "I want to save the world. But for now I'd also like to achieve a title that has been waiting for me."

"A title? What are you talking about?" Another of the students stepped forward.

"I do believe the title of Kaiser is dangling free in the wind for someone to step forward and take it, no?" Lifting up his arm, Ichigo revealed a crimson-colored duel disk. "Would any of you care to prove me wrong?"

"What's to say you just won't cheat again?" A third of the six students stepped forward.

"What, you ask?" Pulling a deck box out of his coat pocket, Ichigo slid the metal container across the floor. "You're welcome to shuffle it yourself. And for added proof, here." Unbuttoning the sleeves of the coat, Ichigo rolled them back to reveal his bare arms. "I don't wear wristbands or a watch, so I doubt that I could cheat even if I wanted to."

"Still…." The fourth student said nervously. It didn't make sense as to why this guy would just show up at the Obelisk Blue dorm and declare he was going to be Kaiser.

Sighing, Ichigo held up his right hand soothingly. "I'll even add to the deal. For this one time only, all six of you can duel me at once."

"A six on one duel?" All of the Obelisk Blues smirked to each other and ran to get their duel disks. From what they had seen up to this point Ichigo's skills were on par with that of one of their dorm, but a six on one duel was still a six on one duel. He would be completely outnumbered and outgunned.

-----------------------------------

Ichigo stood outside along with the six Obelisk Blue boys. "Even though this is a multi-player duel, I'll be going first. During each of your first turns you are welcome to attack me."

The Obelisk Blues all sneered at him. This meant that during their first turns they could attack him. With six different attacks, they'd blast through his defenses and crush him. "Duel!" All six of them activated their duel disks.

Ichigo- 4000

Obelisk 1- 4000

Obelisk 2- 4000

Obelisk 3- 4000

Obelisk 4- 4000

Obelisk 5- 4000

Obelisk 6- 4000

Ichigo clicked on his duel disk and drew his opening hand. "It's my turn." He drew and held up a magic card. "I activate the magic card Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and then discarding two." Adding three cards to his hand, he inserted two into his graveyard slot. "I discarded a pair of Ojamagic cards."

"Ojamagic?" The first-most Obelisk Blue snickered. "That lets you get an Ojama Yellow, Green, and Black from your deck. What can you do with such weak cards?"

"Observe," Ichigo fanned out the twelve cards in his hand. "I play two magic cards! Go Ojama Get Ride!" Holding up the six Ojama cards he searched for, the half demon smiled slightly and inserted them all into his graveyard. "Ojama Get Ride lets me discard all three of the Ojama monsters from my hand to the graveyard to special summon up to three level four or lower machine type union monsters from my deck to my field in defense mode! Since I played it twice, I'll be special summoning five machines!"

"Special summoning five machines at once?" One of the Obelisk Blue's growled under his breath. "You dirty…"

Motioning to his rolled up sleeves, Ichigo laughed. "As you can see, I'm not cheating. And you shuffled my deck right before we began, so how could I possibly be not playing by the rules?" Then he pointed at his field. "Emerge now!"

A trio of high-powered cannons on robotic legs appeared on his field. "These are my Artillery Blast Cannons." (1200/1200x3)

Alongside those two monsters a pair of mobile tank treads appeared. "And these two are my Full Road Rollers." (0/2200x2)

"So what?" Another of the six chuckled. "You summoned a bunch of defenders! That doesn't mean you're safe by a long shot!"

"Defenders?" Ichigo giggled. "No, they're not defenders. They're attackers!" The five monsters on his field disappeared. "I remove my three Artillery Blast Cannons and two Full Road Rollers from the game to special summon this!" A giant cannon on tank treads appeared on his field. "Long-Range Artillery Gunshell Destroyer!" (2000/2000)

"A five-way fusion with only 2000 attack points?" Now all of the Obelisk Blues were laughing. What could he expect to do with it?

Ichigo held up three cards from his hand. "Now for a Pilkington family trademark! I activate three Limiter Removal quickplay magic cards!" Lightning arched along the body of his machine. "The power of my monster is doubled three times!" (2000- 4000- 8000- 16000/2000)

"Are you stupid? You can't attack this turn!"

"Oh, can't I?" Ichigo held up a magic card. "I activate Flash Replay, paying half of my life points to activate a quickplay magic card in my graveyard! Of course my choice is Limiter Removal." (32000/2000) "And now for the attack! By reducing the original attack of Long-Range Artillery Gunshell Destroyer I can deal that much damage to a target in play!"

"That's…impossible." The six students echoed this at once, while the cannon slowly tilted upwards to aim high into the sky. (32000-(4000x6)8000/2000) Then it fired, striking all six of them with exactly 4000 points of explosive direct damage.

Ichigo- 2000

Obelisk 1- 0

Obelisk 2- 0

Obelisk 3- 0

Obelisk 4- 0

Obelisk 5- 0

Obelisk 6- 0

Ichigo glanced over at the door to the Obelisk Blue dorm and smiled at who was standing there. "Yo Adriel, how's it going?"

The half dragon demon stared at Ichigo, and then at the six smoking craters across the grassy lawn. "Pilkington…what's going on?"

"I'm just making a point, that's all." Ichigo turned and started to walk off. "I am claiming the title of Kaiser. If anyone wants to argue against me about it, then by all means…defeat me in a duel." Leaving it at that, he walked off towards the setting sun. ("This is how it should be. I will protect this world…and destroy those who thought they could treat me as their whipping boy.")

Adriel stared at Ichigo's back in fear. ("Ichigo is aiming to be Kaiser? What happened to this morning's duel? What happened to him?")

_To be continued…_

Author's Note: I'm answering this question because the poster decided to do it while they were anonymous. Yes, the card Ichigo was holding was Thousand-Eyes Idol. Then Erian cut off his connection with Ichigo, and the energy in the card vanished. It was originally a blank card, so it returned to a blank card. Since it had already been registered as a monster, the Solid Vision system didn't catch it until Nikolai revealed the card.


	33. Valor's Fist

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 33: Valor's Fist

Adriel, Griff, Krieger and Eri had all gathered in Griff's room right after Monday classes were done. While Krieger was accessing the school ranking data on Griff's computer, the Egyptian Duelist, half dragon demon, and demoness all sat on the floor and looked utterly depressed.

"So he's finally snapped, has he?" Eri rolled onto her back and sighed. "I knew it was going to happen. After what happened in the duel against Nikolai I'm surprised he didn't run off screaming bloody murder to Erian. Nope, he just disappeared for the morning and then shows up in the afternoon declaring he's going to become Kaiser."

"That wasn't just a declaration." Krieger sighed and turned the screen so they could all see Ichigo's rank. "There are approximately one hundred and fifty students at Duelist Academy. Ichigo was number three, but because he 'cheated' in his duel again Nikolai his ranking was reset. That was about twenty-six hours ago…" Ichigo's name was ranked number fifty.

"He leapt up one hundred ranks in the course of a day?" Griff found that hard to believe, even if it was Ichigo. "I didn't think that was possible. Didn't it take all of his victories over the course of a year to put him at third before?"

Adriel groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, but his new deck is different. It's some kind of bizarre machine deck that keeps defeating everybody he challenges in one turn."

"Of course!" Krieger stood up and pounded a fist into his open hand. "Don't you see? What was Ichigo's father best known for? "

"Machine cards…" Adriel rubbed his chin next. "Wait, he did mention something about a Pilkington trademark move. Weird…"

"The Triple Limiter Removal Draw Technique." Eri rolled onto her stomach and then stood up. "My father told me about it long ago. Apparently Ichigo's father possessed the innate skill to set up one turn kills with a machine deck thanks to triplicates of the Limiter Removal card in his deck."

"It's a Duelist Academy Rank-farming deck." Griff chuckled. "That deck he's running is optimized for getting hugely successful wins in a turn or so, and doing that he's winning over ten duels an hour. Since his opponent's are all Obelisk Blue rank that is pushing his rank towards the top."

Adriel and Eri both looked rather grim now. That meant Ichigo would be challenging them soon, and with his current deck they might not even get a chance to make a move against him.

Suddenly a knock came at the door. "It's Nikolai Corben."

"And it's unlocked." Adriel said this with more than a little anger in his voice. He hated that Russian bastard already and he had yet to meet him in person.

The door opened and Nikolai entered, wearing his normal grey clothing. "You are Adriel Zaytel, the holder of the Infinity Heart?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Standing up, the half dragon demon felt really surly right now. "You want to fight me for it or something?"

"No, but I have some information you might like to know about." Brushing back the locks of his hair, Nikolai motioned out the window. "A Vengeance has shown up near the beach at the other end of the island."

"How would you know?" Griff had been informed about all of this insanity involving aliens not too long ago, and while it was a little hard to swallow it wasn't exactly like nothing strange ever happened at Duelist Academy before.

"There's no time for that! Hurry!" Nikolai glanced back at Krieger, Eri and Griff. "I'll explain everything later!" Grabbing Adriel by the wrist, he yanked the half dragon demon out of the room.

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Ichigo took another bit of his rice-ball happily. It was four in the afternoon and so far he was ranked number fifty in the school. ("After lunch I'll head back to Obelisk Blue to restore my ranking. Those guys hate me so much they'll accept any challenge I give them.")

"From what I've heard you've become quite the rabble-rouser over at Obelisk Blue." A voice that instantly sent red flashes across Ichigo's vision came from the other end of the clearing where he was having his lunch.

Placing the last of his lunch back in its box and closing the lid, the half demon stood up and brushed off his pants. "I'm surprised you'd show up, Resshin. Don't you know that I'm swatting down the top-ranked duelists in this school to regain my ranking?"

The orange-haired Traveler held up his duel disk. "I just wanted to give you a chance to take on the third-ranked duelist in the school. Would you refuse me?"

"Of course not." Ichigo smiled, and yet somehow appeared very angry too. His duel disk activated, humming to life. "Duel!"

Resshin- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

"I'm first!" Resshin drew. "As there are no cards on my field I summon Burst Brawler from my deck!" (0/0) The flaming kanji symbol for fire appeared on his chest. "Two of the monster cards in my hand are removed from the game, and one of them is Fire Emblem." (800/400)

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, looking absolutely pissed off.

"I like that look." Resshin sneered slightly. "Ever since I learned of your bond with Erian, I knew there was something too good to be true about your goody-two-shoes nature." He inserted a card into his duel disk. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn. Go ahead."

"So tell me, how is the little back-stabbing rainbow?" Drawing, the half demon nodded at the card and tossed it onto his disk. "I summon Proto Cyber Dragon in attack mode!" (1100/800) A dark grey metal snake-like machine appeared on his field and hissed. "When this monster is face-up on my field it is considered to be Cyber Dragon."

"Watch your tongue when speaking about Erian!" Resshin pointed at his set card, which flipped up. "I reveal Inferno Storm Punch! This trap activates when Burst Brawler is in play. I select two cards at random from your hand and remove them from the game!"

Ichigo braced himself as a blast of fire slammed into his hand of cards, disintegrating two of them. (Burst Brawler: 1200/800) "Not terrible choices on your part, but you missed!" Taking one of his free hand cards, the half demon slammed it into his disk. "I activate the magic card Polymerization, fusing the Cyber Dragon in my hand with the Cyber Dragon on my field!" His Proto Cyber Dragon disappeared, replaced by a giant two-headed snake-like dragon. "Cyber Twin Dragon is special summoned!" (2800/2100) "This monster can attack twice in one battle phase, so I'll his power to end this and you right now!"

"Don't get too cocky, human." The Traveler held up one of his hand cards. "I activate the effect of An Intervention of Destiny. When you summon a monster I may send this magic card from my hand to the graveyard to activate a magic card in my hand!"

Ichigo growled angrily. ("So, he's done a little research about the deck he is facing, has he?")

"My magic card is this!" Resshin held up Soul Release. "All three of the cards in your graveyard and the two cards in my graveyard are removed from play." White mist flowed out of both their graveyard slots. (2200/1800) "Also, when Inferno Storm Punch is removed from the game I can increase the power of one Pyro monster on my field by 600 for the turn." (2800/1800)

Ichigo snarled in anger at the fact that if he attacked now it would accomplish nothing, since Resshin could just special summon another Burst Brawler during his next turn. "End turn."

Resshin drew. (2200/1800) "I still refuse to forgive you for the destruction of the Infinity Mind. Without it our chances of winning are absolutely zero!"

"That's right." Ichigo smiled smugly. "You and the rest of the Travelers will be removed from this planet, and it will fall under the protection of Rysel! With his help I'll uphold my oath to protect this world!"

"Rysel?" Resshin's eyes, for a moment, seemed surprised. And then he looked just as angry as Ichigo. "You…you're working for them now, aren't you?" When Ichigo sneered a growl of anger escaped the alien's throat. "It's true then. I suppose no human really can be trusted!" He slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and then I'll activate the magic card Inferno Cyclone!" His set card burned to ash. "Whoever loses the magic or trap card targeted by this card also removes the top three cards of their deck from the game." Sliding the top three cards off of his deck, Resshin licked his lips as they burned away as well. "I'm going to enjoy defeating you!" (3000/2600) "Inferno Strike!" A fireball launched from his hand and engulfed Cyber Twin Dragon, melting the machine monster into scrap. "End turn!" (3200/2800)

Resshin- 4000

Ichigo- 3800

"Draw!" Ichigo continued to sneer. "I'll tell you right now, Resshin, the truth. Rysel has no intention on destroying the Earth. His only target is you and your kind! And to save this planet I'll be more than willing to deliver all of you to him! Go Pot of Greed!" He drew two cards. "I set one card face-down and summon another Proto Cyber Dragon. End turn." (1100/800) Another dark grey machine appeared on his field.

Resshin drew. "Inferno Strike!" His fist exploded into flames.

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo's face-down card flipped up and his Proto Cyber Dragon shattered. "By sacrificing a Cyber Dragon on my field I can activate Attack Redirection Mirror, special summoning Cyber Barrier Dragon in attack mode!" (800/2800) A reflective dragon appeared on his field and snarled. "While this dragon is in attack mode it can, once per turn, negate your first attack."

Resshin growled and lowered his right arm. "End turn."

Ichigo drew. "End turn. Since you cannot summon new monsters while Burst Brawler is in play, you've locked yourself."

"Locked?" Resshin sneered and drew. "That's where you're wrong, fool! I activate the magic card Inferno Fireball! When this card is activated along with Burst Brawler being on my field I may remove one attack mode monster in play from the game!" Ichigo's Barrier Dragon exploded into flames and melted into a puddle of liquid glass. (3400/3000) "Inferno Strike!" The Traveler punched the air and sprayed Ichigo with flames. "End turn."

Resshin- 4000

Ichigo- 400

Right before Ichigo drew, Resshin chuckled. "I'm still the big bad dragon from before, except this time you're not the prince."

Drawing, Ichigo held the card up in front of his face calmly. He flipped it over to reveal a sneering blue jar. "I activate Pot of Mockery. You discard one card from your hand and I draw one. Also, I take 300 points of damage." He drew once, while Resshin discarded the single card in his hand.

Resshin- 4000

Ichigo- 100

After looking once more at the sneering look on Resshin's face, Ichigo calmly held up a card. "I activate the quickplay magic card Dimension Burial, returning all removed from play monsters I have back to my graveyard." His Cyber Dragon, Proto Cyber Dragon, Cyber Barrier Dragon, and Cyber Twin Dragon appeared on the tray of his graveyard slot, all of them sliding into its depths. "And now I play Polymerization."

"You only have one card in your hand besides Polymerization, so there's no way you could create a fusion…"

"Also!" Ichigo butted in. "I activate the quickplay magic card Cybernetic Fusion Support! When I would fuse a machine type fusion monster I may remove fusion components from my graveyard instead of my hand and field at the cost of half my life points."

Resshin- 4000

Ichigo- 50

Five cards left Ichigo's graveyard. "I fuse my Cyber Dragon and four machine type monsters together!" He pointed up at the sky. "Awaken now, Chimeratech Overdragon!" A howling black-colored five-headed machine dragon appeared on his field. (?) "This monster's original attack and defense are equal to the number of machine monsters I remove for it! I removed five machine type monsters in total!" His Chimeratech Overdragon howled, its heads thrashing about as it started glowing brightly. (4000/4000)

Resshin stepped back in amazement at the titanic monster. ("Incredible…and without the trap I had in my hand I can't stop it from attacking! However, it won't be enough to kill me!")

"What you said before was right." Ichigo's eyes burned with hatred. "I'm not the prince in this story, but you still are the dragon. Want to know my role?" His fusion howled once more and one of its head aimed at Resshin. "I'm the bigger dragon." The head exhaled a blast of blue energy that washed over the Traveler and shattered the kanji on his chest.

Resshin- 3400

Ichigo- 50

Ichigo didn't feel satisfied yet. He didn't feel like he had paid Resshin back properly. "Not yet! Chimeratech Overdragon's other special ability is that it can attack once for every monster used in its fusion!" The other four heads aimed at the stumbling Traveler. "Disappear, and take your siblings with you!" All four of the heads exhaled a 4000 point attack that swallowed up Resshin and hurled him right through a pair of trees, one after another.

Resshin- 0

Ichigo- 50

While those destroyed trees crashed in front of him, Ichigo reached down and picked up his lunch. ("I will not be shown up in this. I will not let them kick me around anymore.") Turning, he walked off while chewing on the rest of his rice-ball.

From underneath the two trees, Resshin's body twitched a couple of times but otherwise did not move.

--------------------------------------

Krieger sighed as the ranking changed again. "Ichigo just jumped up to number forty-five. He defeated…" The half cat demon clicked on Ichigo's name and a list of all of his recently recorded duels came up. "Resshin?"

Eri sighed, looking even more depressed. ("Ichigo…what are you thinking? Why are you doing this?")

---------------------------------------

Vortex Savior looked around the beachside, trying to find any sign of the Vengeance. ("He said it was here. So where is it?") Suddenly a huge fist exploded out of the sand and grasped his leg, yanking him down into the soft sand all the way up to his neck. "Gah!"

The sand in front of his face churned and a huge pair of pincers attached to a semi-humanoid face exploded out of the earth. "Antlion!"

("He could have warned me that it could do this!") The hero squeezed his eyes shut as he saw the pincers close, each of them on both sides of his head. However, no pain came. "Huh?" Opening one eye carefully, he saw that the monster had stopped moving. It was twitching slightly, like it was struggling against something.

"H…heya Adriel-san." Fantasy Savior waved to the back of Vortex Savior's head, while keeping her cheerful smile locked on the Vengeance. "I…I can't really…hold him for much longer. Could you please get free and suck him up?"

"I'd love to, except I can't move!" Try as he might, the hero couldn't free his arms or legs from the morass of beach that had swallowed him up. ("I'm going to die at this rate.") The pincers slipped a little closer before halting once more. "H…hey! Hold him steady!"

"I'm trying," she said tiredly. "He's really strong." The pincers inched a little closer.

Sweat dripping down his face, Vortex Savior prayed that El Mariachi Verdadero made an appearance now and saved him in the nick of time.

-----------------------------

Some ways away from the beach a certain Osiris Red student sneezed loudly and then returned to eating his ramen.

------------------------------

The pincers closed in just a little more, just inches from his head. "I'm doomed…"

From not too far away Nikolai sighed while sitting on a rock and taking another sip of his soda. "How have none of you died yet?"

Even though he couldn't see the boy, Vortex Savior felt really mad now. "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Since about ten minutes before you arrived. The Vengeance really wasn't moving from that one spot, so I'm surprised you walked into its trap." Finishing the last of his drink, the Russian boy tossed the can aside and stood up, brushing himself off. "Alright then, I suppose I should step in before it cuts your head off, right?" He removed something from his pocket and put it on his finger. **"Awaken, Soul of Duty!"** Then he disappeared within an orb of dark green light.

"Wha…" Vortex Savior squeezed his eyes shut as the light burned against his eyelids. ("He had an Infinity Source this whole time and he didn't tell us?")

A few moments later the orb exploded to reveal a young man wearing an aquamarine body suit with dark green armor segments covering it. He had long black hair that went to his lower back and a pair of deep sea-green eyes. "Now then, let Valor Savior handle this one." Running over to the Vengeance, he grabbed its still unmoving pincers and in one pull yanked it out of the sand. With another movement he tossed it across the beach and towards the ocean, revealing a hardened chitin shell that was covering the monster's body. "Not exactly all that much of a threat, I'd say."

Fantasy Savior had her face against the sand, gasping for air as she finally was allowed to release her Pacifist's Way. "Yeah…not a threat at all."

"Antlion!" Rolling onto its feet, the creature clanged its pincers together and charged towards the green savior.

Valor Savior lifted up one hand and pointed at finger at right at the Vengeance's head. **"Mega Ray!"** A miniature pillar of dark green light exploded from that one finger, the blast engulfing the monster's head. A few moments later the rest of the creature's body melted into sludge.

"…I hate you." Vortex Savior pulled himself free of the sand finally. "Seriously, you're making me look like an idiot."

"Looks tend to mean something, you know." Valor Savior walked past the growling Vortex calmly. "Anyway, let's return to your dorm room. I believe I owe you all an explanation."

_To be continued…_


	34. Fallen Friendship

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 34: Fallen Friendship

Nikolai took another sip of his tea. "First off, my name is Nikolai Corben. I'm sure you all know that by now, but I thought it would be nice to introduce myself formally."

Adriel had to use all of his willpower not to leap across the room and strangle the arrogant jerk.

Eri, Chris, and Krieger all bowed formally to him. "It's nice to meet you, Nikolai-san." Adriel face-fell in the background.

"Now then, allow me to explain how I have this." The Russian boy held up his right hand, stray light reflecting off the dark green jewel in his ring. "This is the Infinity Conscience, one of the Infinity Sources that I'm sure our friends the Blood Children are seeking. Its purpose for existing is to make sure the wielders of the other Infinity Sources actually know what they are doing, hence why the Conscience and the Traveler I found together instantly informed me of everything I needed to know about this battle we have fallen into." Meanwhile in the background Griff poked the still face-fallen Adriel with a stick a couple of times.

"So that means you can tell us exactly what is going on? Because our Traveler friends have been less than honest about it." Chris sat down on the floor and crossed her legs.

"Yeah, they've been very obscure about exactly what is expected of these guys." Eri sat down at the foot of Griff's bed. "So please, start from the beginning and let's hear the full story. I don't want you to leave anything out." She sweat-dropped as in the background Adriel grabbed Griff's poking stick and snapped it in half, following that action up by tackling the Egyptian duelist.

"Very well." Taking another sip of the mint tea, Nikolai exhaled deeply. "My, this is quite good." He took another sip.

Eri's right eye twitched. "Explain now before I castrate you."

Lowering the cup to his lap, Nikolai hid the paling of his cheeks by clearing his throat. "Alright then, allow me to start with the Blood Children. They were at first a monarchy of a certain war-torn planet which suddenly discovered the ability of space travel. After that they took their wars to other planets and against species that didn't have any wish to war against them. This led to one big intergalactic mess, with the Blood Children now deciding they deserved to rule the universe and everything else too. In this battle they are without a doubt the bad guys."

"So why have all the Travelers we've met up to this point been so distant to us?" Chris pouted. "Erian-san stopped being silly awhile ago and turned all serious. That's no fun at all."

"He has good reason to be." Nikolai continued with his story while in the background Adriel and Griff rolled around the ground trying to strangle each other. "He and his siblings are on a strange planet, so the only ones they hold any real trust for are those who carry the Infinity Sources. Even then though…" He sighed. "So far if the performance I viewed from you two was any indication then they must have thought we were doomed beforehand."

Chris pouted. "It's not my fault the Infinity Dream gave me an ability that can't do any damage."

"Regardless, allow me to continue. The Infinites created the Infinity Sources, as I'm sure you know. But perhaps none of you know the purpose behind them."

"Weren't they created to be sources of power?" Chris lifted an eyebrow when Nikolai shook his head. "Then what were they supposed to be?"

"Weapons." Lacing his fingers together, the Russian boy frowned. "They were created to be something like the Infinite equivalent of a bio-weapon, since the Infinites themselves were made of crystal. The Infinity Sources are living crystals that supply the holder with a powerful weapon. Of course even I'm not sure the full extent of their powers yet."

"And the job of the wielders of these sources is to fight the Blood Children?" Krieger didn't look very convinced. "That's not a very reliable system for choosing your warriors."

"Actually the Infinity Sources don't care how they are used, so long as they are used. That is why they seek out beings that can use them. As I said, they are weapons. No weapon wants to lie rusted and useless." Standing up, Nikolai frowned. "The wielder of the Infinity Mind is supposed to be the guy who leads us, but considering the idiot who had it shattered the damned thing I'm guessing that we're on our own."

A knock came from the door. "Hello? Griff-san?" It sounded like Ambience.

Booting Griff away from him, Adriel stood up and brushed himself off before swinging the door open. "What's wrong Ambience-san?"

The silver-haired girl looked distressed. "Have any of you seen Erian or Resshin? They told me to stay at the girl's dorm, but that was a few hours ago. It's getting late and they really looked mad about something too."

"Che…" Eri launched out of her sitting position and shot past the two at the doorway, running the hallway at full speed. ("I know exactly where those two went!")

----------------------------------------

"Give it up." Ichigo crossed his arms across his chest and smiled cheerfully, while the Cyber Dragon behind him roared loudly. "You've lost."

"Not yet!" The Obelisk Blue glanced off to his side and into the stands of the Obelisk Blue arena. The other twelve Obelisk Blues who had come with him all watched on silently. ("I must win, for the pride of Obelisk Blue!") "Draw!"

Ichigo sighed. "Do as you wish, but it doesn't matter. You will lose in the end."

-----------------------------------------

Erian slowly approached the duelist stadium, his duel disk sitting around his arm. ("Resshin said that if he didn't contact me in two hours to move in. That means he must have lost against Ichigo.") His eyes squinted slightly as he looked into the shadowy darkness that was the entrance to the stadium. "Within this place rests a battle I cannot win. It's suicide to try. However, I can't shy away from a threat to my family." Inserting his Neos deck into the duel disk's slot, he heard a loud scream and a roar of something mechanical. ("That's my cue.")

With regrets in his heart, he plunged into the darkness. This was his duel and his battle. Ichigo was his problem, and no one else's. ("He may try to kill me, but even then I cannot fail.")

-----------------------------------------

The Obelisk Blue dropped to his knees and stared at Ichigo in fear. "What are you?"

"I am half demon, half human, and even then it doesn't explain my drive. I will be the new Kaiser, and no one will stop me!" He pointed at the kneeling student. "Cyber Dragon, direct attack!" His metal dragon opened its jaws and released a spray of blue energy that washed over the field.

Ichigo- 4000

Obelisk Blue- 0

Ichigo looked over at the other Obelisk Blue students who had come to challenge him. "Well, what will the rest of you do? Will you duel me?"

"No!" A voice yelled out from the entrance to the dueling ring. "I will be your opponent now." Erian slowly walked out into view. "If you don't mind giving up some of your time to participate in a duel that won't earn you ranks."

"This isn't your fight, Osiris drop-out!" One of the Obelisk Blues in the stands yelled this out, the notion echoed by his friends.

Ichigo smiled slightly while the student he had defeated stumbled off the field. "Erian, you were my target the whole time. I intend to absolutely defeat you. With you gone, Rysel will be more than ready to give me the power to clear the lot of you from this planet with my own hands!"

("Rysel?") Erian knew that name from somewhere. However, he couldn't recall where. "Very well, I'll give you what you wanted." He walked up the steps and onto the arena itself, duel disk already on. "How would you like to determine who goes first?"

"I'll be going first." Ichigo drew his opening hand and his duel activated.

Ichigo- 4000

Erian- 4000

"Sit back and watch your death arrive on swift wings!" Ichigo drew and slammed the drawn card into his duel disk. "I activate the equipment magic card Future Fusion!" The air around his field started to shimmer. "By sending fusion material monsters from my deck to my graveyard I can special summon a fusion monster!" He held up three cards. "Can you guess who?" Flipping them over, he revealed three Cyber Dragons. "That's right; I fuse the ultimate in machine fusions!" A giant three-headed metal dragon appeared on his field and roared loudly. "Awaken, Cyber End Dragon!" (4000/2800) "Also, I'll place a card face-down and end my turn."

Erian looked up at the roaring metal monster emotionlessly. ("I feel no fear. Even now, when I know that my chances of winning against him are zero. Still, I feel no fear.") "Here I go…"

"My my, what an interesting scene we have unfolding before us." The voice came from the front of the stands off to the side.

Ichigo smiled calmly. "Good evening to you, Rysel."

The heir of the Blood Children monarchy smiled back just as calmly, sitting in the stands and watching the field with only mild interest. "Good evening to you as well Ichigo. I see you're finishing up the head of the siblings this evening."

"Indeed." Ichigo crossed his arms across his chest. "Well traitor, are you just going let me run you over?"

Erian remembered Rysel now, but it didn't matter anymore. ("It doesn't matter who he had allied himself with, I will still give this my all!") "By the end of this duel I will deal with this. Ichigo, I won't let you harm those who I care about, just like you won't let my existence bring about the destruction of your planet. It seems we are at odds then, and as such we'll have to settle our differences in this duel!" He drew. "Come out now, Neospacian Flare Scarab!" A humanoid black beetle appeared on his field. (500/500) "His effect, Flaming Illusion, powers him up by 400 points for every magic and trap card on your field!" (1300/500)

"That won't work…at least not alone." Ichigo glanced at his set card for a moment. "But you're welcome to attack and destroy yourself if you wish."

"I activate Fake Hero!" Sliding the magic card into his duel disk, he plucked another card from his hand. "I can special summon an Elemental Hero type monster from my hand to the field, but it cannot attack during this turn and it returns to my hand at the end of the turn." A whitish-grey space hero appeared on his field. "Elemental Hero Neos appears!" (2500/2000) "And now for Contact Fusion!" His two monsters leapt into the air and disappeared within a shimmering vortex in the air. "I return these two to my deck to special summon Elemental Hero Flare Neos!" (2500/2000) A version of Neos that was covered in insect-like black chitin appeared on his field. "For every magic and trap in play it gains 400 attack points!" (3300/2000) "Also I place two cards face-down!" (4100/2000) "Flare Neos, attack Cyber End Dragon with Burst Rush!" A fireball charged up within the powered up superhero's hand and it hurled the attack across the field, striking the metallic dragon and shattering it. "It took all I had, but your Cyber End Dragon is defeated!"

"Perhaps…" Ichigo snickered. "But my anger cannot be defeated by such a weak fire."

Ichigo- 7000

Erian- 4000

"What? How?" Erian didn't expect that 100 points of damage would have affected Ichigo much, but the fact that suddenly his opponent had nearly double life points was confusing.

"Oh yes, I forgot to mention my set card." His face-down card was a trap card with a picture of a mirror with swirling vortex within its glassy surface. "The power of Fusion Reflection Mirror activates when you send a fusion monster on my field to the graveyard as a result of battle. All battle damage to me from that combat is zero, and all cards used in that monster's fusions come to my hand afterwards. Also, for every returned card I gain 1000 life points."

"Such a powerful card…how did you…"

"Fusion Reflection Mirror is a rare card that Rysel gave me to even out my deck, that's all. Anyway, it's still your turn." Ichigo closed his seven card hand and waited patiently for Erian's next move.

"I end my turn." The Traveler felt sweat building up on his forehead as Flare Neos disappeared in a flash of rainbow light. "During the end phase of my turn Flare Neos returns to my fusion deck."

"Draw!" Ichigo held up the drawn card. "Go Polymerization! I fuse the three Cyber Dragons in my hand to create another Cyber End Dragon!" The three-headed dragon appeared once more on his field and roared loudly, shaking the stadium. (4000/2800) "You're completely outclassed."

"I wouldn't say that just yet." Erian motioned to one of his now face-up cards. "I activate the trap card Fusion Turnabout. This card sends your fusion monster to the graveyard, and at the same time you special summon one of the fusion materials for that monster from your graveyard."

Ichigo's Cyber End Dragon disappeared and one of his three Cyber Dragons appeared in play. (2100/1600) "I can still attack you directly. Cyber Dragon, attack him directly with Evolution Burst!" The metal monster opened its jaws and released a spray of blue flame.

Erian pointed at his other set card. "Go Neos Barrier!" A swirling shield of rainbow light appeared in front of him, absorbing the blue flames. "One of your attacks is negated and I add one Elemental Hero Neos from my deck to my hand." Removing a card from his deck, he held it up to show it was Neos and then added it to his hand.

Ichigo casually inserted a card into his disk. "I place one card face-down. End turn." It didn't seem like he was worried about losing this duel.

"Draw…" Erian wasn't feeling much better, despite the fact that the cards he had used were perfect for protecting himself against Ichigo's attack. ("I've only got two cards in my hand…") Glancing at his drawn card, he flipped it over. "I activate Pot of Greed."

Drawing two cards, he still didn't seem very confident. ("Ichigo is beyond this world when it comes to his dueling skills. Everything I had only helped him out.") He was sure he wouldn't win, but that didn't matter. ("I came here to settle this, not to win.")

Rysel chuckled quietly at the looks on the faces of the two boys. ("You truly are an amazing boy, Ichigo. With you at my side I'll be able to defeat anyone in a duel.")

"I activate the magic card Space Soul." Erian tossed down the Elemental Hero Neos in his hand onto his disk. "I can special summon one Neospacian monster or one Elemental Hero Neos from my hand to the field!" (2500/2000) The space-faring hero appeared again. "Go Neos, attack Cyber Dragon now! Lance of Neos!"

"Reverse card open." Ichigo's set card flipped up and his Cyber Dragon disappeared. "I sacrifice one Cyber Dragon on my field to special summon Cyber Barrier Dragon from my deck to the field!" A reflective metal dragon appeared on his field and roared. (800/2800) "When Cyber Barrier Dragon is on my field in attack mode, once per turn, it may negate your first attack!" His dragon's head collapsed into its neck and it released a force field that stopped Neos immediately.

"I place one card face-down and end my turn." Erian wasn't surprised anymore. It seems like this deck of Ichigo's was capable of stopping anything he could bring against it. ("However I won't give up. I will fight.")

"Draw." Ichigo flipped the new card into his hand masterfully and slid another card into the disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Erian drew. "I summon Flare Scarab!" The Neospacian reappeared on the field. "For every magic and trap you have, he gains 400!" (900/500) "Flare Scarab, attack Cyber Barrier Dragon! Flame Balator!" His alien monster hurled a spray of fire across the field at Ichigo's monster.

"Cyber Barrier Dragon's special ability activates now!" The metal dragon collapsed its head into its body and created another force field, blocking the fireballs.

"You can only use it once per turn, so this is my chance! Neos, attack Cyber Barrier Dragon now!" His superhero leapt across the field and punched through the metallic monster easily. "Lance of Neos!" With a screech of protest the Cyber Barrier Dragon exploded.

Ichigo- 5300

Erian- 4000

Ichigo didn't even notice the backlash. "Reverse card open, go Cyber Dragon Reconstruction! When a monster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle I can special summon one Cyber Dragon from my graveyard to play!" One of his Cyber Dragons reappeared. (2100/1600)

"I place one card face-down and end my turn." Erian knew this wasn't going to work. ("It's like trying to stop a dragon with a normal sword. I'd have to get the perfect strike to end it.")

Ichigo drew. "I place one card face-down and end my turn." He smiled at the surprised look on Erian's face. "What's the matter? Did you not see that coming, rainbow?"

"Draw!" Erian pointed at the Cyber Dragon. "Go Neos, attack with Lance of Neos!" His superhero yelled out a battle cry and charged.

"Reverse card open." Ichigo's face-down card flipped up and his monster became covered in a silvery sheen. "Raremetalmorph increases the attack of one machine monster on my field by 500 points." (2600/1600) "Counterattack!" His dragon unleashed a blast of burning blue flame that slammed into Neos and shattered it.

Ichigo- 5300

Erian- 3900

Erian pointed at his set card. "Imagination Revival returns my monster to the field in defense mode!" Neos appeared on his field in a crouching position. "Also I switch Flare Scarab to defense mode, set one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Ichigo sneered and drew. "I'll stop playing around now. I want your head on a platter, and that's exactly what I intend to get! I tribute my Raremetalmorph-equipped Cyber Dragon to summon Cyber Raremetal Dragon in attack mode!" (2800/2600) A much-heavier version of a Cyber Dragon appeared on his field. "And now I attack with Raremetal Crusher!" The new dragon opened its jaws and released a powerful spray of energy that washed over Erian's field and shattered both of Erian's monsters. "The power of my monster lets it attack all monsters on your field!"

"Reverse card open!" Erian's set card flipped up. "Imagination Revival once more!" His two monsters reappeared in play in defense mode.

"End turn." Ichigo was still sneering.

"Draw!" Erian opened his field magic card slot. "I activate the field magic card Neospace!" All around them the air became filled with rainbow-colored light. "And now Contact Fusion!" His two monsters disappeared and Flare Neos appeared once more. (2500/2000) "For every magic and trap card in play Flare Neos gains 400 points! Also, Neospace powers up Elemental Hero Neos and any monsters that have him as a fusion material by 500 points!" (3400/2000) "Also I place a card face-down and attack with Flare Neos!" (3800/2000) "Burst Rush!" The fusion superhero hurled a ball of fire across the field and melted Cyber Raremetal Dragon into scrap.

Ichigo- 4300

Erian- 3900

Ichigo drew, and snickered at the fact that Flare Neos was still on the field. "Neospace prevents him from returning, so you get to keep your big hero. However it doesn't matter! I activate Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two!" After doing so he held up a new magic card. "Erian, this is where I take my revenge!"

"Then come and do it!" The Traveler didn't look very happy about having to say that. "I'm ready to accept the consequences for my actions."

"I summon Cyber Giraffe." A strange metal beast appeared on Ichigo's field. (300/800) "And then I sacrifice it." The monster shuddered and disappeared into his graveyard slot. "And now for Power Bond!" Lightning exploded out of his graveyard. "This card is Polymerization for any machine type monster! Also, I play the quickplay magic cards Audit Trick and Cybernetic Fusion Support! Audit Trick lets me avoid the cost of any card it chains to, and Cybernetic Fusion Support lets me remove material monsters from my graveyard for a machine fusion monster!" The stadium started to shake rapidly and smoke built up around his field. "Erian, this is my present to you for being the first friend I've ever known to betray me like this."

His graveyard whined and started spitting out cards. "I remove Cyber Barrier Dragon, Cyber Raremetal Dragon, Cyber Giraffe, the two Proto Cyber Dragons I discarded, the two Cyber End Dragons and the three Cyber Dragons from my graveyard!" With each set of cards he named metallic heads rose up from the smoke. "That's ten machines!"

Erian didn't flinch, even as a massive ten-headed metal dragon appeared on Ichigo's field and snarled loudly.

"Chimeratech Overdragon's original attack and defense are equal to the number of machines I removed for it times 800!" (8000/8000) Ichigo held up Power Bond, and the card unleashed a bolt of lightning that hit his machine fusion. "The monster fused by Power Bond doubles its original attack!" (16000/8000)

Erian didn't seem worried, regardless of the embodiment of anger that stood on his opponent's field.

"Chimeratech Overdragon, crush his Neos and him along with it!" The first of the dragon's heads unleashed a burning wave of fire that stopped right before it hit Erian's field and dissipated. "What?"

"Reverse card open." Erian's face-down card shimmered once and then disappeared. "Negate Attack stops your attack and ends the battle phase. At the end phase of the turn you activated Power Bond, you should take the original attack of your monster in damage. However by sacrificing Cyber Giraffe that damage during the end phase of this turn is zero."

"Correct." Ichigo sneered and his monster roared, heads thrashing in rage at the fact that it was stopped. "Go ahead, take your turn and back down! During the next turn I'll destroy you!"

"Why?" Erian dropped his arms to his sides. "Why would you side with Rysel? Can you really blindly trust him like it seems?"

"After what you did, I could care less if he intended to backstab me! It doesn't matter anymore! I will crush you and all your kind for stomping on my kindness!" Ichigo bared his fangs and his eyes flash blood red.

Erian heard someone walk into the arena slowly. "It's…no use…reasoning with such a…bastard." The Traveler turned around to see Resshin, beaten and bloody, slowly stumbling towards him. "There is nothing there but hatred for us. Against that kind of blind anger, we cannot win."

"I refuse to believe that." Erian heard a good number of footsteps coming into the stands now. "Ichigo, I intend to end this right now! I may lose, but I refuse to bow down to you!" He drew, flipped the card up, and then inserted it into his duel disk. "I place one card face-down on my field, powering up Flare Neos!" (3800/2000) "End turn."

--------------------------------------------------

"My dear sweet Ra…" Griff, along with the rest of the group who had just arrived in the stands, stared at the Chimeratech Overdragon in fear. "That thing is incredible…and it can attack ten times per turn…"

Nikolai didn't really seem astonished; so much as he seemed surprised by the person sitting across from them in the stands. "That man…I've seen him somewhere before."

"Ah yes, allow me to introduce myself." Rysel stood up and bowed to the lot of them. "I am Rysel, prince of the Blood Child monarchy and leader of the earth invasion force."

"What?" The whole lot of them yelled at once.

"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!" Ichigo grabbed the top card of his deck and drew. "I don't care anymore about any of this other crap, but I want you to die! Take my rage, Erian! Chimeratech Overdragon, attack Flare Neos now!" His dragon belched another blast of fire that dissipated right before it hit Erian's field. "Again?"

"That's right." Erian motioned to his second Negate Attack, and then he drew. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Ambience stared at Ichigo's enraged in confusion. "Is that really him? I mean…isn't Ichigo-san nice?" His glare flickered over at her and she eeped loudly, hiding behind Adriel. "Because he's scary right now!"

"Ichigo stop being an idiot!" Griff stomped down to the bottom row of stands and shook his fist at his friend. "Let bygones be bygones already!"

Ichigo drew again. "Chimeratech Overdragon, attack Flare Neos!" Once more its attack was negated. "Damn you!"

Sliding his third Negate Attack into the graveyard, Erian drew and set the card. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Listen to him Ichigo!" Krieger leaned over the edge of the railing around the stands and yelled at his friend. "This needs to end already! While I understand that your feelings are hurt this won't accomplish anything!"

"Shut up." Ichigo drew. "None of you understand! None of you get it!" Looking at the drawn card he held it up, eyes still blood red. "Erian, I activate Mystical Space Typhoon!" A blast of wind exploded across the field and shattered the set card.

"Let this be the start of the coronation for the new Kaiser of Duelist Academy! I will be the Blood Alpha Wolf! Go Chimeratech Overdragon, full power attack!" All ten of the dragon's heads unleashed their fire, destroying Flare Neos instantly and swallowing up Erian within a pulsing pillar of fire.

Ichigo- 4300

Erian- 0

Rysel stood up and started to applaud, much like how someone would applaud at a game of golf. "Very nice, very nice indeed Ichigo. The name suits your skill, and your disposition."

Ichigo turned to glare at the rest of his gathered ex-friends. "Well, which of you 'top-level' duelists would like to come next? By the end of this day I'll be Kaiser, a king to rule over you all!"

Adriel stepped forward, his duel disk already online. "I'll do it…" He noticed that Chris and Eri had their duel disks on as well. "Paper, rock, scissors?"

"Hurry up, I don't have all day!" Ichigo paced the field in agitation. "Who will be my opponent?"

Griff glanced up at the three Obelisk Blue duelists and then took a deep breath. "Ra Yellow time, baby!" Running up to Adriel, he grabbed the half demon dragon's duel disk and leapt from the bottom rung of the stands to the dueling arena. "Ichigo, I'll smack some sense into you with the rolled-up newspaper of justice!" Slamming his deck home, he activated his duel disk.

"That's fine with me!" The half demon shoved his deck into a pocket of his trenchcoat and pulled out a different deck, slamming that stack of cards into place and activating his disk. "However, I don't intend to use my revenge deck against you. For you this will be sufficient."

"Duel!" They both yelled.

Griff- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

----------------------------------------------

Aitoshi peeked his head into Ichigo's room. After he had heard someone rustling around up here, he decided it might be best to see what was going on. "Hello? Is there someone here?" A scrabbling noise came from the window and he saw something leapt out into the night. "….right, don't mind me then." Closing the door, he returned to his room.

_To be continued…_


	35. Buying Time

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 35: Buying Time

_Griff glanced up at the three Obelisk Blue duelists and then took a deep breath. "Ra Yellow time, baby!" Running up to Adriel, he grabbed the half demon dragon's duel disk and leapt from the bottom rung of the stands to the dueling arena. "Ichigo, I'll smack some sense into you with the rolled-up newspaper of justice!" Slamming his deck home, he activated his duel disk._

"_That's fine with me!" The half demon shoved his deck into a pocket of his trenchcoat and pulled out a different deck, slamming that stack of cards into place and activating his disk. "However, I don't intend to use my revenge deck against you. For you this will be sufficient."_

"_Duel!" They both yelled._

_Griff- 4000_

_Ichigo- 4000_

Griff drew first. "I'll go first for now!" Tossing a card onto his duel disk, he smiled as a white-haired with a pair of pistols appeared on his field. "I summon Don Zaloog in attack mode!" (1400/1500) "Also I place two cards face-down and end my turn." Two cards appeared behind his monster.

-------------------------------

Up in the stands Ambience knelt down next to the unconscious Erian and brushed back his hair. "Big brother…you're trying too hard. You're trying to protect us, but you can't do it alone."

Resshin snarled and rested his back against the wall. "I'll be fine though. Let me get my strength back and then I'll go down there and crush that bastard human."

"Shut up Resshin." Eri walked past the Traveler and looked down at the field. "Griff won't win, will he?"

"It's impossible. Not against that Ichigo." Adriel frowned. "We'll have to duel him before this ends, and we'll lose too. I'm sure of it now, as long as he's enraged each and every one of his draws are amazingly powerful. He cannot be stopped like this."

"It isn't impossible." Nikolai said. "I can win this duel just like I was on the verge of beating him before. However, I doubt he will accept. It seems he is obsessed with defeating all of you who are actually part of this school."

----------------------------------

"Draw." Ichigo slid two cards into his disk. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"Huh?" Griff drew and pointed at Ichigo. "Okay then…"

"Hold on." One of Ichigo's set cards flipped up. "I reveal Cyber Shadow Guardna!" The trap transformed into a copy of Don Zaloog, except this one was made of shadows. "This trap can only be activated during a main phase, and for the turn it becomes a shadow of one attack mode monster on your field!" (1400/1500)

"Not a problem!" Sliding a card into his disk, Griff pointed at Don Zaloog. "The power of my Double Revolver equipment magic card will increase Don Zaloog's attack power by 500!" (1900/1500) "Don Zaloog, attack the Shadow Monster! Double Revolver!" His monster opened fire on the shadow version of itself, shattering it with a rain of bullets.

Griff- 4000

Ichigo- 3500

Gripping his free hand into a fist, Griff smirked. "At this time the effect of Double Revolver activates! Both of Don Zaloog's effects trigger! The effect of Don Zaloog is that when he deals you life point damage I can normally either select to randomly discard a card from your hand or the top two cards of your deck, but Double Revolver activates both!"

Ichigo held up his four hand cards, one of them shimmering out of existence as it was sent to his graveyard. Then he pulled the top two cards off of his deck and inserted them into his graveyard. "Regardless, it is a waste of my time! Reverse card open! Byroad Sacrifice activates when a monster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle. One monster from my hand will be special summoned!" A huge mechanical dog appeared on his field. "I summon Mechanical Hound (2800/1500) in attack mode!"

"It's useless Ichigo!" One of Griff's set cards flipped up. "I reveal Bottomless Trap Hole!" A hole opened in the ground under the Mechanical Hound and sucked it out of sight. "This trap card activates when you summon a monster with 1500 or more attack points! That monster is removed from the game! End turn."

Ichigo drew, and then glanced over at Rysel. ("This one might be slightly more difficult then I had thought. Griff's a better duelist than he is taken for.") "I summon Cyber Cyclopean in attack mode!" (1400/1200) A cybernetic giant appeared on his field and roared loudly. "Also I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Griff drew. "Don Zaloog, attack Cyber Cyclopean now!" His monster held up his two revolvers. "Double Revolver!"

"Trap card open!" Ichigo discarded the single card in his hand. "Raigeki Break lets me discard a card from my hand to destroy a card in play! Don Zaloog is finished!"

"No he's not!" Griff's face-down card flipped up. "Seven Tools of the Bandit lets me pay 1000 life points to negate your trap card!" Raigeki Break shattered. "Go Don Zaloog!"

Ichigo snickered and his giant stomped on the master thief, crushing him instantly. "Cyber Cyclopean's special ability is that when there are zero cards in my hand its attack is increased by 1000 points." (2400/1200)

Griff- 3500

Ichigo- 3500

"Really?" Griff snapped his fingers. "Oh well, I'll place one monster face-down and end my turn." A face-down monster appeared in front of him. ("That was an amateur mistake. Oh well, he's got zero cards in his hand and when he draws I'll be able to beat his monster.")

"Draw." (1400/1200) Ichigo pointed at his monster and it vanished. "I offer Cyber Cyclopean to summon Cyber Ogre!" (1900/1200) A large metallic brute appeared on his field, letting out a loud roar. "Attack the set monster now!" It leapt forward and stomped on the set monster, shattering it.

"Monster Categorizer's effect activates now!" (800/800) Griff pointed at Ichigo's deck. "When he is destroyed by an attack a copy of the destroying monster's card is added from your deck to your hand. Afterwards, I draw two cards." Adding two cards to his hand, he smirked at the fact that Ichigo was now holding a level five monster he couldn't do anything with. "And now it's my turn!" Yanking the top card off of his deck, the Egyptian Duelist loved this situation.

Ichigo sneered and glanced at his Cyber Ogre. ("By discarding a Cyber Ogre in my hand I can negate the battle damage to my Cyber Ogre and power it up by the enemy monster's attack strength. He just helped me without realizing it.")

Griff held up a hand card. "I activate the magic card Dark Scorpion Revenge! When I activate this card I select one Dark Scorpion or Don Zaloog in my graveyard and activate one of its effects!" He winked. "I know all about Cyber Ogre's effect, Ichigo. Sorry, toss it into the graveyard."

The half demon let out a feral growl and slid his only defense into the graveyard. "You've improved, Griff…"

"Heh, you haven't seen anything yet! From my hand I activate Neo Thief Ritual!" Two of the monster cards in his hand disappeared. "I sacrifice the two level four monsters in my hand to ritual summon Neo Hacker!" A male human wearing a neon-green bodysuit appeared on his field. (2500/2000) "Attack Cyber Ogre now!" His monster flipped forward and drop-kicked the metallic brute in the head, shattering it. "That's it Ichigo, you've lost. When Neo Hacker deals you life point damage, you skip your draw phase. End turn."

Griff- 3500

Ichigo- 2900

Ichigo frowned. "End turn."

Griff drew and pointed at Ichigo. "Direct attack!" His monster kicked his friend in the side of the head. "I hope that knocks a little sense into you! End turn."

Griff- 3500

Ichigo- 400

Ichigo rubbed the side of his skull. "End turn."

Griff drew and pointed at the half demon. "Direct attack!" His monster kicked Ichigo's side and then the field faded away. "Hah! I won!"

Griff- 3500

Ichigo- 0

"Okay, so I was wrong." Adriel said simply. "He did win."

Griff started laughing maniacally. "Now repent for your actions and return to being the Ichigo we remember!"

"No." Ichigo crossed his arms across his chest and glared up at the rest of them. "So, who will I duel now?"

"…." Griff realized how stupid it was to expect Ichigo to stop just if he lost in a duel without even using his actual deck. "What a killjoy…" Turning, the Egyptian Duelist stomped off the field and highfived Krieger as they walked past each other. "Tag out."

Ichigo removed the deck and replaced it with a different one. "Another opponent I won't be attacking with my revenge deck, but I'll still enjoy taking you down." Slamming the new deck into place, he activated his duel disk. "Duel!"

Krieger- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

"I'll begin, draw!" Krieger fanned out his hand and nodded. "I summon Siberian Tiger!" A huge white tiger appeared on his field and roared loudly. (2000/0) "Also I place two cards face-down and end my turn!"

("They're throwing duelists at me who offer no ranks if I win. Krieger is not even part of this school's system so this duel means nothing.") Regardless, Ichigo wouldn't lose here or anywhere else where it mattered. "You're not important enough to matter about whether or not I lose in this duel, Krieger. Sorry."

Holding up Graceful Charity, he drew three cards and discarded two. "One of the cards I discarded was Ojamagic, which when discarded from hand lets me add one Ojama Green, Ojama Black and Ojama Yellow from my deck to my hand." Removing the three named cards from his deck, he added them to his hand. "And now for Ojama Get Ride! I discard these three cannon fodder monsters to summon Y-Dragon Head, Z-Metal Tank, and W-Wing Catapult from my deck to my field!" A red mechanical dragon, yellow tank, and blue jet appeared on his field, all in defense mode. (1500/1600) (1500/1300) (1300/1500) "Also, I summon X-Head Cannon!" A yellow and blue robot appeared on his field. (1800/1500)

"XYZ Dragon Cannon, is it?" Krieger narrowed his eyes.

Ichigo held up a magic card. "I activate Extra Summon, allowing me to perform another normal summon during this turn." A yellow and green mechanical tiger appeared on his field. (1600/1800) "I summon V-Tiger Jet! And now I combine fuse X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank together!" Those three machines exploded and a giant hovertank appeared on his field. (2800/2600) "XYZ Dragon Cannon! And by discarding a card from my hand I can activate its effect to destroy one of your set cards!"

Krieger glanced at the set card that was targeted and then shattered. ("My trap card wasn't that one, so his attack will be stopped. Unless of course, he discards the last card in his hand.")

Ichigo pointed at V-Tiger Jet and W-Wing Catapult. "Fusion!" Both of those monsters shattered and a tiger-headed machine jet appeared on his field. "And then XYZ and VW fuse!" His two fusions shattered and a gigantic humanoid robot appeared on his field. "VWXYZ Dragon Catapult Cannon is summoned!" (3000/2800) "Once per turn VWXYZ can remove one card in play!"

Krieger gasped as his actual trap removed itself from the game. "Incredible…"

"Attack Siberian Tiger with Ultimate Destruction!" Ichigo's monster released thousands of energy blasts that peppered Krieger's tiger and shattered it.

Krieger- 3000

Ichigo- 4000

Ichigo sneered and inserted a card into his duel disk. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Krieger drew. "I activate Pot of Greed!" Drawing two cards, he snapped up his own Graceful Charity. "Also, I draw three cards and discard two!" He smiled at his hand. "Alright Ichigo, I play the magic card Nexus Return! This card allows me to special summon one water attribute and one fire attribute monster from my graveyard, but those monsters cannot attack!" Mobius the Frost Monarch and Horus the Black Flame Dragon LVL 6 appeared on his field. (2400/1000) (2300/1600) "Also, these monsters cannot be sacrificed. Then I play Ice Burst!" His Mobius roared and released a blast of cold air that froze Ichigo's mega-fusion solid. "This equipment magic card freezes your monster and seals its abilities as long as Mobius is in play!"

The half cat demon pointed at Horus and it disappeared in a blast of black fire. "From my hand I activate Level Up! Come out now, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LVL 8!" (3000/1800) A much larger version of the steel dragon appeared in play. "End turn. Now you can't use magic cards, and your monster's ability to remove cards from the game is sealed as well."

"You still don't matter." Ichigo's face-down card flipped up. "I reveal Full Laser Destruction! This trap card can only be activated while VWXYZ Dragon Catapult Cannon is in play! All cards on your field are destroyed!" His trap shimmered and Krieger's field exploded.

"Draw! VWXYZ Dragon Catapult Cannon, attack Krieger's life points directly!" Ichigo's monster peppered his ex-friend with energy. "You lose."

Krieger- 0

Ichigo- 4000

Krieger stumbled off the field and out the exit of the arena slowly, holding his right arm with his left hand.

----------------------------

Up in the stands Griff gaped at how quickly Krieger had been dispatched. "How did I beat him, again?"

"He was playing a deck that wasn't capable of standing up to your hand control effects." Adriel got ready to head into the ring. "It looks like it's my turn to fight."

"It's useless." Nikolai sighed from the seat he had taken, his legs draped over the next row. "You can't possibly expect to be able to defeat him, none of you can." He glanced at Griff. "Well, I still say that was luck."

"Regardless, I will try…" The half dragon demon was about to walk down to the field, when he noticed that Ichigo was glaring at something in the direction of the arena entrance. "Hey, I think someone is already down there."

-----------------------------

Rysel leaned forward to try and get a better look at whoever his new charge was looking at. "Ichigo, who is it?"

Right eye twitching, Ichigo let a low growl escape and he bared his fangs. "So it's you, is it? Very well…" He pulled his revenge deck out of his pocket and inserted it into his disk. "This deck was created to crush the Travelers, but I'll be more than glad to use it and crush you as well!"

_To be continued…_


	36. Infinity Awakening Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

Author's Note: The end of the Second Semester Arc approaches.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 36: Infinity Awakening (Part 1)

_Right eye twitching, Ichigo let a low growl escape and he bared his fangs. "So it's you, is it? Very well…" He pulled his revenge deck out of his pocket and inserted it into his disk. "This deck was created to crush the Travelers, but I'll be more than glad to use it and crush you as well!"_

The sound of sneakers on cement echoed across the arena as a white tarp with legs stepped into view of those in the stands. Whoever the mystery challenger was, they had wrapped themselves up a white tarp normally used to cover holes in buildings to protect them from the weather during storms and such. The only parts of the challenger that could be seen besides that was their shadowed face, a duel disk attached to an otherwise covered arm, and a pair of tennis sneakers.

Adriel scratched the top of his head. "Is that supposed to be a disguise?"

Nikolai made a curious noise and sat back. ("This should be interesting.")

Eri's nose twitched and she tilted her head to the side, making the same noise that Nikolai did. ("This smells really familiar.")

Ichigo glared at the mystery figure. "This will determine it all between us! I will become the Blood Wolf of Duelist Academy, and you will be nothing! Duel!"

The figure lifted up their arm. "Duel." The duel that came from the tarp was scrambled, like it was being spoken through a Voice Changer.

Ichigo- 4000

Figure- 4000

Off to the side, Rysel narrowed his eyes slightly. ("There is energy in the air around this individual. It's a powerful energy that not of this world.")

"I begin!" Ichigo plucked the top card from his hand quickly and switched it out with another card from his hand, desiring to get this duel started as soon as possible. "Come out now, Proto Cyber Dragon!" (1100/800) A grey mechanical snake-dragon appeared on his field and hissed. "Also, I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw." The Figure's crackling voice left chills running down the spines of everyone who listened to it, excluding Rysel and Nikolai. "I summon Infinity Traveler Inferno Brawler in attack mode." A humanoid being made of fire formed on the field. (/100)

"That's impossible!" Despite his injuries, Resshin leapt to his feet and glared down at the Figure. "How do you have such a card? I never gave you my power!"

Ignoring the Traveler's protests, the Figure pointed at their monster as it let off an orange glow. "For every monster you have in play, the original attack power of Inferno Brawler increases by 1000 points." (1000/100) The Figure held up another card from their hand. "Now I activate the magic card Infinity Heart." A purple energy flowed out of the card and into his monster's body. "This card increases the attack of one monster on my field by 500." (1500/100) "Inferno Brawler, attack Proto Cyber Dragon with Flames of Wrath!" Their monster charged up a ball of fire and hurled it across the field at the prototype Cyber Dragon.

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo's face-down card flipped up and his monster shattered. "Attack Redirection Mirror special summons Cyber Barrier Dragon!" (800/2800) A reflective dragon appeared on his field. "This monster can, once per turn, negate one attack while in attack mode!" Then his dragon howled in pain as it was burned away instantly from the fires of the Infinity Traveler. "What?"

"The monster powered up by Infinity Heart also cannot have its attack negated." The Figure pointed at the half demon. "Therefore, your defense was wasted."

Ichigo- 3200

Figure- 4000

"Since there are no monsters on your field my Inferno Brawler's attack drops down to 500." The Figure inserted a card into their disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"So far I'd say that our mystery duelist gets points for effort, if nothing else." Adriel sat down next to Nikolai. "But how do they have an Infinity Traveler card? And it's of Resshin too, when he just said that he never created a bond with anyone."

"Who knows?" Nikolai stretched his arms behind his back. "However, I'm sure we'll find out before this duel ends."

"Don't get cocky, you bastard! Draw!" Ichigo tossed a card onto his disk. "I special summon Cyber Dragon from my hand to the field!" The original mechanical snake-dragon appeared in play and roared. (2100/1600) "Attack that traitor monster now! Evolution Burst!" The dragon opened its jaws and shot out a blast of blue fire that hurtled towards the Figure's monster. "Take this!"

"Not very tact, are you?" The Figure chided. "Reverse card open." Their face-down card flipped up to reveal a glowing barrier of light. "Negation Blockade stops your attack and ends your battle phase. Also, I add one Infinity Traveler Null Entity from my deck to my hand." A card left their deck and they added it to their hand.

"They have Erian's power as well?" Eri sat down and rested her chin on the palm of her hand. "There's something about this person that seems strange. How do they have these Infinity Traveler cards?"

Ichigo inserted a card into his disk, a larger card appearing face-down on his field behind his Cyber Dragon. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw." The Figure tossed a card onto their disk. "I summon Infinity Traveler Amplification Maiden in defense mode!" (0/0) A silver-bodied female humanoid appeared on the field.

Ambience blinked widely at the monster. "That's me!"

Adriel snickered slightly. "Therefore its effect is just what its name says…"

The Figure motioned to their Inferno Brawler. "Amplification Maiden cannot attack. However, she can double the original attack of one monster on my field when it attacks once per turn!" They pointed at Cyber Dragon. "Go now!" (2500/100) The flaming alien launched into the air and bathed the metallic dragon in fire, destroying it instantly.

Ichigo- 2800

Figure- 4000

The Figure inserted another card into their disk. "I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

"Amazing…they're doing amazing." Griff couldn't believe it. "Is this the power of the Infinity Travelers in card form?"

Resshin snarled down at the Figure in anger. "Damn you, how dare you use my power without my permission!"

"Shut up Resshin!" Eri glared at the Traveler and then looked down at the Figure. ("Whoever they are, they have the ability to access the powers of the Travelers without the permission of those Travelers.")

Ichigo's right eye twitched a couple of times and he drew. "I hate you! How dare you act so calm while facing down my revenge!" Holding up the drawn card, he sneered. "I activate Pot of Greed, drawing two cards!" Then he threw a card onto his disk and an angel wearing a simple white robe appeared on his field. "I summon Shining Angel in attack mode!" (1400/700) "Attack Amplification Maiden now!"

"Reverse card open." The Figure's set card flipped up and Inferno Brawler leapt in front of the Maiden. "Maiden Guard is a continuous trap card that lets me redirect any attack against Amplification Maiden to another monster on the field. Also, that monster gains a 500 attack point boost during the damage step!" (2000/100) "Counter-attack!" Their monster unleashed a blaze of fire that slammed into the body of the angel and flash-fried it.

Ichigo- 2200

Figure- 4000

Ichigo smiled smugly. "I was going to do this on your turn, but since you insist on defeating my Shining Angel so quickly, thank you!" His graveyard slot released a golden light when it took in the angel card. "When Shining Angel is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the graveyard I can special summon one light attribute monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck to the field!" Another Proto Cyber Dragon appeared and hissed. (1100/800)

"That was a rather silly way to get a Cyber Dragon copy, don't you think?" The Figure shrugged their shoulders slightly, this being shown by the movements of the tarp.

"That's not quite why I wanted it, actually." The half demon held up a magic card. "When Proto Cyber Dragon is special summoned, I activate the quickplay magic card Inferno Reckless Summon!" He snickered, showing off his fangs. "First you get to select a monster on your field and special summon as many copies of it from your deck, hand, and graveyard. However I'm betting you only have one copy of each of those treacherous Travelers in your deck!"

"You would be correct in assuming that." The Figure's voice was still emotionless, though it didn't sound as relaxed as it did at the start of the duel.

"After you have chosen your monster and that effect has resolved, I special summon as many copies of the special summoned monster from my deck, hand, and graveyard to the field!" Ichigo started laughing venomously. "When Proto Cyber Dragon is face-up on the field, it is considered to be Cyber Dragon. Therefore, I special summon my three Cyber Dragons in attack mode!" Three Cyber Dragons appeared on his field, all of them snarling angrily. (2100/1600)x3

"So this is the end for them, eh?" Nikolai sighed. "And the revenge of the self-declared Kaiser of Duelist Academy comes down as the winner once more."

"This can't be the end!" Ambience leapt to her feet. "You have to win! I don't know how you have those cards, but please…win for all our sakes!"

The Figure looked up at Ambience for a few moments before nodding slightly and turning to face Ichigo. "The effect of Inferno Brawler powers up his original attack to 4000." (4500/100)

"So what?" Ichigo held up a card. "I activate Limiter Removal." Steam rose from the lines in the plating on the Cyber Dragons' bodies. (4200/1600)x3 (2200/800) "Also my face-down Altar for Tribute activates, sacrificing my Proto Cyber Dragon to increase my life points by its attack!"

Ichigo- 4400

Figure- 4000

"Now it really is over." Krieger sounded utterly depressed. "With one less monster on Ichigo's field that person's Inferno Brawler won't have enough attack to last against those Cyber Dragons."

"We shouldn't have expected anything different. This is Ichigo we're talking about. His skill is as close to pro level as you can get without being a pro." Griff sighed and rested his chin against the back of the chair in front of him. "Still…"

"This is the end!" Ichigo pointed at the Infinity Traveler monsters. "Clear those mistakes from the planet! Cyber Dragons, attack with triple Evolution Burst!" He snickered at the Figure.

"Mistakes?" The Figure sighed. "You really are a jackass, aren't you?"

"Shut up!" Ichigo's first Cyber Dragon unleashed its breath, blasting Inferno Brawler and stifling the flame being out of existence. (3500/100)

Ichigo- 4400

Figure- 3300

"I won't tolerate them anymore!" Ichigo's second Cyber Dragon snarled down at the very scared-looking Amplification Maiden, right before it unleashed its attack and blew her apart.

"And finally, I won't tolerate those who help them either!" The half demon pointed at the Figure's empty field. "Disappear forever, and show them the way to oblivion!" His third Cyber Dragon released its attack, striking the Figure's field and creating a huge explosion. "I've won!"

"Not quite." The smoke cleared to reveal the Figure unharmed. "From my hand I discard Null Entity to make your battle damage from that Cyber Dragon's attack zero."

Ichigo let out a frustrated scream and punched the metal of the ring beneath him, leaving a slight dent in the steel. "You're an annoyance waiting to be smitten! Why won't you die already?"

"Because I refuse to let you carry this act any farther forward." They tilted their head up to look at the stands and at the three Travelers who were there. "Those three are afraid and lost in a world they don't understand. You're being a selfish brat who can't get it through his skull that they are scared."

"From my hand I activate Magic Purge!" Ichigo slammed one of his two remaining cards into his disk and the steam coming from his three Cyber Dragons was stifled. "All floating effects disappear, so the monster destruction downside of Limiter Removal is negated. I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"I see you don't intend to listen to reason." The Figure drew. "Then I'll smack some logic into your head!" Looking at the card, they nodded. "Here we go!" They threw the drawn card onto their disk and a metallic humanoid made of smooth flowing metal appeared on their field. "I summon Infinity Traveler Forward Runner!" (500/400) "Its special ability allows me to draw up to five cards, but I have to skip that many draw phases in the upcoming turns!" They drew five cards. "And now I activate the magic card Turning the Hands of Time! If there is a Forward Runner or Reverse Runner on my field I can either destroy all monsters on your field or special summon two monsters from my graveyard, depending on whoever the field monster might be!"

Ichigo watched as his three Cyber Dragons shattered. "And the downside to this?"

"I must shuffle three cards in my hand back into my deck if I chose the special summon effect. If I chose the monster destruction effect I must randomly remove two cards from my hand per monster I destroy. Therefore six cards from my hand must be removed for the effect to succeed." Their whole hand disappeared. "At this time the effect of the trap card in my hand triggers! Mimic Magic, when removed from the game, copies the effect of the top magic card in your graveyard! Therefore Magic Purge removes the need for me to skip my next five draw phases!"

Ichigo suddenly started laughing.

"What's so funny?" The Figure was a little surprised that the half demon would be laughing about this.

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo's face-down card flipped up. "Call of the Haunted revives my Cyber Dragon!" (2100/1600) One of his metal dragons reappeared and roared loudly. "With no cards in your hand, you can no longer escape my wrath!"

"End turn." The Figure dropped their arms to their sides.

"Draw!" Ichigo looked at his drawn card and snickered. "I place one card face-down on my field and attack your time-piece! Evolution Burst!" He started laughing again while his machine unleashed a blue blast of flame that destroyed the Infinity Traveler. "Another of the traitors is destroyed!"

Ichigo- 4400

Figure- 1700

"At this time the effect of Forward Runner triggers!" The Figure held up their hand and a pair of cards appeared in their grasp. "When this monster is destroyed as a result of battle two random cards that are removed from the game come to my hand."

Ichigo shrugged that off. "End turn. I already know you cannot defeat me, as I intend to win this duel. With that win I will cement my way to the very top!"

The Figure sweat-dropped and then drew. "You're really being a bit of a jerk about this." Then they inserted three cards into their duel disk. "I place three cards face-down and end my turn." A trio of cards appeared on the field in a row in front of them.

Ichigo snapped the top card off of his deck and pointed at the Figure. "Cyber Dragon, end this. Evolution Bu…" His Cyber Dragon disappeared. "What?"

"Reverse card open." The Figure pointed at one of their face-up cards. "Dust Tornado destroys your Call of the Haunted, therefore taking your Cyber Dragon with it."

"End turn." Ichigo looked at the card he was holding coldly, his rage temporarily cooled.

The Figure drew and nodded to the half demon. "End turn."

"Draw!" Ichigo drew and nodded as well. "End turn."

The Figure drew again, their shadowed face grimacing slightly. "End turn again."

"I draw!" Ichigo snarled at the useless card he had drawn. ("What is wrong with my Revenge Deck? Where are my draws?") "End turn!"

The Figure drew a third time. ("This will come in handy.") "I place two cards face-down and end my turn." A pair of cards appeared alongside their earlier set cards.

Ichigo closed his eyes and drew. When he opened his eyes a dark smile crossed his face. "This will be interesting. I activate the magic card Draw Battle! We both pick up cards from our decks until we come to a monster. Afterwards those monsters are special summoned to our field in attack mode and they battle!" Pulling off the top card of his deck, he licked his lips while a grey mechanical snake-dragon appeared on his field. "Proto Cyber Dragon is summoned!" (1100/800)

The Figure picked up cards from their deck, stopping at the fourth. ("This monster…") They looked up at the stands and those who watching them. ("This will give away my identity.") "Reverse card open." One of their face-down cards flipped up. "Dimensional Selection activates when a monster is selected for an effect. I can negate that selection and change the target to a monster in my removed from play pile!"

A blast of dark blue light filled their field and a suit of dark blue power armor appeared on their field. "Final Shadow Infinity Chaser (2000/1000) is special summoned." They shuffled the four cards they had taken from their deck back into the stack of cards. ("That was a close one.")

"The effect of Draw Battle says that whoever summoned the stronger monster is considered to be the attacker, so Infinity Chaser attacks Proto Cyber Dragon!" Ichigo slammed one of his hand cards into his duel disk. "I activate the quickplay magic card Magnetic Recovery, special summoning one machine or rock type monster from my graveyard to the field in defense mode!"

One of his Cyber Dragons appeared and his face-down card flipped up. "Go Covering Fire! This trap activates when a monster on my field is attacked. I may add the attack of one monster on my field to the attack of my Proto Cyber Dragon!" (3200/800)

"That means…" Ambience and Eri both bit their lower lips at the same time.

Adriel growled under his breath. "Why are we even surprised that he wouldn't be caught off guard like that?"

"Now come, Infinity Chaser, and meet your doom!" Ichigo was about to laugh. Then he realized something. The Figure had beaten him to the laughing. "What are you laughing for? Your monster is about to kill itself!"

"Take another look." The Figure's monster was glowing brightly. (4000/1000)

"How…" Ichigo gasped as he realized that for some reason Limiter Removal was face-up on his field. "That can't be! I didn't activate another Limiter Removal!"

The Figure motioned to one of their face-up traps. "Mechanical Magic Mirror lets me use a magic card from your graveyard! My choice is Limiter Removal! Battle now, Infinity Chaser!" Their power armor monster flew across the field and punched straight through the Proto Cyber Dragon like it was made of aluminum.

Ichigo- 3600

Figure- 1700

Ichigo growled in frustration again and inserted a card into his disk. "I place one card face-down! Now your Infinity Chaser is destroyed! End turn!" The suit of power armor exploded, but so did his Cyber Dragon. "What?"

"I activate my face-down Michizure trap card." The Figure shrugged their shoulders again. "When my monster goes to the graveyard, Michizure destroys a monster on your field. Sorry that this deck is a little bit random. I had to assemble it from some spare cards I had lying around."

"You mean…" Ichigo's breathing picked up. "You're dueling me with a deck made up of some random cards you splashed together?"

"Of course." The Figure spoke plainly, which was very strange since with the Voice Changer they sounded a bit like Darth Vader. "I didn't have enough Infinity Traveler type cards for a full deck, so I had to improvise."

Ichigo looked like he was getting angrier and angrier. "I hate you just as much as I hate them! I will crush you with my ultimate tool of revenge!"

The Figure drew. "Wait; let me take my turn first." They held up Pot of Greed and drew two cards. "I place two cards face-down on the field and end my turn there."

Ichigo drew and flipped the card up. "I activate Card of Sanctity!" Both of them drew five cards. "And now I activate the magic card Pot of Avarice." Five cards were spat out of his graveyard. "This card lets me shuffle five monsters from my graveyard back into my deck. I choose two Proto Cyber Dragons and three Cyber Dragons." Removing his deck from the slot, he shuffled those cards back into place slowly. "Do you know what this means?"

"You've got your dragons back, I get it." They huffed. "You need to stop being so smug."

Returning his deck to place, the half demon drew two cards. "After the effect of Pot of Avarice resolves I draw two cards. And now I play the equipment magic card Future Fusion!"

Nikolai frowned. "That lets him send monsters from his deck to the graveyard to special summon a fusion monster. He intends to create Cyber End Dragon."

"The Russian pain in the ass is correct." Ichigo held up all three Cyber Dragon cards. "I send these three to my graveyard." A powerful wind erupted behind him. "Cyber End Dragon is special summoned!" Within that windstorm a giant three-headed metal dragon appeared in play and roared loudly. (4000/2800) "This will be the end for you!"

"Reverse card open!" The Figure already knew what Ichigo's next card was, and they were ready. "Deck Blocker requires a card from my hand as a cost." They discarded a card from their hand into the graveyard. "During this turn I can negate any attacks at the cost of the top two cards of my deck."

"You won't stop me! Go De-Fusion!" Ichigo's Cyber End Dragon disappeared and was replaced by the three Cyber Dragons it was made up of. (2100/1600)x3 "Triple Evolution Burst!" All three of the dragons launched forward, unleashing three blasts of blue energy at once.

"Deck Blocker's effect activates now!" The Figure discarded the top six cards of their deck and six holographic cards appeared on the field, each pair blocking one of the blasts and creating a mighty explosion that shook the field and kicked up a cloud of dust. "You're wasting your time."

"Is that so?" Ichigo held up another quickplay magic card. "Go Instant Fusion!" His three Cyber Dragons disappeared and were replaced by Cyber End Dragon. (4000/2800) "This card lets me send fusion material monsters from my field to my graveyard to special summon a fusion monster! Cyber End Dragon, attack their life points directly! Etoile Evolution Burst!" All three of the fusion's heads unleashed their attacks.

"Deck Blocker activates now!" The Figure discarded the top two cards of their deck and a pair of cards appeared to block the killing attack, increasing the destruction and chaotic storm on the field.

"The storm isn't quite over yet." Ichigo smiled darkly. "I count eight cards left on your deck. Therefore, I activate De-Fusion!"

Up in the stands, everyone but Nikolai was aghast.

"He's going to deck that person out with a freaking beatdown deck!" Griff somehow managed to lean in closer. "Incredible!"

Ichigo's fusion disappeared and was replaced by the three Cyber Dragons once more. (2100/1600)x3 "Triple Evolution Burst!" All three of the monsters fired their attacks once more.

"I have no choice! I activate Deck Blocker three more times!" The Figure's voice was breaking, as the sheer force that was assaulting the field was like being in the middle of a tornado.

"And now I strike the last blow! With this power…" Ichigo held up another of his hand cards. "I say farewell to you! I activate the quickplay magic card Photon Generator Unit, sacrificing two of my Cyber Dragons to summon Cyber Laser Dragon!" A larger metal dragon with a laser attached to its tail appeared on his field. (2400/1800) "Direct attack! Laser Evolution Burst!" The Cyber Laser Dragon opened its jaws and released a condensed blast of energy that shot into the cloud and then exploded. "With that your deck is at zero! End turn!"

"That's the end." Nikolai sighed melodramatically. "With that strike, Ichigo has won yet again. Whoever they were, they didn't have enough power to stand against your self-declared Kaiser's strength."

Ichigo sneered. "I am Ichigo Pilkington, the true Kaiser of Duelist Academy! Let all those who stand against me be crushed by my power!" He turned to look at Rysel. "And with your help, I will clear the Travelers off of this planet."

"God, shut up already!" A no longer scrambled voice yelled out from within the massive smoke cloud that covered the Figure's field. "You keep going on and on about the same things like some kind of parrot!"

Ichigo glanced at the cloud. "I don't care about you, as you've lost."

"Wrong." The smoke cleared to reveal the tarp-covered Figure, the cover shaken up enough that it only covered their eyes now. "Or did you not realize something?" They held up their duel disk to reveal they had cards left.

"That can't be!" Ichigo glared at his opponent. "How? My calculations weren't wrong!" The smoke cleared to reveal the Figure's face-up trap card. "Miracle Magician? No, it can't be!"

"That's right." The Figure pointed at their trap card. "Miracle Magician lets me activate a magic card from my hand. And that card was Pot of Avarice, so just like you I shuffled five monsters from my graveyard into my deck and then drew two cards." They ran a finger through the three cards remaining in their deck. "Sorry, but I'm not beaten yet. But it's a bit late to take back the fact that you ended your turn, isn't it now?"

Now that he could hear that voice clearly, the half demon narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You're not who I thought it was, are you? You bastard, who are you?"

"Heh, you wanna see?" They grasped the tarp and pulled back the part of it that was covering their head, letting a headful of dark blue hair drop down around their shoulders. A pair of similarly colored eyes smirked cheerfully.

Ichigo's right eye started twitching again, and he bared his fangs. "A…girl?"

"That's right, you get a cookie." The female duelist ran a hand through her hair slowly and smiled slightly, revealing a pair of elongated canine teeth. "Now then, 'Ichigo', I think the rain of the Blood Wolf is on the verge of ending right now."

_To be continued…_


	37. Infinity Awakening Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 37: Infinity Awakening (Part 2)

_Now that he could hear that voice clearly, the half demon narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You're not who I thought it was, are you? You bastard, who are you?"_

"_Heh, you wanna see?" They grasped the tarp and pulled back the part of it that was covering their head, letting a headful of dark blue hair drop down around their shoulders. A pair of similarly colored eyes smirked cheerfully._

_Ichigo's right eye started twitching again, and he bared his fangs. "A…girl?"_

"_That's right, you get a cookie." The female duelist ran a hand through her hair slowly and smiled slightly, revealing a pair of elongated canine teeth. "Now then, 'Ichigo', I think the rain of the Blood Wolf is on the verge of ending right now."_

"The end of my reign? Hah!" Ichigo pointed at her. "Don't think yourself so good because you somehow managed to evade my attacks! I can easily destroy you during the next turn!"

The girl placed her hand gently on the top card of her three card deck. "Draw!"

("She currently has seven cards in her hand. However, it doesn't matter what she does because my set card is Absolute Guard. When I activate it she won't be able to attack or damage me this turn. All I have to do now is wait for her to activate a magic or trap card while my card is the only face-down on my field.")

Ichigo glanced at his hand cards and smirked. ("I am invincible compared to every single being here. I am Ichigo Pilkington, the future and forever king of this academy.") "Come then, whoever you are. I will not sit here and let you mock me."

The girl placed a monster face-down on her disk. "I set one monster face-down and end my turn."

"That's it?" Ichigo drew. "Oh well, it's your funeral then! I activate the magic card Scrap Treasure. You draw the top card of your deck, and if it's a monster then I send three monsters from my deck to my graveyard. And of course that card will be a monster, since the only two cards in your deck are monsters anyways."

The girl drew and held up Infinity Traveler Inferno Brawler. "You are correct."

"Then I will send three monsters from my deck to the graveyard." Ichigo slid three cards from his dwindling deck into his graveyard and then fanned the rest of the cards in front of him. "Now for the fun part. Scrap Treasure lets me, at the cost of two trap cards from my deck, activate one continuous trap from my deck. Also, just for kicks, I can discard two monsters from my deck to copy that effect. Therefore…" He emptied five of his seven remaining deck cards into his graveyard slot. "I'll activate two continuous traps."

"I'd point out that you no longer have cards in your deck, but I'm assuming you're ready for such a thing." The girl watched the two continuous traps appear on Ichigo's field and she found her assumptions confirmed. "Armor-Piercing Upgrade and Ultimate Trapmaster, as I thought."

"That's right." Ichigo pointed at Armor-Piercing Upgrade. "As long as this card is face-up on my field all of my machine type monsters in play can deal damage through defense. However, the cost is that as long as I wish to have this card in play I have to skip my draw phase. Since I have no cards left in my deck, that shouldn't be a problem."

"And Ultimate Trapmaster lets you sacrifice trap cards in your graveyard as if they were machine monsters." This is what the girl had seen coming. ("Chimeratech Overdragon will be coming out shortly.")

"Cyber Dragon, attack the set monster on that fool's field now!" Ichigo's metallic dragon howled and released a blast of blue fire that stopped when it was inches away from the girl's field. "Negate Attack, correct?"

The girl nodded and pulled the trap out of her disk. "Negate Attack does just what it says. It negates your attack and ends the battle phase."

"Thank you for explaining the obvious!" Ichigo's face-down card flipped up. "Go Absolute Guard! During this turn all damage to me is zero and you cannot attack!"

The girl sighed and closed her eyes. ("Chimeratech Overdragon destroys all other cards on his field when it is summoned, so first he'll protect those traps.")

"I activate the magic card Titanium Frame!" Ichigo's two Cyber monsters shattered. "This card lets me destroy machine type monsters on my field to add a counter to one face-up card on my field per destroyed monster. I choose to add one counter to each of my traps." Bands of steel appeared around his continuous traps. "As long as these counters are on those cards, when those cards would be destroyed they are not and the counter is removed instead. And then I'll activate Power Bond! Also I activate Cybernetic Fusion Support! At the cost of half my life points I'll remove monsters from my graveyard for this fusion!"

Ichigo- 1800

Girl- 1700

He clicked his tongue against his teeth and held up almost half of his graveyard. "Ultimate Trapmaster lets me remove the traps in my graveyard as well, and in total that is nineteen cards. Therefore I remove nineteen machine monsters to summon Chimeratech Overdragon!" Once more his ultimate instrument of destruction appeared, but this time instead of five or ten heads, it had nineteen. (15200/15200) "For every machine monster offered in the fusion, this monster's original attack and defense is increased by 800. And then, thanks to Power Bond…" (30400/15200)

"Holy unnecessary displays of force, Batman!" Griff had already fallen out of his seat when the Overdragon had been summoned. "Is it really necessary to summon that thing again?"

"In this case, yes." Nikolai rubbed his chin with a hand as he watched the bands around the two traps on Ichigo's field shatter in place of the traps themselves. "Now he has a 30400 attack monster that can attack nineteen times and every one of its attacks can deal damage through defense. I believe that is probably just enough in his mind to defeat this opponent."

"I think that what you think is insane." Adriel kicked up his legs against the chair in front of him angrily. "This is just Ichigo being insane, that's it."

Back on the field, Ichigo sneered and bowed to his opponent mockingly. "You cannot win. At the end phase of my turn Power Bond would deal me 15200 points of damage, but Absolute Guard stops that. Now during the next turn you will be completely overwhelmed. Therefore, I end my turn."

The girl rubbed the back of her head and grimaced. "Okay, you're really angry at me huh? Well, I guess so, considering that thing." She drew the last off of her deck. "It's a shame I'll have to brush it aside like this."

"Brush…it aside?" Ichigo motioned behind him. "Take a good long look at my monster and say that again."

She looked at it for about a minute, and then looked right at him. "Yup, brush it aside just like this." She held up a card. "First I activate Sibling Bonds! This magic card lets me special summon all Infinity Travelers in my hand to the field!" She held up four cards. "Come out now, everyone!" Inferno Brawler, Amplification Maiden, Null Entity, and Forward Runner appeared on her field. (1000/100) (0/0) (100/200) (500/400)

"She summoned four monsters at once…" Eri glanced at the set monster on the girl's field. "Now the real question is just what exactly is that set card?"

"Reverse monster open!" The girl smiled as the monster that appeared was a pink-eyed being made of pulsing light of the same color. "Infinity Traveler Micro Mistress is summoned!" (300/300)

"Mitosha's power?" Eri felt a chill run down her back and she remembered that duel against the craziest Travelers she had met. "However, her effect must be useful to this situation."

"It is." The girl pointed at the Chimeratech Overdragon, which suddenly shrank in size. "Once per turn I can cut the attack of one monster in play in half!" (15200/15200)

"Oh no, my monster is only 15200 now." Ichigo said this mockingly, a hand on his hip. "I don't think cutting my monster down to size will be enough."

("Forgive me, but I have to use you as a sacrifice Erian.") She pointed at Null Entity and Forward Runner. "I offer these two to summon the Final Shadow Infinity Chaser in my hand to the field!" (2000/1000) The dark blue suit of power armor appeared once more. "And now I activate the field magic card Infinite Palace!" All around them a huge palace made of dark blue crystal appeared in play. "As long as this card is in play, all Infinity named monsters gain double their original attack points!"

"Double?" Ichigo's eyes widened and Inferno Brawler and Infinity Chaser both disappeared within a swirling vortex. "And now you activate Contact Fusion?"

"That's right!" The girl's new monster was an orange-streaked version of the Infinity Chaser that slowly lowered onto her field and roared out a battle cry. (4000/1000) "Final Shadow Inferno Chaser!"

"What can that weakling do against me?" Ichigo pointed at his mighty fusion. "This monster is the ultimate in power, and I am Ichigo Pilkington, Kaiser of this academy! You can't beat me!"

"Stop shouting my name like it's yours, you…" The girl stiffened and glanced up at the stands. Luckily it seemed none of them heard her. "Anyway, go Inferno Chaser! Show him that evil is dumb and loud, while good at least doesn't shout at you about stupid stuff!" The monster sweat-dropped and then launched into the air, charging right at the Chimeratech Overdragon. "Amplification Maiden doubles the original attack of Inferno Chaser!" (8000/1000) "And now…I activate the quickplay magic card Infinity Mind! From your graveyard, I copy one card effect!"

Ichigo gasped as Limiter Removal was spat out of his graveyard slot. "No! That means…" (16000/1000) "My revenge against the Travelers…"

"Was nothing but a stupid temper tantrum!" The girl's supercharged Inferno Chaser plowed right through the center body of the machine monster and it was destroyed.

"Also, you take the attack of that destroyed monster in damage to your life points, thanks to the effect of Inferno Chaser!" Then Ichigo disappeared within a screaming explosion of power that shook the arena.

Ichigo- 0

Girl- 1700

Even Nikolai looked surprised by this. ("She…beat him? Who is this girl?")

"Ichigo!" Eri hopped from the stands to the dueling arena and ran into the smoke cloud to make sure he was alright. A few moments later she came running right back out with fangs bared at the dark blue-haired girl. "What did you do to him?"

The girl giggled as the smoke cloud cleared to reveal an empty set of the crimson clothing that Ichigo had been wearing. "Don't worry; I didn't do a thing to him. He didn't actually exist in the first place."

"………." Eri slapped her own cheeks a couple of times. "Say that once more, because I must be dreaming. Of course he existed!"

"I'm not saying he didn't, I'm just saying that Ichigo wasn't the real one." The girl turned to look at Rysel coldly. "Why don't you tell them, Rysel?"

The Blood Prince sat in his seat, smiling calmly. "Ah, you must be the real Ichigo. I was wondering if you were going to show up or not. Though I must admit your disguise is rather flawless. I didn't detect that it was really you."

Smiling, the girl brushed back her hair from her shoulder gently. "Well yes, I am a master of disguise." Then she realized that someone was poking her in the chest region. Blushing slightly but not looking away from Rysel, she sighed. "Eri, please stop." The poking stopped. "Thank you."

Eri walked towards the stands and sighed, not wanting to say anything about the fact that Ichigo never purposefully disguised himself as anything. ("Oh well, I'll let him pretend like he's cool for right now.")

Adriel stared at the girl standing on the dueling ring alongside Eri and gagged. "Pilkington, why did you disguise yourself that?"

"……" Nikolai just had his hand over his face and was muttering about how absolutely stupid this was.

Chris giggled. "You look good Ichigo-chan!" Ambience giggled along with her.

Resshin just looked pissed. Then again, he always looked pissed.

Ichigo sighed and looked at Rysel. "Anyway, do you intend to explain or should I?"

Rysel stood up and walked along the edge of the railing in the stands. "One of my most unique talents is that I can create exact clones of those I use my powers on. They are known as my Blood Spores, and I suppose you figured out rather quickly that when they are beaten they disappear."

"Heh, I figured all of that out on my own." She grinned, and Eri face-palmed. "Now then, how about you give it up and take all of your aliens off the planet."

"I must decline that offer." A pair of blood fountains erupted off to both of Rysel's sides. "You must understand that I do intend to protect this planet, but if you won't work with me then I must eliminate you along with all those who help the refugees."

Ichigo glanced back at Eri, and then grabbed her hand. "We're getting the Travelers out of here!" She looked up at Nikolai, Adriel, and Chris. "Guys, I know you're mad at me but please…"

"You don't need to tell us!" Adriel, Chris and Nikolai lifted their hands up at once. **"Awaken, Soul of Void!"**

"**Awaken, Soul of Dreams!"**

"**Awaken, Soul of Duty!"**

Then all three of them disappeared within orbs of purple, pink and dark green light.

------------------------------------

Within his orb, Adriel floated quietly in a deep purple abyss. It slowly swallowed him up like a pool of water, returning to a still surface. Then from within that purple sea a single drop of black appeared, spreading like oil in water. The whole mess started to swirl and from within the center of that swirl an older version of Adriel rose up, a dark purple bodysuit covering his body with streamers of black fluid hanging from it. That black fluid pulled itself around his chest, arms and legs tightly, forming into armored segments.

-----------------------------------

Within her orb, Chris was surrounded on all sides by glittering rainbow-colored clouds. One by one they surrounded her body, forming into the shape of a flying angel with her hidden in its center. Then they dissipated to reveal an older girl wearing a pink bodysuit, her red eyes shining enthusiastically. Segments of bright red armoring appeared on her limbs and body one by one in a burst of red light.

------------------------------------

Within his orb, Nikolai was surrounded by thousands of crisscrossing rays of dark green light. All at once those beams shot straight through him, creating an explosion of dark green light. From within the smoke created by that sudden violent action a long black-haired young man with sea-green eyes emerged, an aquamarine bodysuit covering his body. Snapping up his arms, he braced himself as another wave of dark green lasers slammed into his body, forming same-colored segments of armor around his body.

-------------------------------

-------------------------------

Griff dropped Erian to the grass outside the stadium and fell onto his back in exhaustion. "How come I'm the guy carrying a whole person on my back when I'm the only one without superhuman strength, huh?"

Resshin glared at Ichigo. "So you're telling me what I dueled was just a clone of you?"

The female demon rested a nail against her chin and thought about it. "Well, actually I think it was…"

"Ichigo?" Krieger glanced at the entrance to the stadium worriedly. "Do you think you could take the disguise off first before you go into explaining all this?"

"……" She turned away and coughed, muttering something.

"Huh?" Krieger started to lean in and was about to ask his friend to speak up.

"It isn't a disguise, and he can't change back because he's not sure how it happened in the first place." Eri noted the fact that Ichigo was now hanging her head. "That's right, you big liar, I already knew the moment you tried acting smug about it."

Griff groaned. "Didn't we have enough of this last year?"

"Anyway!" Ichigo looked at the entrance to the stadium, determination in her eyes. "I need to go help them if I can."

"So no explanation of what in the nine hells is going on then?" Eri shrugged it off. "I can't even fake being surprised anymore by this kind of thing. Alright Ichigo, go save the day."

Nodding, the half demon picked up into a run and charged back into the fray.

_To be continued…_


	38. Infinity Awakening Part 3

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. All I own is the insanity that spawned this storyline.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 38: Infinity Awakening (Part 3)

"You know I think all of you were a bit harsh on poor Ichigo." Rysel looked at the three Saviors who stood in the stands across from him, and then he glanced back at the dozen or so humanoid forms made of blood that stood by him. "Now then, it's time to die." The blood humanoids shot past him, different sharp weapons forming out of their bodies.

"**Empty Demise!"** Vortex Savior snapped his hand above his head and a ball of darkness formed there, creating a vacuum that pulled about ten of the liquid creatures out of the air and into its endless depths before he had break the ability off to avoid stressing his energy too much.

Fantasy Savior yelped and ducked as a sword made of blood stabbed through the cement by her head. "I can't disable them!"

"**Mega Ray!"** Valor Savior pointed at the humanoid attacking the female Savior and it disappeared a moment later as a hole was blown in its body by his beam attack. "If this is the real power of the leader of this invasion then why even bother?" He looked up at the rest of the blood humanoids. **"Fragment of Omega."** He snapped his fingers and from that single point a spray of dark green needle-thin blasts erupted forth, piercing and destroying all of the creatures at once. "I don't have the time to play with your annoying weaklings. Hurry up and bring out something serious."

"Show-offy jerk…" Vortex Savior muttered this under his breath, while Fantasy Savior looked at the newest member of their group in adoration. ("He's even got more than one attack.")

Rysel started chuckling. "Impressive…but actually I was expecting that. Those were merely moving puddles of my fluid of choice." He snapped his fingers and his shadow extended across the ground farther than what should have been possible. "Come out now, Archer, Fighter and Wizard."

Valor Savior narrowed his eyes as a trio of humanoids emerged from the ground that the extended shadow touched. "Three Vengeances huh?" One by one the shadows around the three beings dropped to reveal the monsters.

The first was an armored male holding a heavy axe, his face hidden by his helmet. "For our master!"

The second was a purple-skinned and bearded male humanoid wearing grey robes and holding a staff. "For our master!"

The third was a green-dressed female creature similar colored skin, holding a bow in her hands and a quiver hanging from her back. "For our master!"

Rysel snapped his fingers. "If you please, my Vengeance-_tachi_."

"Yes master!" Fighter leapt across the dueling ring in one jump, crashing through the stands like they weren't even there. "Die Savior!" Hefting his massive axe above his head, he brought it crashing down towards Fantasy Savior like a pendulum.

Valor Savior realized she wasn't going to move in time. Shoving her out of the way of the incoming axe-head, he threw up his arms just in time to block the falling weapon with his armored forearms. The pressure from the blow cracked the cement beneath his feet and cracked his armor as well, but he managed to stop it. Unfortunately, now the weapon was pressing down on him, and if he moved his arms to get away it would split his skull open. "Stop…being…" His right leg nearly buckled. "…a…waste…of space. Fight or run…"

Fantasy Savior hopped up and was about to help when something embedded itself into the stone right in front of her face. It was a steel arrow. "Eeep…" She turned to look at the opposite section of stands.

Archer smiled coldly. "It's useless, you will all die here." Then she moved with impossible speed, firing arrow after arrow at the female hero, who could only dodge and scramble out of the way.

-------------------------------------

Over in another section of the stands Vortex Savior rolled out of the way of another fireball that Wizard hurled at him. ("He fires those things way too fast.") Leaping to his feet from his rolling position he held his arms above his head. **"Empty Demise!"** A new ball of darkness formed over his head and the next fireball that was hurled at him was sucked into the abyssal orb. "And you're next!"

"I think not!" Wizard whispered a few words and an arrow of light fired from his hand right into the orb the Savior had created, which popped in a burst of bright orange sparks. "Your darkness is no match for my magical prowess."

---------------------------------

Rysel sat back in his seat and watched while his Vengeances had their fun with the three Saviors. "It's kind of sad that these three alone are enough to put all three of you on the defensive. They're not even that powerful compared to some of the others Vengeances I was told about by the scientists who came up with the technology."

"Rysel!" Ichigo charged right up to the Blood Prince, but right before her fist could connect with his face her wrist was grabbed by his left hand. "Stop this now! Isn't there a way to protect this planet without killing the Travelers?"

"No." Standing, the man released the half demon's wrist and walked over to the railing sadly. "There is no way to end this until they are dead. My father had decreed it be so, and I would be a fool to oppose him just for the sakes of these refugees. So the real question here, Ichigo, is what will you do? Will you challenge me? I can forgive you defeating the Spore, which was rude on my part. However, if you help them…"

"Rysel, I won't let you do this." Ichigo looked over at the three separate fights going on, and none of them looked like they were going well for the heroes. ("What do I do? I awoke in that cave in this body, but why? I don't have the Infinity Mind with me, so what am I supposed to do?")

"I don't think as you are you can stop me, can you?" Rysel turned around to face Ichigo. "As much as I respect your drive to be a protector for all those who need it, in this case there is nothing you can do except give up on saving the refugees."

The half demon was barely listening. She was more afraid for her friends. "Why are you doing this? I still don't understand why we can't just talk this out!"

"Because despite all their wishes for a peaceful living, the greatest men must prove their might. That is my father's way of thinking, and I, for one, will not betray it." Rysel sat back down and a hand-held golden harp appeared in his grasp. "I do not intend to harm you Ichigo. I suppose we should just sit back and let the fighters decide it for themselves." With that he started playing, the sound hauntingly beautiful. "Come and sit with me. Standing there looking afraid won't accomplish anything."

She glared at him coldly. "You're more of a monster than those Vengeances…"

"That may be true." He closed his eyes and listened to the beautiful melodies of his instrument. "However that is also a fabricated lie to make yourself feel better. If I was a true monster, I would have involved myself in this battle and your friends would have been outnumbered. Instead I am giving them a fighting chance by not getting involved…"

"Don't try and pass off your dislike for violence as kindness." Ichigo growled and tried to summon up the strength of the Infinity Mind. However, it wasn't there. It was gone. ("Where are you? Why won't you help me save them?")

"You still seem stressed." The prince continued playing. "Is it because you were the wielder of the Infinity Mind, the strongest of the sources? Does that automatically make you the leader of this little group?" His song picked up in volume as the destructive noises coming from the fighting grew louder as well. "Is this your fate? Do you have to be the leader, I wonder? Do you have to fight for them?"

Ichigo looked into the faces of each of the Saviors. "Rysel, in this case I cannot forgive you." She closed her eyes. ("I have to think…I need silence…")

-------------------------------

_When Ichigo opened his eyes, he was dressed in his normal Osiris Red uniform and he was his original freaking gender again. "Good, at least mentally I'm still me." Glancing around the dark void, he sighed. "Man, since Halo, Splinter, Alahandra and the others have disappeared it's been so quiet it here…"_

_It hit him like a ton of bricks. "Could it be that simple?" The half demon sucked his breath in, filling his lungs with air. And then he screamed at the top of his lungs. "WAKE UP!"_

_A loud snort came from within the darkness, and an orb of dark blue light slowly shimmered into existence. **"What's with the racket? I'm trying to sleep…"**_

_Ichigo would have tapped his foot against the ground, if such a thing existed in this place. "Yeah…you've been sleeping in here since I first used you, huh?"_

"_**Oh, good morning Ichigo."** The orb grew a little bit brighter. **"You'll have to excuse me, I was very tired from remaining active for as long as I had to be to make sure someone found me."**_

"_You shattered." Ichigo said this angrily. "You shattered right in my face, and that started a whole mess of trouble."_

"_**Oh, that?"** The orb pulsed a little brighter. **"That was merely me integrating more completely with you. As you had me before all you were using was a mere fraction of the power I could give you. I thought you wouldn't mind losing my power temporarily if it meant being stronger in the end."**_

"…" _Ichigo twitched a couple of times. "You couldn't have taken ten seconds and told me what exactly was going on that time, huh?"_

"_**Technically you shouldn't be able to communicate with me right now. How exactly did you get here?"**_

"_I've had a lot of experience with people using my soul like an Interdimensional rest-stop, alright? Now, are you going to help me out or not? We've already got three of the Saviors together, and right now they're all getting their butts handed to them!"_

"_**Of course Ichigo. When you return to your normal mental state you should be able to access my abilities once more. Also, your powers should be upgraded."**_

_Ichigo grinned and bowed. "Thank you! Finally…" He turned to go, stopped, and then spun back around. "Why did you turn me into a girl?"_

_The Infinity Mind floated about, thinking back to its last actions. **"Oh yes, I sensed that your body was injected with a dangerous Blood Child poison, meant to keep you unconscious. I had to purge it from your body and restored areas of your body that seemed to be damaged."**_

"…_What part of me needed…wait…" Ichigo was stammering now, as that explanation made absolutely no sense. "You regenerated me into a girl?"_

"…_**You weren't one before?"**_

"_NO! You've seen me before; you should know how I look!" Ichigo screamed this, his face right in front of the orb. _

"**_Actually no I haven't, since I don't have the ability to see on my own. I just went off the energy patterns your body told me. However those patterns were a bit strange, as I sensed a mismatching of forms. I took a chance and followed one of those designs."_**

_Ichigo wished with all his heart there was something in here to kick. "So you're telling me that you guessed how I looked, and changed me accordingly because you…I…" Screaming again, his spectral self disappeared._

"…_**I wonder if he's always that grumpy?"**_

_-------------------------------------------_

Valor Savior heard his armor screech in protest as he was forced down onto both knees by the pressure of Fighter's axe. ("I can't win this fight, can I? For all my determination, I'm not strong enough. Damn it!") If he put his mind to it he knew he could muster up the resolve to destroy this insolent creature, but that resolve wasn't coming to him.

"ARGH! Of all the stupid, idiotic, careless….ARGH!" A scream of anger came from the stands across the stadium, followed by the sound of metal being bent.

Rysel wisely stepped back as he watched Ichigo manhandle the railing of the stands into something he believed humans called a pretzel. His harp disappeared. "Then it wasn't meditation, I suppose?"

"You!" She pointed at him. "You're the reason this happened in the first place!" Snarling and baring her fangs, she leapt at him with claws out to strike.

He lifted up one hand to catch Ichigo by the shirt and hurl her past him, but by the time he had thought of the move he was already bleeding from six long gashes in his chest. Eyes wide, he stumbled back and gasped in pain at the sight of his own blood flowing from those wounds. Then time caught up to him as Ichigo kicked him in the back of the head and he was getting a taste of the concrete floor of the stands.

Archer, who had been trying to stab Fantasy Savior with her knife, gasped and immediately turned her attention to the sight of her lord in danger. "Die, you insolent girl!" Snapping up her bow, she strung back an arrow and let fly right at Ichigo's back.

Ichigo's right ear twitched and without looking she caught the arrow right before it hit her. "I…" The metallic shaft groaned. "Am…" It started to bend. "Not a girl!" Wrenching the metal arrow beyond recognition with her one hand, the half demon brought a pair of glowing red eyes to bear on the female Vengeance.

Archer took aim…and then got kicked in the side of the head by Fantasy Savior, stunning her momentarily.

Rysel started to stand up, and then he was being crushed into the cement by a sneaker right on the back of his head. ("Come to me, my Vengeances…")

Ichigo already heard the other two coming and resigned herself to kick the Blood Prince in the ribs once and then back away. Moments later Wizard appeared at Rysel's side, helping the prince to his feet.

-----------------------------------------------------

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Eri's ears perked and she lifted an eyebrow, looking at the stadium entrance. "It sounds like Ichigo is not very happy about something."

"Oh, I wonder what that thing might be." Griff muttered sarcastically, because now that he had time to think about it his victory against that false Ichigo had meant nothing.

------------------------------------------------------

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Rubbing his damaged forearms tenderly, Valor Savior watched the strange scene unfolding over by where Ichigo and the Blood Prince had been. The three Vengeances had retreated to their master's side, and were all standing between a still snarling Ichigo and a rather messed up Rysel. ("All it took was one pissed off demon to cow the head of the Earth Invasion Force?")

Vortex Savior whistled and crossed his arms across his chest. "I haven't seen Ichigo that angry in a long time. Well, the real Ichigo anyway. I wonder if we won't have to do anything else…"

Fantasy Savior gulped at the fact that Ichigo-chan looked completely feral at the moment. "I'm scared…"

------------------------

Rysel popped his nose back into place and looked at Ichigo calmly. "I do believe that was impressive, if that is your real strength and speed. You'd make an excellent Vengeance, Ichigo."

Ichigo closed her eyes and started breathing rapidly. ("Calm down…calm down…don't completely lose it.")

"Come now Ichigo, I've been more than patient about this." Rysel looked over the burly should of Fighter. "Join the winning side. If your three friends couldn't stand against three measly Vengeances, then what makes you think you can do it alone?"

Ichigo opened her eyes, which had returned to being dark blue. "The winning side? I don't think you understand what that term means. There is no 'side' for you!"

"The Blood Children are far more organized than what I have seen so far from your side, Ichigo." Rysel looked to each of his guardians. "These Vengeances can be produced at incredible speeds, and therefore we could easily flood this world with force if we wished. It is merely my will preventing such an outcome. Do you still say that we are not a side?"

"Yes." Ichigo looked up at Vortex, Fantasy, and Valor. "You can't flood this world like you say you can. I know exactly what you fear." She pointed at the wolf ears on her head. "There are many ancient demons in this world that are currently sleeping. They could wipe all of us out in an instant if they so chose. If you were to invade by force like you said, then they would counterattack and destroy your entire invasion force in the blink of an eye."

Rysel smiled slightly. "That's a bit of an exaggeration, but more or less you are correct. However, that does not mean I cannot easily destroy all of you. After that it is simply a matter of properly invading the earth. And through all this, Ichigo, you are still alone. They all betrayed you, and turned against you. Can you really beat me all alone?"

"He's not alone!" Vortex Savior yelled out. "As much as I still hold my grudges, there is one thing that Ichigo Pilkington can always count on. That is my respect for Ichigo the hero of the Miracle World."

Fantasy Savior nodded rapidly, bouncing up and down. "Ever since I met Ichigo-chan and his friends, I've gotten to do all kinds of fun things! I'd follow him, regardless of whatever everyone else says about him betraying us."

"……" Valor Savior frowned and finally let out a weak sigh. "Ichigo Pilkington wields a Shadow deck, and therefore it is proof enough that he is trying to be a hero. Regardless of the outcome, the fact that he is one is enough."

Rysel calmly smiled at Ichigo. "It seems you truly are not alone. However, without the Infinity Mind you cannot fight against us."

"Who ever said I didn't have it?" Reaching underneath the tarp, Ichigo removed a golden pendant that was in the shape of an elaborate H, the common symbol of the type of deck that his mentor and his father had run, the Elemental Heroes. **"Awaken, Soul of the Stars."** A dark blue glow fell over the golden letter and it changed, the pendant shifting into a thicker-bodied pendant with a dark blue finely cut gem embedded in the center of the H.

Rysel's eyes widened in true surprise. "It…revived itself? The sources can do such things?"

Ichigo clasped the object with a hand. **"Emerge, Starlight Soul!" **Then she disappeared within an orb of dark blue light. A few moments later that orb shattered, spraying its light everywhere and blinding Rysel and his minions.

As their vision returned they realized that someone had dimmed the lights of the stadium down the point that they were nearly off. Suddenly a bright circle of light illuminated the center of the dueling arena to reveal someone standing there.

"I am the hero of the heavens!" A pair of dark blue-furred wolf ears perked up on the head of the speaker, who was a dark blue-haired young lady wearing a light blue bodysuit with dark blue armoring over it. "In the name of good, justice, and all that other stuff, I will not tolerate your evil actions!" Attached to her armor at the shoulders was a long dark blue cape that went to her knees. "I am Starlight Savior!"

Another spotlight sprang to light, illuminating Vortex Savior, who now stood off to Starlight Savior's side. "The void's silence calls for your destruction…and therefore I cannot sit idly bye any longer. I am Vortex Savior!"

A third spotlight illuminated Starlight Savior's left, revealing Fantasy Savior. "You've already shown that the Blood Children have no love for the dreams of innocents, so therefore I cannot forgive your actions either! I am Fantasy Savior."

Valor Savior took a sip of his soda, still sitting in the stands. "Are you done yet?" As if on cue the spotlights clicked off and the lights of the arena returned to normal.

("Well, two out of three isn't bad.") Starlight Savior pointed at Rysel. "Let's do it!"

Rysel pointed at the three. "Fighter, Wizard, Archer…if you'd be so kind as to deal with them for me." He adjusted his trenchcoat, already seeing that Valor Savior was going to intercept Fighter so that Starlight Savior could attack him. "It seems you will see my physical prowess then, Ichigo."

_To be continued…_


	39. Infinity Awakening Part 4

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Yugioh GX. Just the insanity that spawned this stuff.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 39: Infinity Awakening (Part 4)

A loud clang echoed across the stadium as a dark blue blade and a crimson-colored blade clashed, the owners flying past each other before landing on the dueling ring.

Blood dripped down her cheeks, and she could barely lift one of her arms. Despite these wounds though, Starlight Savior did not drop the crystal blade formed by the power of Aries. "I…I won't give up here, Rysel."

The Blood Prince held up his weapon, a rapier formed of condensed blood. "I'd hope not, Ichigo. So far, you haven't hurt me yet. And I do believe I've dodged every single trick you've got. Counting amongst the five you have…let me see…" He started ticking them off on the fingers of his free hand. "Time Control, the Infinity Trial, that sword, your strange stick weapon, and your high-powered blast. Did I miss any?"

"Nope…" She smiled slightly, trying to hide her frustration. "That would be all of my tricks." He had forgotten Aquarius' ability to force darkness out of a body, but then again the hero hadn't tried such a foolish thing yet because it wouldn't work. ("I can't fight him with this body. How does Eri move so fast all the time anyway?")

"It seems like you're out of methods to use against me, Ichigo." The Blood Prince stabbed the edge of his sword into the ground. "You do seem a bit more powerful than the other guardians, though that isn't much of a compliment considering how badly they're being beaten right now."

"Heh…yeah…" Starlight Savior was fairly certain that this was the end. She couldn't keep up with Rysel while in a girl's body, much less defeat him. ("What I wouldn't give to be back to me again…") Her eyes flashed red for a moment. ("ARGH! How do you mistake male for female? How?")

-----------------------------

"**Mega Ray!"** Valor Savior leapt backwards, a blast of dark green energy erupting from his index finger and slamming into the body of the monstrous Fighter.

"It's useless!" The Vengeance swung his axe, tearing a huge gash in the stone where the Savior had been standing moments before. "I barely even notice your puny beams."

("Is this really the power of a Vengeance entrusted to guard the Blood Children's Prince?") Back-flipping a couple of times, the Russian hero used the moment's when he was vertical during those flips to fire another Mega Ray, each of which crashed against Fighter's body and exploded without harming him.

--------------------------------

Fantasy Savior yelped and ducked under another aimed for her face. "Can't we talk this over?"

"Are you stupid?" Archer brought another arrow up and pulled back on the string of her bow. "There's no way I'm letting you get away!" Then she fired once more, and once more she missed by only a few hairs. "Stop dodging!"

The female hero responded by running away screaming. "Why am I the only without an attack power?"

-------------------------------

Vortex Savior growled and leapt out of the way of another lightning bolt that emanated from Wizard's staff. ("This is bad…every time I try Empty Demise he just zaps it with a light arrow. And without that I can't get in close enough without risking getting obliterated.")

The magic Vengeance laughed haughtily and released another bolt of lightning that crashed down into the stands where the Savior had been moments before. "You can't expect to escape, can you?"

---------------------------------

Starlight Savior stepped back and tried to catch her breath. "Rysel, you're incredible."

"Thank you very much for the compliment." The Blood Prince bowed. "However, I cannot take all the credit. Beforehand I had thought it a disguise, but now I'm certain that your current body shape is causing you a bit of difficulty in your fight against me."

"Yeah…that too." Starlight Savior frowned and in the back of her head started to wonder if victory for their side was impossible.

"Now Ichigo, let's finish this!" Rysel snapped up his sword, and then disappeared within a high-powered explosion.

"….Huh?" Starlight Savior rubbed the back of her head confusedly.

"_The starlight warrior's plight is a strange one, but regardless I cannot stand idle in this time. I, El Mariachi Verdadero, step into the ring."_ The costumed Spaniard dropped next to Starlight Savior from the ceiling. Closing the hatch for the explosive launcher in his guitar, he bowed to the heroine. "Good evening to you."

Rysel walked out of the explosion smiling. "An interesting entrance, I must admit. So, are you here to help Ichigo as well?"

"But of course," The Mariachi flourished his red cape and bowed to the Blood Prince.

"You understand that you will only tip the battle in my favor, don't you?" Rysel held up his sword. "You have very little actual powers of your own, beyond perhaps being good with your instrument. Therefore, I will be able to easily kill you if we fight."

El Mariachi Verdadero drew the saber that was hanging at his side. "It matters not; I will fight alongside one such as Ichigo for this world. He has shown me the beauty of this world's music cannot be contained by mere words. It must be expressed by action!"

Starlight Savior glanced at the Mariachi nervously. ("That's all well and good, but he's right. Despite your skills, all of your entrances show you're best when you have the element of surprise behind you.") "Rysel…what if I make you a deal…"

"And that deal is?" The prince was listening, still holding his respect for Ichigo. ("Despite the fact this is most likely a trick, I cannot fault you for trying it. After all, without it all of you will be destroyed.")

"A duel." She looked right into his eyes. "If you win, then you won't need to make Blood Spores of me. I'll come with you willingly. However, if I win then you step out of this fight and do not personally involve yourself in battles on this planet."

Rysel started laughing. "An interesting proposition…but it is one I will accept." The sword he was holding flowed back to its liquid form and transformed into a duel disk around his arm. "Will you be my enemy Ichigo?"

A dark blue duel disk formed around Starlight Savior's arm. "It has to be. I don't trust anyone else to defeat you!"

El Mariachi Verdadero stepped off the dueling ring. "Very well, I will step out of this combat. Good luck to you, Starlight Savior." Bowing once more he turned and ran out of the stadium.

Rysel smiled calmly and glanced up at the stands, where the fighting still continued. "If you take too long, Ichigo, then all of your friends will die."

"I get it!" Starlight Savior drew her opening hand. "Duel!"

Rysel- 4000

Starlight Savior- 4000

Rysel drew and fanned out his hand. "Now then, let me express my respect in a much more real form. I activate Pot of Kindness. If you please, draw two cards while I draw one."

Starlight Savior drew twice and added those cards to her hand. ("This can't go the same way as the last time. I would have won, but something stopped my monsters from returning to my hand. It couldn't have been that the Final Shadows did not agree with me. There must have been an effect involved.")

"You seem nervous, Ichigo." Rysel held up a card. "I activate Blood Siren's Harp. Therefore, you now select a monster in your hand and that monster is special summoned to my field."

"I only have one monster in my hand…" Starlight Savior held up Planetary Aspect Venus. "Therefore, it's yours."

The Blood Prince smiled at the golden power-suited female that appeared on his field. (1400/1200) "And now she is powered up by my harp." (1900/1200) "Also, I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Starlight Savior drew. "I summon Planetary Aspect Mercury in attack mode!" An aqua blue power armored warrior appeared on her field and struck a pose. (1200/2000) "During the turn this monster is summoned and I have no other cards in play, I may activate trap cards from my hand! And now, from my hand, I activate the continuous magic card Aqua Rhapsody!" A peaceful sound filled the air. "This card can only be activated when Mercury is in play. All monsters in play return to their owners." Venus floated over to her field. "Therefore, I'm set up to beat you down with my powered-up monster."

"You would be, except I expected you to counter my strategy." Rysel's face-down card flipped up and Venus exploded. "Infection Bomb destroys any monster that goes from my field to yours. Also, during that turn, you cannot attack." Then he drew and closed his eyes as if he was listening to something. "Can you hear it, Ichigo? It is the sound of victory. However, I wonder who it plays for." A crimson-feathered bird-woman appeared on his field. "I summon Blood Siren!" (1300/1200) "And now from my hand I activate the continuous magic card Blood of Hermes." The card that appeared on his field shimmered into his opponent's duel disk slot. "This card transfers itself to your field. And at that time…"

Starlight Savior growled as a pair of familiar cards appeared in her hand. "Mosquito Bomb and Mosquito Mage…"

"That's correct." Rysel pointed at the card he knew to be Mosquito Mage. "First you gain 1000 life points for every card in your hand."

Rysel- 4000

Starlight Savior- 10000

"And then I select one monster on my field." The heroine glanced at Mercury, who started to glow. "After I select it I gain its attack in life points."

Rysel- 4000

Starlight Savior- 11200

Rysel closed his eyes as he heard Mosquito Bomb explode, taking Starlight Savior with it. "Afterwards Mosquito Bomb destroys itself and deals you 2000 life points of damage."

Rysel- 4000

Starlight Savior- 9200

"And then…" A large spindly insect in robes appeared on the Blood Prince's field. "Mosquito Mage special summons itself to my field." (?) "Its original attack and defense to the amount of life points you've gained during this turn." (7200/7200) "And now I play the magic card Blood Bank." The Blood of Hermes on his opponent's field disappeared. "I return one card with Blood in its title from the field back to its owner's deck and then I draw two cards." Adding two cards to his hand, he pointed at Planetary Aspect Mercury. "Blood Siren, attack now." His monster opened its mouth and released an unholy screeching noise that shattered the monster and Aqua Rhapsody.

Rysel- 4000

Starlight Savior- 9100

Starlight Savior braced herself against the backlash of her monster's destruction. ("So strong…even for just 100 damage…")

"When Blood Siren destroys your monster as a result of battle, I special summon a Blood Spore Token to my field with the same attack and defense of that monster." (1200/2000) A crimson version of Planetary Aspect Mercury appeared on his field. "And now I attack with my Blood Spore Token." The copy released a spray of bloody knives that shattered against his opponent's armor roughly.

Rysel- 4000

Starlight- 7900

"And now, Mosquito Mage attacks directly." Rysel's insect monster buzzed its wings rapidly, creating a powerful wave of sound that crashed into Starlight Savior and sent her sliding all the way to the edge of the dueling ring. "End turn."

Rysel- 4000

Starlight- 700

Hands trembling, the heroine drew. ("This guy is insane. His dueling skills are amazing…") Taking a card from her hand, she held it up. "Go Solar Systematic! This card allows me to select two Planetary Aspects in my graveyard." A large one and a large two appeared in the air above her field. "I choose addition!" A large green three appeared. "This means I special summon Planetary Aspect Earth in attack mode!" A large suit of green and blue armor appeared on the field. (3000/2900) "Also, I summon Lunar Guard to my field." (300/300) A large golden shield appeared on her field. "I union it to Earth, powering it up by 1000 points!" The power armor grabbed the defensive item and attached it to its arm. (4000/2900) "Attack Blood Siren now!"

"From my hand I discard Blood Maximum." (0/0) Rysel pointed at his Siren, who screeched loudly and shattered. "This card lets me discard it from my hand when a monster attacks a Blood named monster on my field and seize control of it at the cost of my monster."

Starlight Savior gasped as Earth flew over to Rysel's field. ("No!") Now she had no monsters in her hand, and Rysel was controlling her strongest monster. "I…I place two cards face-down on my field and end my turn." A pair of cards appeared alongside the equipped Lunar Guard monster card.

Rysel drew and held up Pot of Greed. "I draw two cards." Adding two cards to his hand, he smiled calmly to Ichigo. "You are far out of your league, if I may be frank. At least using your shadows you managed to put it down to the wire. Go Mosquito Mage, direct attack!"

Starlight Savior glanced up at the battles overhead…and then took a deep breath. ("There's only one possible chance to win this.")

Rysel's monster buzzed and released another screaming sonic blast. "This is the end, Ichigo."

"Reverse card open!" Starlight Savior pointed at one of her face-down cards. "Starlight Storage negates your attack and increases my life points by half of your monster's attack. Also the battle phase ends and I shuffle my hand into my deck. During my next draw phase I draw an additional number of cards equal to the number I shuffled into my deck!"

Rysel- 4000

Starlight Savior- 4300

"And then…" The heroine's other face-down card flipped up. "I leave it to the other Saviors to take you down."

Rysel narrowed his eyes at the face-up card. "Ultimate Teamwork?"

"That's right." Starlight Savior smiled nervously. "This continuous trap card activates its effect now, and allows me to switch out with any duelist I wish that is within hearing range of my voice. They switch their deck out for mine, and all cards that were in my control go to them."

"That means…" Rysel watched as Starlight Savior disappeared and was replaced by Valor Savior, who was standing with his duel disk out. "You pick up where he left off?"

The Russian duelist nodded and drew three cards, as per the effect of Starlight Storage. "That's right, and now you face the power of the Chaos Shadows. Prepare yourself!"

_To be continued…_


	40. Infinity Awakening Part 5

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 40: Infinity Awakening (Part 5)

"_And then…" The heroine's other face-down card flipped up. "I leave it to the other Saviors to take you down."_

_Rysel narrowed his eyes at the face-up card. "Ultimate Teamwork?"_

"_That's right." Starlight Savior smiled nervously. "This continuous trap card activates its effect now, and allows me to switch out with any duelist I wish that is within hearing range of my voice. They switch their deck out for mine, and all cards that were in my control go to them."_

"_That means…" Rysel watched as Starlight Savior disappeared and was replaced by Valor Savior, who was standing with his duel disk out. "You pick up where he left off?"_

_The Russian duelist nodded and drew three cards, as per the effect of Starlight Storage. "That's right, and now you face the power of the Chaos Shadows. Prepare yourself!"_

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Fighter looked rather hesitantly at Starlight Savior. "What happened to the other guardian?"

She grinned smugly at him. "It's just a little game of tag. So, are you afraid to battle me or something?"

"Silence!" Roaring, the Vengeance charged.

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Rysel chuckled at the long black-haired Savior. "This will make for an interesting challenge. Ichigo left it in your hands to turn this duel around, so can you do it?"

"Without a doubt in my mind, I can do it!" Valor Savior slammed a card down on his field and a blade-bodied devil warrior appeared on his field. "I summon Chaos Shadow Tear Devil!" (800/800) "Fist of Sorrow!" The monster flew into the air and slashed the sky open, creating a hole in space that sucked the Mosquito Mage out of sight. "Mosquito Mage's level is two, so you cannot draw cards from Tear Devil's effect! Also, I activate the quickplay magic card Chaos Factor. When a monster on your field is removed from the game, then I may remove an additional monster!" Planetary Aspect Earth disappeared, and the golden shield around its arm clattered to the ground and shattered. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw." Rysel smiled bemusedly to himself. "Indeed, I cannot quite so easily deal with multiple kinds of monsters at once." Another Blood Siren appeared on his field. (1300/1200) "However, I never liked doing things easily. Blood Siren, attack Tear Devil."

"Reverse card open." Valor Savior's face-down card flipped up and his Tear Devil disappeared. "Dimensional Escape negates your attack and removes my monster from the game. It can then be special summoned during any of my standby phases!"

Rysel pointed at the hero. "Blood Spore Token, direct attack." (1200/2000) The crimson version of Planetary Aspect Mercury released a storm of bloody knives that shattered against Valor Savior's armor.

Rysel- 4000

Valor Savior- 3100

"I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn." Rysel nodded calmly. "You're fairly skilled, considering you didn't realize you would be thrown into this situation."

"At the end phase of your turn Ultimate Teamwork triggers again!" Valor Savior disappeared, Fantasy Savior standing in his place and grinning. "Hiya!"

"And once more you've switched members." Rysel watched as she drew a card. "How interesting…can all of you truly make your decks work together properly?"

"Of course!" The cheerful Savior held up a card. "Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards."

"And now disappear." Rysel's face-down card flipped up. "I activate Blood Catalyst. One continuous card in play forces its effect at this time!"

"Huh…" Fantasy Savior disappeared and was replaced by Vortex Savior. "Oh great…" The spiky-haired Savior looked at the two trap cards that were in his grasp. ("These cards require a magician in play to work.") His Savior deck ran different monsters, but no magicians. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Rysel drew. "I offer my Blood Siren and my Blood Spore Token to summon God of Blood!" A giant snarling worm appeared on his field, blood dripping from its jaws. (3000/2000) "This monster may not be able to attack, but with its power you will not be able to harm my life points. End turn." ("During my standby phase my opponent takes 3000 points of damage when this monster is face-up on my field.") With its effect, this god would crush his enemies.

Vortex Savior frowned and disappeared, replaced by Starlight Savior. "You're incredible…Rysel."

"Thank you very much." The Blood Prince bowed his head to the praise. "Well then Ichigo, it is your turn."

"Draw!" The hero held the card up to her face. "Go Divine Shine Magician!" (600/600) A metallic figure wearing elegant robes appeared on her field. "I activate its effect now! The top card of my graveyard is removed and placed under this card." Holding up Pot of Greed, the heroine smiled. "During the start of each of my turns I search for any same-named cards in my deck and place them on top of my deck." The face-down cards placed by Vortex Savior flipped up. "First I activate Golden Dream! As long as this continuous trap card is face-up in play and I have a spellcaster out with less than 1000 attack points, I can remove one monster from my deck and place it into my removed from play pile during the start of my turn. End turn."

Rysel drew. "And now…"

"Trap card open!" The other set card flipped up and Rysel's hand cards disappeared. "Final Dream removes any cards in your hand and any cards that enter your hand from the game for the next eight turns. However, I cannot attack or deal you damage while this card is face-up. And once those ten turns are over, I lose. Also, if this card is destroyed I lose."

Rysel rubbed his chin. ("I must discard a card from my hand to activate the Blood God's effect. Therefore…") "I end my turn." (Turns left: 7)

Starlight Savior disappeared and was replaced by Valor Savior. "And now back to me." He fanned out his deck and removed a monster from the game. "Then I activate Pot of Greed, which I'll be drawing anyway." Drawing two cards, he nodded. "End turn." (Turns until Mirage Dream is destroyed: 6)

Rysel drew, the card disappearing. "End turn." Then he watched as Valor Savior disappeared and was replaced by Fantasy Savior. (Turns: 5)

Holding up Dark Magician to show she was removing it, the female Savior replaced her deck and drew. "End turn." (Turns: 4)

"Once more, I end my turn." Letting his drawn card disappear, the Blood Prince watched as Fantasy Savior was replaced by Vortex Savior. (Turns: 3)

"At the start of my turn I remove Twilight Golem from the game and place Pot of Greed on top of my deck." The purple-armored Savior drew, discarded Pot of Greed, and then drew two cards. "End turn!" (Turns: 2)

Rysel removed the card he drew from the game. "End turn." (Turns: 1)

Vortex Savior looked at the all of the assorted cards in his hand. ("Good luck Pilkington, you're going to need it.") Then he disappeared and was replaced by Starlight Savior. "During my turn I remove Planetary Aspect Saturn from my deck and place Pot of Greed on top of it!" She drew the top card of her deck. "Obviously I activate Pot of Greed."

"What exactly do you intend to do with so many cards?" Rysel glanced at the Final Dream card. "After all, this is your last chance to win. Of course, you cannot harm my life points or attack as long as your own card is on the field."

Starlight Savior held up three cards. "Three of a kind…I mean the Research on the Pot of Greed cards I'm holding. During the same turn that Pot of Greed has been activated, I draw two cards!" The three same cards appeared on the field, and she drew six cards. This put her hand at ten cards. "And now I play Giant Trunade!" All three of the continuous trap cards on the field returned to her hand. "And since Final Dream wasn't destroyed, you don't get a single benefit from it."

"So I don't. But the effect is still in play, so when you end your turn you lose." Crossing his arms across his chest, Rysel wondered what was next. "So, what will you play next?"

"Nothing." Starlight Savior pointed at the Blood God. "Diving Shine Magister, attack now!" All twelve of the cards in her hand disappeared. "This card, when it attacks, lets me discard cards from my hand to add a Shine counter to the monster being attacked." Twelve glowing motes of light appeared over the head of Rysel's monster. "For every Shine Counter on your monster, it loses 500 attack and defense points!" (0/0) "Shining Beam!" A ray of light shot from her spellcaster's cane and pierced the blood god, shattering it.

Rysel- 3400

Starlight Savior- 3100

"Also…" Starlight Savior smiled triumphantly. "When a monster with Shine Counters on it is destroyed, you take 300 points of damage per counter removed!"

Rysel- 0

Starlight Savior- 3100

As the field disappeared, Rysel started laughing quietly. "Congratulations." He tilted his head up to the three Vengeances. "Destroy them all." Bowing once more to Starlight Savior, he disappeared in a flash of red light.

Exhaling loudly, the heroine wiped some sweat from her forehead. "And we won!" A loud crash noise from the completely demolished stands said otherwise. "Okay, maybe not!" Vortex, Valor and Fantasy all landed next to her on the dueling ring.

"As our master ordered, we will destroy you!" Fighter roared and dove towards the dueling ring, axe ready to strike.

Valor Savior muttered a couple of curses under his breath. "I can't break that one's armor with my beam."

Vortex Savior glanced at Wizard quickly. "That one's got a ranged attack and he can counter my only method of fighting back."

Fantasy Savior just sniffled loudly. "The Infinity Dream is really mean…I don't even have an attack I can use."

Starlight Savior nodded quietly. **"Awaken Taurus, Soul of Destruction!"** A dark blue crossbow made of crystal appeared in her hands. **"Divine Star Crash!"** The weapon clicked and unleashed a powerful pillar of dark blue light that enveloped Fighter's body completely. "One down…"

Fighter erupted from the pillar unharmed, his axe crashing down and striking the Savior Leader in the midsection. Her armor squealed and she was sent flying into the stone wall that elevated the stands. "That was far too mild to defeat me!" Bellowing out a battle cry, he spun his weapon in a wide circle around himself to force the other Saviors to scatter. "You cannot hope to defeat the likes of us with such pitiful attacks!"

Hovering just overhead, Wizard nodded sagely. "Indeed, such attacks are useless against our power." From his staff lightning bolt after lightning bolt was launched, pounding down on the three Saviors still in the ring. "And you cannot dodge us forever either!"

From up in the stands Archer started shooting arrows down into the ring at any of the Saviors who tried to escape out of the circular area. "There is no escape! Give in to your fate!"

----------------------------

_Ichigo's eyes opened and he saw that he was back in his Osiris Red uniform again. "Wait…" Looking around at the dark void, he sighed. "Wow, that hit knocked me out?"_

"_**Ichigo…why are you getting defeated by those creatures?"** The dark blue sphere that was the Infinity Mind appeared before him. **"I thought you were capable of figuring it out by now."**_

"_If you would change me back into a guy I'm sure that I'd figure it out faster." Ichigo snarled at the ball. "Seriously, change me back!"_

"…_**."** The ball sighed loudly. **"Ichigo, please worry about saving your friends…alright?"**_

"_Fine, then tell me what I'm apparently not getting…"_

_--------------------------------------------------_

Starlight Savior opened her eyes and stood up slowly. "So that was it…" She looked at the dueling ring. **"Awaken Pisces…"**

Wizard glanced over at the Savior half-heartedly. "Do you think you can stop us cold with your time control powers?"

"…**Awaken Aquarius, Awaken Aries!"** The heroine held up the cracked crystal crossbow, which shuddered and flowed outwards, transforming into a sword with a number of holes along its blade. Her hand grasped the handle and she smiled confidently at the three Vengeances. "Let's see. If one symbol can't do it, then let's find out what happens when I combo them!"

"Uh oh…look at the time, I think I'd better go!" Wizard turned and flew full speed towards the exit.

"I refuse to run just because you've got some new toy!" Fighter grasped his axe tightly and got ready to charge.

Archer took aim at Starlight Savior's back as well. ("I'll put one of my arrows right through your spine!")

Closing her eyes, the heroine brought the pommel of the blade to her lips and began playing through it, the sound of a flute emanating from the weapon. Time slowed to a crawl and everything but she and the three creatures faded out into darkness. **"Celestial Songblade Dance"** Then she seemed to be everywhere at once, slashing millions of times through each of the Vengeances.

Everything switched from dark to light. **"Good…shot…"** All three of the Vengeances whispered right before they exploded in three beautiful showers of dark blue light.

As time returned to normal, Starlight Savior stabbed the blade of her new weapon into the ground and snapped her right hand up into the air, index and middle fingers out to form the victory sign.

-----------------------------------

Rysel waved his hand once and dismissed the image. "Very good Ichigo. You're stronger than I thought if you managed to take those three creatures out with one attack."

Brushing back his hair, he walked off into the forest laughing quietly. "As I promised I will not interfere personally. However, if you think this means you won't be seeing much more of the Blood Children, then you're dead wrong."

-------------------------------------

Eri yawned and looked up at the moon. "What time is it?"

"I don't own a watch…" Griff said this sleepily, as he had already curled up to fall asleep on the grass.

Krieger yawned as well. "They've been in there for over half an hour…"

Erian sighed quietly. He had heard from Ambience and Resshin about what had happened between Ichigo and Rysel. ("So he never did betray us, I just let my foolish fears make me think he had.") Suddenly he felt a hand fall on top of his head and ruffle his hair. Tilting his head back, he looked up at the culprit.

Ichigo, back in his Osiris Red uniform, grinned. "Yo, how's it going?"

Erian looked into the hazel eyes of the first occupant of this planet he had befriended…and smiled stupidly. "Not bad."

Eri sat up and blinked at Ichigo. "Good, you're back to normal."

Ichigo laughed that off nervously, right before Adriel's elbow cracked down onto his skull and forced him to bow his head. "He's not quite back to normal. Apparently with his new transformation form the Infinity Mind can't quite change the shape." He snickered at the fact that the half demon was glowing red in the face. "We'll be seeing a lot more of the female Starlight Savior from this point onward."

Erian started laughing, right up until Chris appeared out of nowhere and glomped him so hard he fell over.

Off to the side, Nikolai sighed and walked off into the night. ("I suppose I'll stick around and make sure that those three don't get killed. Plus I really need to help those two get stronger…")

---------------------------------

"………" Kaneda had been the janitor for Duelist Academy for a few years running now. But that didn't prepare for the absolute destruction he walked in on when he entered the Obelisk Blue dueling ring the Vengeances and the Saviors had been battling in. "……" Sighing, he readjusted his cap and grabbed a broom. It was going to be a long night.

_End of Arc…_

Author's Notes: And so the Second Semester Arc closes with four out of five of the Saviors found, a friendship restored, and Ichigo screwed by destiny…again. Yes, just another day at Duelist Academy.

Oh yes, as always I am still accepting character submissions. You can send them in through either review or my forums, but I'd suggest the forums. Also I'd suggest avoiding slapping me with an entire deck list…as I probably won't follow it. If you can catch me with just the deck concept and maybe a couple of example cards, I'll be more inclined to use them.


	41. Burn Rubber!

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

Author's Notes: Well, on to Hero's Life Arc we go.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 41: Burn Rubber!

"**Celestial Songblade Dance!"** Starlight Savior was everywhere at once, slashing through the body of the Vengeance.

Letting out a weak sigh of pain, the creature started to come apart. **"Good…shot…"** Then it exploded in a spray of blue sparks.

Sighing, the heroine wiped her forehead tiredly. ("That's the fifth one this week, and it's only Wednesday…") Ichigo's backpack started beeping loudly. "Oh no, class is starting!" Scooping up the bag, she ran full speed for the school buildings.

---------------------------------------

The school bells rang and students filed out of the school building to enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

Ichigo trudged out slowly, stumbling with each step he took. There were dark circles under his eyes and he was so tired he didn't even have the strength to keep his tail wrapped around his waist, the furry appendage dragging along the stone path behind him. ("Going…home…to…sleep…") Ever since the battle against Rysel in the Obelisk Blue duel stadium, Vengeances seemed to show up from out of nowhere much more frequently. And he'd found himself needing to change into Starlight Savior much more often.

Suddenly a wave of pleasant sensations ran down his back, and he fell face-first to the stone.

Teruha blinked at Ichigo, and then at the pin-on tail she was holding. "You cosplayers really take this stuff seriously, huh?" Shrugging her shoulders to adjust her Osiris Red blazer, she ran her fingers through the soft wolf fur the covered the tail. "Wow, it feels so real too…"

Ichigo was already snoring, the sudden application of gentle pressure to his tail enough to shut his brain down completely. A few moments later he was awake as she pulled his tail up to her eye level, leaving the lower half of his body bent is a way the spine shouldn't have been able to twist. "Ow…"

"Sorry." She released his tail and he splayed out on the stone. "What's with you looking so tired anyway, mister superhero?"

"Oh yeah, you were there when the Infinity Mind screwed me over, huh?" Standing up and brushing himself off, the half demon turned and held out his hand to her. "I don't believe we've formally introduced ourselves yet. My name's Ichigo Pilkington."

Grinning, Teruha took his hand in hers and shook strongly, nearly giving him whiplash. "My name is Teruha Chikara, and I'm aiming to show this entire school that the power of my family's duelists is the absolute mightiest in the world. Nobody overpowers us!"

"Yeah, I heard you beat Eri." Ichigo, not one to notice the obvious immediately, pointed at her blazer. "Hey, you're in the same dorm as me!"

"That I would be." She pounded a bare hand against her chest. "I wear these colors with pride to signify that I am part of Duelist Academy, one of the finest places for significant duelists to gather and battle!"

"I wear these colors because I keep failing the written exams to upgrade dorms." Ichigo started laughing….and then went silent. ("Wait…why am I laughing about that?")

Off in the distance a sound like thunder shook the sky.

Teruha looked out towards an approaching cloud of dust. "Hmm, what's…" She did a double-take as she realized that Ichigo had disappeared. "…Wow, that's speed."

The dust cloud grew larger, and the sounds of an engine could be heard. "Ahh, this is truly the springtime of youth!" Something large, metallic, and red shot past Teruha and went into a screeching slide as it brought itself to a stop right before it could crash into the school building.

After her heart finally started up again, Teruha turned to stare at the bright red motorcycle that was now resting against the wall of the building. ("What the…")

The rider, still wearing his red and white bodysuit and red riding helmet, punched his fist into the air and struck a strangely dramatic pose. "It works! After all this time, it finally runs!" Removing his helmet, the rider turned to the motorcycle with tears in his eyes. "My brothers! The blood, sweat and tears I sacrificed have finally paid off!"

All of a sudden a circle of light illuminated Starlight Savior, who was standing between Teruha and the rider. "I am the hero of the heavens!" She snapped her hand up to point at the afternoon sky, and then down at the rider, whose back was still facing her. "In the name of love and justice, I will not stand for your general misconduct and other bad stuff!" She thumbed at her own chest, cape flapping in the wind behind her. "I am Starlight Savior!"

Teruha stared at the heroine for a few seconds. "Wait…isn't Starlight Savior a guy?"

"…." Said hero sweat-dropped, her wolf ears lilting. "Well, you see…ummm…."

"Hold on!" The rider, still looking at his motorcycle, snapped up a hand in their direction as a plea for silence. "Your entrance and your spirit are impressive, fair maiden." He spun around to look at them both, revealing a handsome face with a pair of dark eyes. "However, there is something your entrance lacks." His short black hair ruffled itself as a sudden cold wind blew by.

"Lacks? My entrance?" Starlight Savior looked back at Teruha, who shrugged as well. "Okay, what am I lacking?"

"Let me give you an example, and kill two birds with one stone!" He ran a gloved hand through his hair. "I am the burning soul of the racing world!" Tossing his helmet high into the air, along with his gloves, the teenager thumbed at his chest. "My springtime of youth is in full bloom, and with it burns my need to surpass the limits of human speed." Snapping his hands out, he easily caught his gloves and threw them back on. In that motion he grabbed his helmet out of the air, flipped open the face-plate, and put it back on his head. "I am Minzoku Junan!" He gave them a thumbs-up and smiled, a shining blast of light blinding both girls as his teeth somehow caught the full reflection of the dropping sun.

Both Teruha and Starlight Savior stared at him in amazement, spots still in their eyes.

"That was what your entrance lacked. It lacked the passionate spirit of one who embraces what they do with all their soul!" Minzoku removed his helmet and placed it off to the side with his motorcycle.

Starlight Savior had never seen such a strong use of the Nice Guy Pose before, even last year when Kenshin had been Kaiser. ("Incredible…he didn't even use it to declare anything. He just used it…")

"Well?" He pointed at the two girls. "What do you think?"

"I want to duel you!" Both of them nearly yelled at once, looking absolutely ecstatic.

Minzoku started laughing heartily. "Excellent, both of you carry with you the passion of a true duelist in your hearts! However, I cannot accept your challenge Starlight Savior-domo." The term of respect meant he had heard of the hero. "A battle such as that should be saved for another time. Besides, I can only assume you mistook me for a threat."

"…." Ears folded flat to her head, the heroine sighed at how stupidly jumpy she was getting. "Yeah…" Leaping into the treetops, she disappeared.

Teruha smirked widely, her duel disk already out. "I have to see this passion of yours, so show it to me, Minzoku!"

"I cannot turn down the request of a strong-willed duelist!" Tossing his racing gloves aside, the racer unzipped his riding suit to reveal his Osiris Red uniform. Tossing that aside as well, he was suddenly wearing a duel disk as well. Where it came from though is anyone's guess. "My passions burn at the prospect of this! Duel!"

Minzoku- 4000

Teruha- 4000

Minzoku smiled, a momentary glitter of light coming from one of his revealed teeth. "I shall begin! Draw!" Flipping the top card off of his deck quickly, he flicked it into his hand and grabbed another card. "I place one monster card face-down on my field and end my turn."

"It's my move!" Teruha placed her fingers on the top card of her deck. "Draw!" Snapping the card out strongly she threw it down onto her disk. "I summon Sabersaurus in attack mode!" (1900/500) A huge rhino-like dinosaur appeared on her field. "Attack the set monster now! Horn Pierce!" Her monster stabbed through the set card and shattered it.

Minzoku pumped his fist into the air. "My passion unleashes itself through the effect of my face-down Expert Mechanic!" (100/100) He held up a card from his hand. "Its reverse effect lets me special summon a level five or lower machine type monster from my hand to the field!" A powerful top-of-the-line car appeared on his field. "I summon High Performance GTO from my hand!" (2000/1000)

"High Performance…GTO?" Teruha stared at the car for a moment and then frowned. ("A racing deck? I've heard of them, but they were never mentioned as being particularly powerful.") "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Minzoku closed his eyes and stood dramatically, the wind blowing in his hair. "I feel it now, the engine calls to me." His eyes opened and he drew. "During my standby phase High Performance GTO adds one Limiter Removal card from my deck to my hand!" A card left his deck and he added it to his hand. "And now for Limiter Removal, powering up High Performance GTO by double it's attack points!" (4000/1000)

"Drive into the sunset, and let your engine roar!" The car charged across the field and crashed into Teruha's monster, shattering it violently and then plowing through to shoot past her, leaving a cloud of exhaust in its wake. "This is the drive of a member of the Junan family!"

Minzoku- 4000

Teruha- 1900

The cloud faded to reveal Teruha smiling calmly, unaffected by the hit. "It feels pretty nice. Actually, you and I have a couple of things in common."

Minzoku nodded in agreement. "I can sense it from here. Your true passion rests in this game, just like my true passion rests in the roar of the engine."

"That's right!" She pointed at him. "Now then, shall we continue?"

"I had no intention of slowing!" Minzoku slid a card into his duel disk and then pointed at his monster. "I place one card face-down. Then at the end phase of my turn Limiter Removal destroys my High Performance GTO!" The car exploded…and then reformed. "But like any good racer, I know how to take a vehicle past its limits without destroying it!" He held up a card. "From my hand I discard Expert Driver (0/300) to special summon my destroyed GTO from my graveyard!" (2000/1000)

"That's a big mistake!" Teruha's face-down card flipped up. "Go Hunting Instinct. This card triggers when you special summon a monster. From my hand I special summon a Dinosaur!" A giant roaring Tyrannosaurus Rex appeared on her field. "Come out now Dark Tyranno!" (2600/1800)

Minzoku grinned up at the creature. "A mighty beast, one that carries with it your love of dueling!"

"That's right!" She drew. "I summon Archaeopteryx in attack mode!" (300/1300) A large blue-feathered bird-lizard appeared on her field and screeched. "Also, I play the magic card Ultra Evolution Pill-Revised Formula!" Her monster disappeared, replaced by a howling spiked Tyrannosaurus Rex. "By sacrificing one winged-beast monster on my field I can special summon Ultimate Tyranno from my hand!" (3000/2200)

Now the Osiris Red looked amazed. "Indeed, this is your passion unleashed. Therefore I won't hold back!"

"Neither will I! My battle phase begins, and therefore Ultimate Tyranno attacks!" Teruha roared along with her monster and punched at the High Performance GTO. "Absolute Bite!" Her monster charged, jaws open to chew through the hunk of steel.

"Go Grand Prix!" Minzoku's set card flipped up. "This trap card activates now, and forces all of your monsters to attack during this battle phase! Also, the attack power of one GTO named monster on my field increases by 1000 for the turn!" (3000/1000) A literal fire could be seen burning in his eyes.

"Charge!" They both yelled right before their monsters collided and exploded.

Minzoku snapped up another Expert Driver card from his hand. "Once more I discard Expert Driver to revive High Performance GTO!" (3000/1000)

Teruha snarled and pounded her fist forward. "Dark Tyranno must attack, so I won't hold any regrets! Chikara's _Chikara_!" Her monster roared and charged into combat.

That fire still burning his eyes, Minzoku pounded his fist forward along with her. "I won't hold any regrets either!" His car monster slammed right through the dinosaur, shattering it easily.

Minzoku- 4000

Teruha- 1500

Teruha inserted the last card in her hand into her duel disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Minzoku held up his Grand Prix trap card. "Grand Prix triggers during my draw phase, preventing me from drawing for this turn." Inserting it into his graveyard, he grasped the Limiter Removal card that left his deck during his standby phase because of the effect of his High Performance GTO. "I've seen your passion now, but I will not be stopped!" He held up Limiter Removal. (4000/1000) "Let the engines roar!" Revving up its engine, the race car got ready to charge.

("He's amazing in his intensity…") She smiled slightly. "However, you have the same weakness I have as well." Her face-down card flipped up. "We both fall for traps pretty easily. And this trap is my best for the situation…" Her deck started ejecting cards from its top. "Jurassic Monarchy lets me discard cards from my deck until I come to a Dinosaur type monster, which is then special summoned to my field!" A stegosaurus appeared in play. "Dark Stego is the card!" (1200/2000) Then it was destroyed as Minzoku's monster plowed through it.

"A good save…" Minzoku grinned, that shining tooth glowing once more. "However, the springtime of youth isn't over yet. I activate the magic card The Warrior Returning Alive, adding Expert Driver to my hand!" His High Performance GTO exploded. "I then discard that monster to negate the destruction." The car reappeared. "Also, I discard the magic card Legendary Driver to return Expert Driver from my graveyard to my hand when his effect is used. End turn." (2000/1000)

Teruha looked down at her deck worriedly. ("I'm done. I never thought it possible, but I ran into a guy who has a stronger charge then I do.")

The bushes off to the side of the path rustled and Ichigo's head poked into view. "Wow…he's pretty strong huh?" The question was directed at Teruha. "And he's part of our dorm too…"

"Yeah…" She sighed heavily. Her drive was gone now. ("I can't beat him in this turn, and by discarding Expert Driver he can revive his car again.")

Ichigo noticed the depression reflected in her eyes. "Hey!" Leaping out of the bushes, the half demon grinned at her. "I thought it was obvious by looking at you, but I guess everybody needs a little boost."

"Huh?" The female Osiris Red blinked.

Ichigo thumbed at his chest. "My passion is dueling because I feel that in a duel you can determine the true intentions and the true feelings of a person by the way they play." Then he pointed at her. "In your case it's similar. Despite your wish to believe you duel to prove your strength, you're actually doing it to show your heart. The dinosaurs you share a bond with, their primal fire burns in your veins and your body. Now, Teruha Chikara, roar with your passion!"

"That's right!" Minzoku glanced at Ichigo and grinned as well. "There is nothing that can stand against you when you bear your love and passion! This is your springtime of youth, do not let it pass you by!"

Teruha stood straight, a fire similar to the Racer Duelist's burning in her eyes. "You're right!" She threw back her head and roared loudly, before snapping her eyes down to look at Minzoku angrily. "You can't stop me, weakling!" She drew. "I activate Pot of Greed!" Drawing two cards, she snapped one of them up. "I activate the magic card Opponent Reborn!"

Mizoku gasped as a man in a mechanic's uniform appeared on his field in a crouching position. "You can special summon a monster from my graveyard to my field…and you've chosen Expert Mechanic?"

"That's right!" She slid the other card into her duel disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn!"

"Draw!" Minzoku got ready to grab his Limiter Removal. "This is the end!"

"For one of us, maybe!" Her face-down card flipped up and his two monsters disappeared. "I activate Return to the Past! This trap card sacrifices two monsters on your field to let me special summon a double sacrifice Dinosaur from my deck!" A giant metallic Tyrannosaurus Rex appeared on her field. "Super Conductor Tyranno!" (3300/1900)

Minzoku placed a monster face-down on his disk. "I set one monster face-down and end my turn." Then he grinned at her. "Excellent play, but with only one draw you'll have some trouble getting past my defenses."

"Wrong." She drew and pointed at the set monster. "Super Conductor Tyranno's special ability lets it cut its attack in half to attack twice during this battle phase!" (1650/1900) "Super Conductor Tyranno, attack now!" Her monster unleashed a blast of lightning that shattered the set monster. "And now attack his life points directly!" It fired once more.

Minzoku- 2350

Teruha- 1500

"And then I activate Instinctual Emotions!" The card that appeared on Teruha's field was a picture of a lone dinosaur roaring in anger, even though it was surrounded on all sides by enemies. "You now take the original attack of my monster in damage and it is destroyed!"

"Incredible…Exuberant…" Minzoku's last words were carried on the wind as Super Conductor Tyranno exploded and sent him flying backwards. "Beautiful!"

Minzoku- 0

Teruha- 1500

Ichigo pumped his fist into the air. "You did it!"

Teruha grinned and followed his example. "Alright!"

-------------------

Minzoku smiled to both of his fellow Osiris Reds and put his helmet back on. "I must admit that you took me by surprise with that final play." Flicking the face-plate closed, he bowed to them both. "I'm sure we'll see each other around, and perhaps next time I'll get to duel you, Blue Osiris."

"Maybe…" Ichigo grinned and watched the most passionate guy he'd ever met ride off into the sunset. "And now I'm going back to get some sleep." He turned to walk off, only to realize that his feet weren't touching the ground. "Ummm, could you please let me down Teruha-san?"

"Not yet." Her face leaned in close to his and she smiled slyly. "First, mister Starlight Savior, I want to know what the deal is with the female disguise."

Ichigo sweatdropped. "You know what, I don't care anymore. Sure, but afterwards I'm going to bed."

_To be continued…_


	42. Enter Masami

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 42: Enter Masami

It was Friday, and Erian, Ichigo, Griff and Krieger were all sitting in Ichigo's room reading assorted materials.

"Hmmm…" The rainbow Traveler ran a hand through his bright green hair slowly. "You know what; the races of this planet have some strange methods for showing affection."

"Huh?" Ichigo looked up from his magazine and noticed what Erian was reading. "Griff, don't let Erian read manga!" He snatched the Japanese comic from the Traveler's hands and replaced it with a newspaper. "We're trying to teach him about our world!"

"Why is it immediately my fault he was reading it?" The Egyptian duelist said flatly. "I'm not the guy's keeper."

Krieger grabbed the discarded manga and flipped through it rapidly. "Oh, I love this issue…"

"…." Erian flipped the newspaper over. "Ichigo, I thought you said that your planet had no knowledge about alien cultures."

"We don't, why?" The half demon looked at what the Traveler was holding and snickered. "That's called a tabloid, Erian. They tend to write stories about rumors and such in the belief that it is true."

"But…aliens are real." Erian pointed at himself. "I'm proof of that…aren't I?"

"They're basing it off completely false data though." Griff spun around in his swivel chair rapidly. "It's rare that tabloids are saying anything truthful."

"Is that so?" Erian looked out the window, and fell out of his chair in surprise.

Griff, Krieger and Ichigo all looked at the floored Traveler in confusion. Then they turned and looked where his eyes had been last. And all of them blinked a few times, unsure what to make of it.

It was a male student wearing a Ra Yellow uniform. He had huge coke-bottle glasses that hid his eyes behind their glare and long green hair. That alone was weird, but he looking in at them through the window and muttering something to himself while scribbling down notes in a notebook.

Griff stepped up to the window and pulled the curtains closed. "If we ignore the freak maybe he'll go away." On the way back to his seat, he yelled in surprise and pointed at the doorway to the room.

The Ra Yellow student was standing in the middle of the open doorway, muttering to himself and still writing in his notebook occasionally. As of yet he had taken no notice of the fact that all four of them were staring at him.

Griff rolled up his sleeves. "Don't worry about it." He grabbed the chair he had been using and wielded it over his head like a weapon. "Scram, you crazy loser!" When he got no response he hurled the piece of furniture with all his might.

Whether it was amazing luck or speed was unimportant compared to the fact that without even looking up from his notebook the green-haired student ducked down to avoid the flying chair, which went flying out the doorway and off the second floor balcony of the dorm.

Ichigo rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Griff, do you know this guy?"

"Yes…yes I do." Cracking his knuckles, the dark-skinned boy stomped towards his fellow Ra Yellow. "And he's leaving in a big hurry!" Grabbing the collar of the other boy's jacket, Griff shoved him outside and then slammed the door, locking it quickly. "There, problem…" He stopped mid-sentence as he heard the sound of a pencil scribbling against paper coming from the bathroom.

Stopping a moment to push his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, the green-haired student continued his observations from his seat atop the top bunk bed.

Griff's right eye started twitching. "You bastard…"

Krieger stood up and tugged on the Ra Yellow's pant leg. "Excuse me?" He got response. "Ummm…I'm fresh out of ideas."

"Who is this guy, Griff?" Ichigo noticed that the green-haired guy looked at him for a few moments, and then hastily scribbled down something in his notebook. "And why is it that he apparently cannot hear us?"

Griff face-palmed. "His name is _Megame_. Yes, just _Megame_."

"Glasses?" Ichigo smirked.

Griff glanced around for something to hurl in the freak's general direction again. "He's a creepy guy…"

"That's it?" Ichigo laughed and stood up, clapping his hands together. "Compared to the stuff that happens around this academy this isn't too bad."

"You underestimate the level of creepiness this guy has. Seriously…" Griff shivered a little bit. "His creepiness ranks up there with many of the other amazing things about this academy."

"That's rather rude." Megame chimed in. "I'll have you know I'm not quite that bad." Closing his notebook he slid off of the bed and landed in front of Ichigo. "I simply have observed some things over the past weeks and wish to officially challenge Ichigo-san to a duel."

"Me?" The half demon pointed at his chest stupidly. "Why me?"

"I have a few questions to ask you, that is all." Readjusting his glasses again the Ra Yellow walked outside like he didn't have a care in the world, ignoring the glare Griff was giving him.

---------------------------------------------

_About two minutes later…_

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Ichigo and Megame stood in front of the Osiris Red dorm with their duel disks out.

The half demon noticed how stiff Megame's shoulders were, and sighed. "You're nervous about dueling me, aren't you Megame-san?"

His eyes hidden by the glare his glasses were giving off, the Ra Yellow student sighed. "My name is Masami Morioka. Megame is the name that the gentlemen of our dorm have given me."

"Oh…" Ichigo blushed in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. That's just all that Griff told me."

"It's no problem, Ichigo-san." Masami's right eye could barely be seen now through the glare coming from his glasses, and it was narrowed to show he was focused. "I have to defeat you with my best! You possess the secrets I seek, and I can only win them from you if I defeat you in this duel!"

Ichigo didn't remember agreeing to any such terms, but honestly he didn't care about that right now. ("This guy seems pretty interesting though.") "Well then, shall we get started?"

Griff sighed and crossed his arms across his chest. "Careful Ichigo, this guy's not to be trusted."

They both drew their opening hands. "Duel!"

Masami- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

"Draw!" Snapping his sixth card up, Masami placed it face-down on his disk and then inserted a card into the slot under it. "I place one monster face-down on my field and one card face-down behind it. End turn."

"A pretty basic starting move, but not bad. Now then, let's see what I can cook up." The half demon drew. "Cool! It's one of my new cards!" He tossed the card down onto his disk and a dark blue-colored crystalline wolf appeared on his field. "I summon Star Shadow Lupus in attack mode!" (1500/1000) "Star Shadow Lupus, attack his set monster now! Starlight Flash!" The crystal animal opened its jaws and sprayed the set card with energy, blowing it apart. "When Star Shadow Lupus destroys a monster as a result of battle, I can draw one card." Pulling a card off of his deck, he smiled. "So, what did I get?"

Masami held up the monster card. "This is my Alien Grey (300/800) and its flip effect adds a counter to one monster you have in play." A mote of gray light appeared over the head of Ichigo's new monster. "Also, when Alien Grey is destroyed while face-down on my field through battle I draw one card."

Snapping a card off of his deck, he pointed his hand out at his face-down card. "Go First Contact! This trap card lets me summon one Disk Musuki from my hand to the field when a monster on my field with Alien in its title is destroyed as a result of battle!" A circular spaceship appeared on his field in defense mode. (1000/2000)

Ichigo glanced at the spaceship and laughed happily. "An alien deck? That's awesome!"

"…." Erian just stared at the spaceship card and sighed. ("I see what Griff meant about humans jumping to conclusions about alien cultures.")

Ichigo inserted a card into his duel disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Masami removed his deck from its slot and fanned out the stack in front of his face. "During my draw phase, instead of drawing a card I choose to search my deck for a card with Alien in its title and add it to my hand through the effect of Disk Musuki."

Replacing his deck, he tossed the searched for card down and a reptilian humanoid holding a spear appeared on his field. "I summon Alien Hunter!" (1600/800) "Attack! When an Alien battles a monster with a monster that has a counter on it, the counter-holding monster loses 300 attack and defense points per counter!" (Star Shadow Wolf: 1200/700)

The reptile monster slashed its spear through Ichigo's monster, shattering it. "Also, when Alien Hunter destroys a monster that had a counter on it as a result of battle it can attack again! Therefore, take one more direct attack!" Then his monster slashed its spear through Ichigo's chest. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Masami- 4000

Ichigo- 2000

Krieger looked amazed. "He cut Ichigo down to half his starting life points with just one monster…"

Griff frowned in displeasure. "Yeah, this guy is a really good duelist. If that was all that was creepy about him I wouldn't care…but…" His right eye twitched at a thought that crossed his mind. "Ugh…I just gave myself the chills."

Ichigo snapped the top card off of his deck. ("I can't take him lightly, Alien decks possess a dangerous power in those counters they put on my monsters!") "I summon Final Shadow Night Slasher!" (1100/800) A dramatic dark-cloaked form appeared on his field. "When this monster is summoned I can destroy one monster in play with fewer attack points than it! Also I activate Weakening of Poison from my hand in chain!"

Masami gasped as his Alien Hunter turned purple and dropped to one knee weakly. (100/800) "What?"

"Weakening of Poison triggers when I summon a Final Shadow. One monster in play loses 1500 attack points for the turn!" Ichigo pointed at the Disk Musuki. "Night Slasher targets that monster!" His monster blurred out of sight for a moment and the spaceship exploded. "Night Slasher, attack Alien Hunter now! Night Knife!" His monster disappeared again and Masami's other monster exploded. "End turn."

Masami- 3000

Ichigo- 2000

"As to be expected of the Blue Osiris…though that is not what I would call you." Masami drew and his face-down card flipped up. "I activate the continuous trap Space Observation! This card, once during my standby phase, lets me see one face-down card on your field."

Ichigo gasped as his face-down Evil Eye flipped up to reveal itself, and then flipped face-down again. ("So much for having a surprise to spring on him…")

"I activate the magic card Conspiracy Theorem!" The green-haired Ra Yellow pointed at Ichigo's set card. "I select one face-down card on the field and then I guess the name of that card. If I am correct, that card is destroyed and I draw two cards if there is at least one card on my field with Space, Alien or Disk in its title. And that set card is most definitely Evil Eye!" The face-down card on Ichigo's field revealed itself again, and this time it shattered. "Now I draw two cards!"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, his expression serious. ("Now I'm sure this secret he is after must be something important. I guess I can't play nice with him anymore.")

"From my hand I activate the magic card Brain Control!" Masami, his glasses still reflecting the full light of the sun, pointed at Night Slasher. "After paying the 800 life point cost of my card your monster comes under my command!" The Final Shadow appeared on his field. "And then I sacrifice your monster to summon Space Beast Gangril in attack mode!" A titanic multi-tentacled blue space beast appeared on his field, letting out a strange warbling noise. (2600/2000)

"A one sacrifice 2600 monster?" Ichigo's eyes widened in amazement. "How'd you get such a card?"

"You're mistaken." Masami pointed at his monster. "Space Beast Gangril is a level seven monster."

Griff, still frowning, spoke up. "Space Beast Gangril can be summoned at the cost of one sacrifice if he is sacrificing a monster he does not own. In other words it's because he used your monster for the summon."

"Oh…" Ichigo still sighed. "That's still terrible…"

"This means I've won!" Masami pointed at Ichigo. "Space Beast Gangril, direct attack! Space Tentacle Terror!" The monster snapped a tentacle forward to slap Ichigo down.

"From my hand…" Ichigo held up a card with a picture of a little furball. "I discard Kuriboh (300/200) to make the damage zero!" A little brown fuzzball appeared on his field, squeaked, and then got squished under the monster's attack.

"Also as to be expected of the legendary duelist Ichigo Pilkington…" Inserting a card into his duel disk, Masami nodded to Ichigo. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

"He survived, it looks like…" Erian glanced at the slimy monster on Masaki's field nervously. "That thing is huge though. Do you think Ichigo can overcome it during this turn?"

"Who knows?" Krieger turned to Griff. "You're the one who knows the most about this guy."

"..." Griff was watching the duel so intently he didn't even hear his friend. ("What's Megame after?")

"Draw!" Ichigo held up his drawn card. "Go Wings of the Avenger, which allows me to special summon an Avenger named monster from my hand to the field!" A bat-winged warrior holding a pair of razor-sharp swords appeared in play. "I summon Final Shadow Avenger Omega!" (2500/1000) "When Avenger Omega attack an enemy monster its gains half of that monster's attack points for the damage step! Battle!" (3800/1000) His monster flew forwards and slashed through the beast, destroying it. "Also I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Masami- 1000

Ichigo- 2000

Masami pushed his glasses back up along his nose and then he drew. "I activate the magic card Other Encounter, which places a counter on a monster on your field." A grey mote of light appeared over Avenger Omega's head. "Also, I activate the second effect of Space Observation and sacrifice it to destroy one magic or trap card on the field!" A blast of energy shot from the card and shattered one of Ichigo's set cards.

The half demon growled and looked at his other set card. ("You're my last hope if he does what I think he will do.")

Masami snapped his hand and his face-down card followed it. "I activate my Brainwash Ray, which lets me take control of a monster with a counter on it!" Omega Avenger floated over to his field and then disappeared. "Emerge once more, another Space Beast Gangril!" (2600/2000) Another of the tentacled terrors appeared on his field and made its strange warbling noise. "You're not bad, but I can't lose here! Space Beast Gangril, direct attack once more!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but then against forget it!" Ichigo's face-down card flipped up to reveal a picture of a pair of Kuribohs dancing around, one of them wearing a tuxedo and the other wearing a pair of joke glasses with a fake black mustache. "Go Kuriboh Espionage! When this card activates, if I have a Kuriboh, Cyber Shadow Kuriboh, or Final Shadow Super Ultra Kuriboh of Doom in my graveyard, I may special summon Revised Cyber Shadow Kuriboh!" A Kuriboh wearing a tuxedo appeared on his field, a little martini glass in one of its tiny hands. (300/200) "When this monster is summoned, I select one card from your hand and activate it now under my control! Go Cuteness Espionage Revised!" Revised Cyber Shadow Kuriboh suddenly disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Masami heard a loud squeal from above and looked up to see a small spot approaching him from the sky. It was the Kuriboh, wearing a little parachute on its back. Pulling on the small cord of its parachute, the little fuzzball started sweating as it watched a bunch of random objects fly out of its parachute, with no actual chute in sight. "Oh no…"

Even Griff winced as Ichigo's monster crashed into Masami with enough force to floor him.

The half demon grinned as his now swirly-eyed Kuriboh stumbled over to his field and dizzily held out a card to him. Taking the card, he placed the little monster on top of his head and stood up, bringing the prize up to his face. "You sly dog…I activate your Smashing Ground, destroying the monster on your field with the highest defense!" Space Beast Gangril roared and then exploded.

"Alright!" Erian and Krieger both high-fived each other, while Griff smiled slightly.

Patting Revised Cyber Shadow Kuriboh on the head, Ichigo smiled at the dust cloud where Masami was located. "Well, what's up? You've got no cards in your hand, and your field is clear. What will you do?"

"Ouch…that's going to leave a mark…" Masami stumbled to his feet, his hands rubbing his face to clear away the dust. "Sheesh, that was painful and cute; which is one of the deadliest combinations in the world."

Ichigo and Cyber Shadow Kuriboh sweatdropped at the same time. This didn't sound like the serious guy they were talking to before. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I'll be fine." Lowering his arm, Masami brought his scarlet-colored eyes to look into Ichigo's hazel ones.

The half demon gaped at the Ra Yellow's face for a few seconds. "You know without your glasses…"

"He looks like a girl." Griff filled in the blank. "Another level of his creepiness." He didn't seem to notice that Ichigo was about to chew him out on the grounds of judging others by their appearance.

Masami smiled quirkily at Ichigo. "Yeah I do look like a girl without my glasses. That's why I wear the things." He grinned at Ichigo, looking rather normal compared to the nearly wooden Masami that Ichigo had first met. "Sorry about before, but I was taking some notes inspired by your appearance."

"Notes?" Ichigo rolled his eyes up to look at Cyber Shadow Kuriboh, which shrugged its little shoulders in response. "Why would you be taking notes about me?"

"Well you inspired me to draw a new costume." Masami said cheerfully.

Griff sighed. "Ichigo, the guy's an Otaku to the extreme and also is considered to be more than a bit of a pervert in more than a few regards."

"Hmmm…." Ichigo rubbed the back of his head. "What was this information that you wanted from me anymore?"

"Actually I needed your measurements for a costume I thought of making for you." Masami's expression didn't change, while Griff and Krieger face-fell.

"That's it?" When Masami nodded Ichigo started laughing. "Sure!"

"….." Griff and Krieger both slowly came to their feet with the same deadpan look on their face. ("I don't think Ichigo gets it.")

"Really?" Masami looked ecstatic. "Thanks Ichigo!" Then he picked up his glasses and put them back on, his serious expression returning. "However, let us continue with the duel."

"Sure!" Ichigo placed his hand on his deck. "You have no cards in play now, and no cards in your hand. Therefore it's my turn."

"But your monster only has 300 attack points." Masami pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Therefore you can't win with just that alone."

"That's true, but at the moment I feel it!" Ichigo felt his duelist spirit at its peak. "Let's take a look at what my draw is!" Snapping the card free from his deck, he flipped the card up and grinned. "I activate the field magic card Kuriboh City!" All around giant cartoon skyscrapers exploded into the air, and Cyber Shadow Kuriboh started dancing. "When this field is in play I select one Kuriboh named monster and power it up by 1000 attack points!" (1300/200) "Revised Cyber Shadow Kuriboh, attack his life points directly with Popgun Shooter!" The little monster pulled out a toy gun and fired at Masami, hitting him in the forehead with a cork.

Masami- 0

Ichigo- 2000

"Ow again…" Rubbing his forehead, Masami adjusted his glasses and walked up to Ichigo with a hand extended. "That was a great duel, and it was fine to lose because I lost to something ultra cute."

Grasping that hand in his, Ichigo smiled widely. "Yup! That's one third of my new deck's strategy."

Griff and Krieger looked at each other in concern. Was Ichigo serious about those Kuriboh cards being a third of his deck strategy now?

"That's awesome Ichigo!" Erian started cheering. "Those Kuriboh cards are incredible!"

"Anyway, for those measurements…" Masami placed his arm around Ichigo's shoulder and walked off towards the Ra Yellow dorm. "I think we're going to wind up being great friends, Ichigo." Erian, Krieger, and Griff all followed moments later.

_To be continued…_


	43. More Dice Than a Dungeons and Dragons

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. I do own the cards you'll be seeing a certain someone you've never seen before play…and read this chapter slowly when the duel starts or else you may find yourself confuzzled.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 43: More Dice than a Dungeons and Dragons Game

Eri yawned loudly and continued to laze on her windowsill, letting the sun warm her skin. ("Peace and quiet…it's not something you can put a value on when you live in this crazy place.")

A loud knocking came from her door. "Eri-sempai, you there?"

Sighing, the demoness rolled off the windowsill and onto her feet. Readjusting her uniform she walked over and opened the door. "Is there something you need Teruha?"

The Osiris Red girl walked in and grinned widely. "It's Friday, school's out, and you're in here doing nothing?"

"Yes, is there a problem with that?" Eri walked back to the window and stretched again. "I'm enjoying lazing about like a cat for the afternoon."

Teruha snorted in disgust. "Sempai, you'll find yourself getting fat if you just lie around and do nothing all day."

Eri returned the snort and walked into her bathroom, grabbing her brush and running it through her hair. "I don't gain weight like you do."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that…" Eri's ears perked as she heard a quiet tapping on the glass of her window. Placing the brush back on the counter, she exited the bathroom and walked up to windowsill again. "Ichigo?"

"Ichigo?" Teruha joined the demoness where she was standing. "Oh, so it is."

Right outside the window the half demon sat crouched on the balcony, looking in at them very seriously. He was wearing long red robes and a strange fanged bead necklace around his neck. His hair had been dyed a silver-white color, along with his wolf ears.

Sighing, Eri opened the window and leaned to get a closer look at him. "Why are you dressed like that?"

He huffed and adopted a very angry look. "I was expecting to find you here alone…"

"Well excuse me for coming in to say hello," Teruha deadpanned at her fellow Osiris Red. "And why are dressed like Inuyasha?"

Eri glanced back at Teruha. "Who?"

Ichigo nearly facefell at hearing the demoness ask that question, which would have been painful considering he was a few stories above the ground. "You don't know about Inuyasha?"

"Should I?" She asked plainly.

"…" Sighing, Ichigo's serious expression disappeared and now he looked really sad. "I'll be back shortly." Hopping off the balcony, he dropped the three stories to the ground and ran off towards the Ra Yellow dorm, the red robes flapping out behind him.

Both Eri and Teruha leaned over the balcony and stared at the half demon as he ran off. Then they shrugged to each other and went back inside.

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"Let's see, the reflector dish connects to here…" Brushing his hair back with a hand, Masami fiddled with the parts on the desk in his room. "And then I connect this here…" A knock came from his window. "Hm?" He looked up to see Ichigo kneeling in front of the glass. "Oh, and you're still wearing the costume I made for you." He undid the latch.

Ichigo pulled the window open and his face came inches from Masami's, which he instantly regretted as the light reflected from the other boy's glasses blinded him. "Do you have Inuyasha DVDs?"

Pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, Masami nodded sagely. "That's a silly thing to ask a fan such as myself. What do you need them for?"

"I wanted to impress Eri with the costume you made for me, but she doesn't even know what it's from!" Ichigo looked extremely frustrated.

"Eri?" Masami yanked off his glasses, his scarlet eyes reflecting amazement. "Do you mean Erika Amero, the Dark Demoness of Duelist Academy who recently renamed herself the Princess of Duelist Academy and who is said to be one of the most beautiful girls in school? You mean that Eri?"

Ichigo sweatdropped at the weird expression on Masami's face. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Masami's amazed expression disappeared in an instant and he casually walked over to his closet and pulled it open, revealing rows upon rows of DVDs and VHS tapes. With no effort he grabbed what appeared to be a random DVD case and tossed it behind him to Ichigo. "That contains the first few episodes of the series. God speed, Ichigo Pilkington."

("He's taking this awfully seriously.") The half demon hopped away from the window and ran off towards the Obelisk Blue dorm.

Putting his glasses back on, Masami sat down in front of his desk and returned to his work. ("Soon enough my ultimate invention will be complete…") Then he realized something. "Wait, if Anarchy isn't here I won't be able to make the last adjustments though."

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Griff sighed and kicked a nearby rock into the river. "Man, I can't believe Ichigo is wearing something that freak Masami made for him."

Krieger and Erian both sighed at how irrational he had been acting since Ichigo's duel against the Ra Yellow student.

"Well I won't stand for it. That guy is nothing but trouble!" Griff punched a fist into the sky. "I swear that as a member of Ra Yellow I won't allow that four-eyed crazy to do anything to Ichigo!"

"You're being awfully noisy, you know?" yelled a voice from the other side of the river. The speaker was another Ra Yellow student, this one having a headful of shaggy red hair and a rather mischievous look on his face. "By the way, you must be Griff Mohistava, the Dark Scorpion guy."

"What if I am?" The Egyptian boy noticed the duel disk strapped to the other guy's arm. "You want to duel me, huh?"

"You bet." Smirking slyly, the boy ran a hand through his hair when he noticed Erian. "Yo bro, long time no see."

The Traveler blinked a couple of times and then snapped his fingers. "Oh, it's you Anarchy! Hey!" He hopped to his feet and starting waving wildly.

Griff sighed and coughed loudly to get Anarchy's attention. "Hey alien guy, you wanted to duel right?"

"Yup." Anarchy activated his duel disk.

Griff caught the duel disk that Krieger threw to him and put it on around his arm, shoving his deck into its slot and activating it. "Good, I need something to take my aggressions out on!"

"Duel!" They both yelled, drawing their opening hands.

Anarchy- 4000

Griff- 4000

"Draw!" Anarchy's hair flopped wildly about as he drew. "At this time my field magic card activates!"

("A field magic card that starts at the beginning of the game?") Griff knew of only a few such cards, and none of them were particularly pleasant to play against.

Removing a card from his deck the Traveler opened his field magic card slot and placed the card down. "Go Chaos Realm!" All around them the air began to shimmer and warp in strange ways that shouldn't have been possible. "When this card comes into play I may add one Random Chaos card from my deck to my hand." Having already taken the card he planned on using, Anarchy slid three cards into his duel disk. "Now I place three cards face-down on my field and then I'll set one monster face-down! End turn!"

Griff narrowed his eyes for a few seconds as he assessed what those cards could be. ("At least one of them has to be able to protect all of his magic and trap cards from destruction.") "I summon Cliff the Trap Remover in attack mode!" A glasses-wearing man in the garb of the Dark Scorpion bandits appeared on his field. (1200/1000)

"Reverse card open!" Anarchy's mischievous smile returned as his face-down card flipped up. "I activate Random Chaos-Monsters! This continuous trap triggers whenever a monster is summoned. The controller of that monster rolls a die, and depending on the number rolled a different effect can occur." A white and black six-sided die appeared in Griff's hand. "Roll it!"

Griff blew into his fist and then tossed the die at the center of the river. It bounced to a stop on a four. "There, happy?"

"That's my line. When the duelist rolls a four they are allowed to pay 1000 life points to special summon a monster from their deck to the field." Anarchy watched as the die disappeared.

Grinning, Griff pulled a card out of his deck and slapped it down. "I'll take that opportunity to summon Dark Scorpion Chick the Yellow then!" (1000/1000) A spiky blond-haired kid appeared on his field.

Anarchy- 4000

Griff- 3000

"Once more…" Anarchy pointed at his continuous trap, which started glowing. "The effect of Random Chaos-Monsters activates!"

Griff caught the die as it appeared in front of him again. "Here I go!" Tossing it once more, he watched it bounce to a stop on five. "And this does?"

Anarchy smirked as Chick appeared on his field. "For the turn Chick is now my monster!"

"Damn…" Griff pointed at the set monster. "Go Cliff, attack the set monster now! Black Knife!" The trap remover leapt forward and slashed through the set monster easily.

Anarchy held the card up. "This was my Chaos Dieman." (100/100) "When he is flipped face-up I may add one card with Random Chaos in its title from my deck to my hand." Removing a card from his deck, the Traveler snickered. "Things are going to become a whole lot more chaotic while this duel is going on!"

"Yeah, sure." Griff held up a card from his hand. "I activate the quickplay magic card Cliff's Tactics. This card triggers when Cliff completes an attack, and it lets me destroy a magic or trap card in play!" He pointed at the center set card on Anarchy's field. "That's my target!"

"Reverse card open!" Anarchy's face-down card flipped up. "Random Chaos-Magic is another continuous trap card that triggers when a magic card is activated. I'm sure you can figure out what you have to do."

Griff cursed under his breath and caught the die that appeared in his hand. "Come on Lady Luck!" Tossing the cube with all of his might, he watched bounce to a stop in front of Anarchy. "So, what did I get?"

"A five." Anarchy smirked as Griff's quickplay card shattered. "That means your card is negated."

"End turn." Griff muttered in displeasure while Chick returned to his field.

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From outside the chaotic air disruptions of the duel, Krieger was astonished. "A Random Chaos deck?"

Erian nodded. "Yeah, Anarchy loves games of chance…but he prefers utter insanity more than anything else."

"Great…" Krieger sweatdropped. "He'll fit right in with the rest of this Academy."

---------------------

"Draw!" Anarchy snapped his hand out to reveal he was holding a die in his hand. "Reverse card open!" His last set card flipped up. "Random Chaos-Duelist activates its effect during a player's standby phase and lets them roll a die to determine a random effect!" He tossed the cube halfway across the width of the river, watching it come to a stop on four. "That means I can discard a card from my hand to roll another die, and then I can special summon a monster with the same level as the number I rolled." He threw the die again and it landed on two. "Come out now, Alternative Television!" (0/900) A strange-looking machine with a monitor appeared on his field. "As long as this card is in play I get to roll two die instead of one when activating an effect that uses such a mechanic."

"What?" Griff's eyes widened as Random Chaos-Monster started glowing and the Alternative Television's screen came up with the numbers two and four.

"At this time I trigger the effect of four, paying 1000 life points to special summon a monster!" Another Alternative Television appeared on Anarchy's field. (0/900) "And guess what that means." Random Chaos-Monster started glowing again, and his two machine monsters gave him three numbers. (Six, one, five) "I choose to activate the effect of six, taking control of a face-up monster on your field for the turn!"

"No!" Griff gasped as Cliff appeared on Anarchy's field.

"And now for this…" The Traveler inserted a card from his hand into his disk. "I activate the quickplay magic card Random Revival, allowing me to place one Random Chaos card from my graveyard onto my field." The card he discarded to summon his first Alternative Television appeared on his field. "Random Chaos-Trap is now online. Therefore everything either of us do will now be determined by the roll of the die."

"But that means that you have to roll for the effect of Random Chaos-Magic, don't you?"

"Nope." Anarchy held up Random Revival. "This card cannot trigger the effect of any card with Random Chaos in its title." Inserting the card into his graveyard, he pointed at Chick. "Cliff, attack Chick now!" His controlled Dark Scorpion slashed through its ally.

Anarchy- 3000

Griff- 2800

"And then, when Cliff deals you life point damage, I choose to use his effect to send the top two cards of your deck to the graveyard." Anarchy smirked while the Egyptian Duelist discarded the cards from his deck along with Chick's card. "And then I activate Mystic Wok, which means the effect of my Random Chaos-Magic card activates!" His machines came up with three numbers. (Two, one, three) "I choose to take use of number three, gaining 500 life points. Also Mystic Wok lets me tribute Cliff to gain Cliff's attack in life points."

Anarchy- 4700

Griff- 2800

Griff growled under his breath and drew, snatching the die that appeared in the air and tossing it. It landed on a five. "What's that mean?"

"That means all life points you gain during this turn are doubled." Anarchy shrugged that off though. "Take that as you will."

Griff nodded and tossed down a card, the white-haired leader of the Dark Scorpions appearing on his field. "I summon Don Zaloog!" (1400/1500) In the same motion he threw a die, which landed on a six. "I remember that effect! I take control of one of your monsters." One of the Alternative Televisions appeared on his field. "Don Zaloog, attack his other one now! Double Revolver!" The leader of his deck pulled out his pistols and filled the machine full of lead, shattering it easily.

"From my hand I activate Chaos Timelord." (300/300) Anarchy discarded one of his hand cards. "This revives one monster that has been destroyed as a result of battle when there is at least one Random Chaos card in play." His Alternative Television appeared on his field in defense position. "And now…" A pair of numbers appeared on the face of his revived monster. (Five, one) "I choose one, switching the type and attribute of my Alternative Television with the type and attribute of the Alternative Television on your field."

"In other words," Griff deadpanned, "Nothing happens. Fine, I end my turn."

Anarchy drew, while his stolen Television returned. "During my standby phase the effect of Random Chaos-Monster activates now!" (Four, two, five) "I choose to use the two effect, drawing a card." Adding an extra card to his hand, the Traveler place a monster on his field. "I summon Defense Wall (0/2200) to my field in defense mode." A stone wall appeared in play on his field. "And at this time the power of Random Chaos-Monster triggers!" (Four, one, three) "I choose effect four, paying 1000 life points to special summon another Defense Wall." Another stone wall appeared on his field. (0/2200) (Six, four, six) "I choose effect six to seize control of Don Zaloog!"

"Oh you've got to be kidding me…" Griff's eyes widened as Don Zaloog turned around and shot him twice in the chest.

Anarchy- 3700

Griff- 1400

"At this time the effect of Don Zaloog triggers, discarding a random card from your hand!" Anarchy watched as one of Griff's four remaining cards disappeared. "End turn." Don Zaloog reappeared on Griff's field. "Defense Wall prevents you from attacking any monster other than itself. And since I have two of them in play, you cannot attack."

----------------------

"Griff is getting massacred…" Krieger groaned and ground his palm against his forehead.

"Yeah, Anarchy's style is definitely reflected in this insane deck he is running." Erian sighed. "I feel bad for Griff. It must be really confusing with all of those dice rolls."

------------------------

Griff drew, and rolled for Random Chaos-Duelist. The die landed on a one. "And what does that do?"

"It lets you destroy a card I have in play." Anarchy sneered at the smile on Griff's face. "Well then, what will you clear away?"

"I'll be targeting your Random Chaos-Monster!" Griff grinned as the continuous trap card shattered. "Also, I'll place one monster card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Anarchy drew. (Six, one, one) "I choose one, destroying Don Zaloog!" The thief leader shattered. "And then I summon Lord of Chaos." (600/1200) A multi-colored demon wearing a long rainbow cape appeared in play. "For every Chaos named card in play this monster gains 500 attack points!" (2600/1200) "Attack the set monster now!" The demon punched through the set monster, revealing a screaming female Dark Scorpion right before it exploded.

("Meanae…") Griff drew and rolled. The die landed on four. "I discard one card at random from my hand to roll a die and special summon a monster from my deck with the same level as the number I rolled!" He threw his die again and it landed on a six. "I summon Guardian Sphinx (1700/2400) in defense mode." A giant copy of the Egyptian Sphinx appeared on his field. "And then I use its effect to flip it face-down." The huge monument disappeared and was replaced by a face-down monster card. "Also, I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Anarchy drew. (Four, six, one) "I choose one, destroying your set monster!" Griff's face-down monster exploded.

"Reverse card open!" Griff's face-down monster reappeared in play. "Reverse Revenge revives a face-down on my field that is destroyed by an effect." Then he rolled a die for the effect of Random Chaos-Trap. It landed on a four and nothing happened. "Whew, an effect that can't trigger right now."

"Battle!" Anarchy pointed at the set Sphinx. "Go Chaos Lord!" The demon slashed the set monster card to pieces. "Hah! End turn!"

Griff felt the sweat dripping down his face now. ("Everything I activate gets turned against me by this guy's crazy Random Chaos cards.") He drew and rolled his die. It landed on a one. "Alright!" Chaos Lord exploded. "I place one monster face-down on my field and end my turn."

"You're a stubborn guy." Anarchy smirked and drew. (Two, one, three) "However I'll be selecting one now." Griff's only defense exploded. "And then I'll summon Darkling Chaos in attack mode." (300/400) A little rainbow-colored bat appeared on his field. "Direct attack!" The monster flew over and bit Griff on the neck. "At this time, when it deals you life point damage, a random effect triggers by a dice roll!" (Six, one, four) "Heh, I trigger the effect of six. Your life points become halved."

Anarchy- 3700

Griff- 550

"End turn." Anarchy crossed his arms across his chest triumphantly. "Wow, how did you even get into Ra Yellow? Actually, how did you get into Ra Yellow with those Dark Scorpion cards being the staple of your deck?"

"What?" Griff asked angrily. "Are you mocking the Dark Scorpions?"

"So what if I am?" Anarchy glared at his fellow dorm member. "I've been buddies with Masami ever since day one at this academy and since day one you've thought only bad of him! Why should I show you any respect?"

Griff closed his eyes and frowned. "Something about that guy irks me. He's a creepy nerd who does all kind of strange perverted things and Ichigo doesn't need to hang out with people like that! Whether or not that's wrong is in the eye of the beholder!" He drew. "And now I roll the dice of fate." He tossed his die across the field, the cube landing on a three.

Anarchy held up his hand of four cards to the Egyptian Duelist. "The card you've just drawn comes to my hand, and a random card from my hand goes to your hand." He watched as one of the cards in his hand disappeared and replaced itself with the card Griff had drawn. ("He drew Mark of Proprietor? How useless...a magic card that sends all monsters on your field back to your hand.")

Griff glanced at the drawn card. ("Crystal Dice…a roll of fate magic card.") He looked up at Anarchy. "You might be adamant about Masami being a nice guy, but I refuse to believe it. Now from my hand I activate Hand Control!" He tossed his die across the field and watched it land on a five. "No!" His magic card destroyed itself, the effect negated by Random Chaos-Magic.

"That's too bad…" Anarchy's eyes widened in fear. "Wait, the card you got…"

Griff suddenly smiled. "Thanks for reminding me! From my hand I activate the quickplay magic card Crystal Dice!" A crystal die appeared in his hand. "Now I roll this and depending on the number I get it will decide what effect I get to use."

"Hold it, you have to roll for my continuous trap first!"

"Right!" Griff tossed the die across the field, watching it roll to a stop on a two. "What's that…" He gasped in pain and dropped to one knee.

"When you roll a two on Random Chaos-Magic you lose 500 life points." Anarchy crossed his arms across his chest.

Anarchy- 3700

Griff- 50

Griff tossed the die again. "Now for Crystal Dice." It landed on a one. "That means I special summon one monster from my graveyard!" Guardian Sphinx appeared on his field and then flipped itself face-down. "End turn!"

Anarchy drew. (Five, five, five) "It looks like I'm choosing five. This means during this turn all life points I gain are doubled. Also, I activate the magic card Healing Dice." (Two, two, four) "The effect of Random Chaos-Magic's number four allows me to roll a die now." (Six, six, three) "Now the card it was triggered against has its effect copied times the number I rolled. Therefore Healing Dice will be activating six cards. And on that note, the effect of Healing Dice lets me roll three dice and gain 100 life points times the total number." (One, four, four) (Two, three, six) (Six, two, five) "Therefore the total number is sixteen!" A blue glow fell over his body.

Anarchy- 5200

Griff- 50

Griff growled as he watched the Alternative Televisions start up again. ("And now the effect of Healing Dice is copied six times.")

(One, four, four) (Four, one, three) (One, six, three)

Anarchy- 6600

Griff- 50

(Six, five, three) (Five, one, three) (Five, six, two)

Anarchy- 8200

Griff- 50

(Four, three, one) (One, one, four) (Six, three, two)

Anarchy- 9600

Griff- 50

(Six, five, one) (Five, one, two) (Six, five, six)

Anarchy- 11300

Griff- 50

(One, four, two) (Five, five, one) (Six, six, one)

Anarchy- 12800

Griff- 50

(Five, three, six) (Two, six, two) (Six, three, two)

Anarchy- 14600

Griff- 50

Griff felt the sweat dripping down his face now. ("This isn't going to work. I can't beat him this way!")

"And now to deal with the effect of your monster." Anarchy inserted a card into his duel disk. "I activate the magic card Random Chaos Pulse, which cannot trigger Random Chaos-Magic. Now one monster in play, face-down or face-up, will have its effect permanently sealed. Obviously my choice is your face-down Guardian Sphinx. End turn."

Griff grimaced and drew. "Here I go!" He rolled and got a six.

"All damage to you during this turn is doubled." Anarchy smiled slightly.

"At this point I doubt that will affect anything." Griff looked at his drawn card and his eyes widened. ("This magic card is my absolute last chance now.") He held it up. "I activate the magic card Legendary Dark Scorpions! Now please give me a little bit of freaking luck!" He tossed the die across the field and it stopped on a…three. "No, gaining 500 life points is pointless. From my hand I activate Dark Scorpion Dealings!" The die reappeared in his hand. ("If this chain blows it…") He flicked the die across the field with his thumb and it landed on a one.

"If your card has a number on it then double that number before resolving the effect." Anarchy narrowed his eyes at the smirk on Griff's face.

"It doesn't have a number effect…" Griff's card started to shimmer. "The effect of Dark Scorpion Negotiations let me reroll a die effect, and afterwards I may add a Dark Scorpion to my hand!" The die reappeared in his hand and he tossed it. "Go!" It landed on a four. "Alright!" Then he rolled again. "And that's a five! Therefore Legendary Dark Scorpions triggers six times total!" Light exploded out of his graveyard slot and his face-down Guardian Sphinx exploded. "At this time I sacrifice one monster on my field if I have no Dark Scorpions in play to summon either Don Zaloog or a Dark Scorpion from my deck, graveyard or hand to the field!" Don Zaloog appeared. "And now for the other five times, I can summon the rest of the team!" The five members of the Dark Scorpions appeared on his field. "Gorg the Strong, Cliff the Trap Remover, Meanae the Thorn, Chick the Yellow, and Don Zaloog!" (1800/1500) (1200/1000) (1000/1800) (1000/1000) (1400/1500)

"So what? You've got a bunch of defective Dark Scorpions in play. They can't attack, and you have no cards in your hand now." Anarchy started to snicker, until he realized that Griff was smiling.

"I rolled a five, and I used four of the copy effects. Guess what happens when I use Legendary Dark Scorpions when I have all five of the Dark Scorpions on my field." Griff pointed at Anarchy's deck. "The top five cards of your deck are discarded. End turn."

Pulling five cards from his deck into his graveyard, the Traveler drew. (Four, six, two) "I choose the number two effect to draw a card." Adding a card to his hand, Anarchy frowned and then pointed at his Darkling Chaos. "I switch my monster to defense mode and end my turn."

Griff drew and rolled. ("Please be a one…") It landed on six. "….crap, I take double damage again." Looking at his hand card he sighed loudly. "End turn."

Anarchy drew. (Two, four, three) "I activate the effect of number three." The card he drew disappeared, replaced by the single card that Griff was holding. "Now let's see, what did you have?" Glancing at it he frowned. "End turn."

----------------------------

Krieger fell over on his side, trying to keep his eyes open. "Wow…my brain hurts…"

Erian had already fallen asleep.

------------------------------

Griff drew and rolled, getting a one. "Finally!" The Random Chaos-Magic shattered. "Now we're getting somewhere!" Looking at his hand card he still realized there he was nothing he do with the two cards in his hand. ("And I can't attack because those two Defense Walls stop me from attacking anything else besides them. I'm locked out.") "End turn."

Anarchy yawned out of boredom and drew. (One, three, three) "Hmmm….this might be useful. I'll destroy Don Zaloog."

Griff growled again as Don exploded. ("Man, this is getting old!")

"Chaos shouldn't be this boring. Therefore, let's spice it up." Anarchy held up a magic card. "I activate the magic card Blackjack."

"Blackjack?" Griff gasped as the two cards in his hand appeared face-down on his field.. "What did you do?"

"Blackjack…" Anarchy motioned to the two set magic/trap cards on his field. "Forces all players to set two magic or trap cards from their hand face-down on the field. Also, I activate the magic card Choice of Destruction. This card can only activate when both players have at least two set magic or trap cards on their field. We both randomly select a card and destroy it!" One of his two face-down cards shattered. "Now you get to choose…"

Griff felt the sweat building up on his face now. ("One of the cards he transferred to my hand was the trap card Kozaky's Self-Destruct Button. Because I'm making the choice of which card to destroy if I choose that trap I'll lose 1000 life points.") He shakily pointed at one of the cards, which flipped up to reveal the other card he had been holding, Dark Scorpion Escape. "Phew…"

"I wouldn't relax if I was you." Anarchy held up a magic card. "I activate the quickplay magic card Trap Booster, discarding one card from my hand to activate a trap card I'm holding!" His Random Chaos-Trap activated. (Four, three, three) "I choose four." His set card disappeared back into his hand. "This means I get to return a set card on my field to my hand and then set a new card face-down. That card may be activated during this turn! And the trap I chose with Trap Booster?" He held up Dust Tornado. "I'll be destroying Kozaky's Self-Destruct Button."

Griff blinked as the volatile trap card exploded. "That means you take 1000 points of damage."

"Yes, it would." Anarchy's face-down trap flipped up. "I activate Barrel Behind the Door to deal you the effect damage I would have taken." The trap released a blast of fire that slammed into Griff's chest.

Anarchy- 14600

Griff- 0

Anarchy sighed loudly. "Sheesh, you're a really boring duelist." Turning, he walked off whistling to himself.

Griff fell onto his back and sighed just as loud as Anarchy had. "Krieger, am I being too harsh about this whole thing?"

Krieger's only response was to snore loudly.

_To be continued…_


	44. Add a Little Bit of Rysel

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh. I own the other horrible things that happen in this story…like that last chapter and the horrid dice rolls of chaos. Shudder

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 44: Add a Little Bit of Rysel

A crimson trenchcoat-wearing figure walked down the cold crimson hallways of the Marrow, the flagship of Prince Rysel's fleet, with urgency. He had to find the Prince soon. ("He must be informed of this news.")

-----------------------------

Rysel finished shuffling his deck and placed it into his royal crimson duel disk. "Begin the program." The Blood Prince stood in a huge circular chamber with four hatches facing him on the walls. One by one they opened and a duel disk-wearing Vengeance stepped forwards.

The first was an amplification on the Antlion series, with enhanced armoring covering its insectoid body. "Destroy…" Its chitin-armor duel disk popped into an online position.

Second was a huge green-skinned humanoid with a giant metallic hunk of armor over one of its armor. "Gauntlet!" Roaring, its duel disk activated and it glared at the calmly smiling royalty.

Third was a lightly-armored soldier Vengeance, its helmet covering its head. "Scout!" Its light-frame duel disk clicked online.

The final of the monsters was a reptile-scaled salamander creature covered from head to toe in yellow markings. "Alligator…" Its patchwork disk activated.

"Duel." Rysel's duel disk activated and he drew his opening hand.

Antlion- 4000

Gauntlet- 4000

Scout- 4000

Alligator- 4000

Rysel- 4000

"Draw!" Antlion's massive pincer pulled the top card off of its deck and it placed a card onto its field. "Summon Tiger Beetle!" (1700/1300) A huge striped beetle appeared on its field. "Tiger Beetle special ability, every insect in play it gain 100." (1800/1300) "Set two card face-down. End turn."

"Draw!" Gauntlet's normal arm placed a card down onto his disk. "I summon Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode." A huge stone-bodied soldier appeared in play in a crouching position. (1300/2000) "Also, I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Scout drew next. "I play the continuous magic card Guard Wall. As long as this multiplayer card is in play you cannot attack anyone else's monsters except mine as long as I have at least one face-up monster on my field. Then I'll play the magic card Stone Mason, letting me summon one normal rock type monster to my field." A huge stone wall appeared on his field. "I summon Labyrinth Wall in defense mode." (0/3000) "Plus I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Alligator snapped the top card off of its deck and tossed it down. "I summon Elder Crocodile by discarding two cards from my hand!" A huge ancient water lizard appeared on its field. (2800/2600) "Also, I place one card face-down and end my turn!"

Rysel continued to smile while he drew. "Thank you all very much for gathering here to duel me and let me test my skills. Now then, I play the magic card Blood of Hephaestus! With this card's special ability I can special summon one Blood named monster from my hand to the field." A giant bloody centipede appeared in play on his field, its huge body resting around his body like a living wall. (3000/2000) "This is my Blood God. Though this monster cannot attack, I can discard a card from my hand to deal its attack in damage to one player once per turn. Therefore, I discard a card from my hand to deal 3000 points of damage to you!" He pointed Antlion, and his Blood God spat out a spray of crimson mist that fell over the Vengeance.

Antlion- 1000

Gauntlet- 4000

Scout- 4000

Alligator- 4000

Rysel- 4000

Looking upon the creature's pain, the Prince frowned. "I apologize. Allow me to heal you with this." He held up a card from his hand. "I activate the magic card Gem of Ancient Restoration. This magic card restores the life points of one duelist besides myself by 4000, but this gain cannot be converted to damage."

Antlion- 5000

Gauntlet- 4000

Scout- 4000

Alligator- 4000

Rysel- 4000

A card slid out of Rysel's graveyard. "At this time the trap card I discarded activates now. Blood Fountain triggers when an opponent gains life points. It lets me remove it from my graveyard to draw a card for every 1000 life points that opponent gained." He drew four cards. "Then I place two cards face-down and one monster face-down. End turn."

Antlion drew and pointed at its set card. "Reveal Quicksand Lion trap card." A huge pitfall of sand appeared on its field and a giant hideous insect rose out of the center of the hole. (1000/2000) "Quicksand Lion trap monster destroy one face-down monster now." Rysel's face-down monster card shattered.

"Very good, Antlion-kun." The Blood Prince watched as the insect Vengeance's monsters all exploded. "However, that was my set monster was my Blood of Helios." (0/0) "When this face-down card is destroyed in battle all the opponent's magic and trap cards are destroyed. When it is destroyed by an effect, the opponent loses all of their monsters."

"Not beaten yet." Antlion placed a card face-down on its field. "Antlion set one monster face-down on field and place two card face-down. End turn."

"Hold a moment." Rysel's face-down card flipped up. "I activate the continuous trap card Monarch's Right. This card, while face-up on my field, lets me draw card during each of my opponent's draw phases."

"I cannot allow that!" Scout pointed at one of his set cards. "Go Mystical Space Typhoon, and with it I'll destroy your trap!"

Rysel watched as a blast of wind shattered his card. "Very quick reaction time, Scout-kun. However, when the face-up Monarch's Right is sent to my graveyard by the effect of an opponent's card then as long as it remains in the graveyard the opponent's draw phase is now considered to be not be their draw phase." His other card flipped up. "I reveal Appropriate, which while face-up on my field lets me draw two cards when my opponent draws a card outside of their draw phase."

Gauntlet drew nervously, while Rysel drew two cards. "I play the magic card Swords of Revealing Light!" A series of glowing green swords fell around Rysel's field. "For the next three turns you cannot attack. End turn!"

Scout drew, as did Rysel, and snapped up a card. "I summon Stone Sniper in defense mode." (500/1500) A stone statue holding a bow and arrow appeared on his field. "While this monster is in defense mode I may attack you directly with it!"

"I'm sorry, but Blood God says otherwise." Rysel glanced behind him at the monster. "Blood God, while face-up on my field, prevents any direct attacks against me."

"End turn." Scout nervously tilted his helmet to Alligator.

The lizard Vengeance drew, as did Rysel, and then held up a card. "I activate the equipment magic card Scale Forge, powering up the power of one Reptile in play by 500 points!" (3300/2600) "Elder Crocodile, attack Lord Rysel's Blood God now!"

"I cannot allow that either." Rysel discarded a card from his hand. "By discarding the trap card Blood Wall from my hand I can negate your attacks against all Blood named monsters during this turn."

Alligator growled quietly. "End turn."

Rysel drew. "I discard one card from my hand to target Alligator-kun with the effect of Blood God." He heard the Vengeance's cry of pain as the bloody monster on his field exhaled its fine mist.

Antlion- 5000

Gauntlet- 4000

Scout- 4000

Alligator- 1000

Rysel- 4000

"Now then…" Rysel discarded another card from his hand. "Blood God can only activate its effect once per turn, but I will play the magic card Monster Reincarnation. I discard one card from my hand as a cost and add the monster I discarded for my Blood God's cost to my hand." He held up that card, revealing a card with a picture of giant crimson-colored spaceship. "When Blood Empire Flagship Marrow is added to my hand from my graveyard it is special summoned." Above him a gigantic spaceship, like a bird of prey, appeared in a flash. (4000/2800) "This monster cannot attack." When he heard the four monsters exhale quietly in relief, he smiled sadly. "However, that is not its purpose. I activate the magic card Fuel Up!"

Removing his deck from its slot, Rysel fanned out the cards. "This card can only activate when a Blood Empire Flagship is in play. I may remove any number of monsters in my deck from the game to power up that selected Flagship by 300 points per monster removed." Removing nine cards from the game, he sighed quietly and looked at the panicked faces of his monsters. (6700/2800)

"My apology to you all, but this is where I will have to show you the power of the Marrow. At this time I lower the attack power of the Marrow by 1000 to destroy a monster in play." The spaceship let out a screeching noise and shot a red laser that pierced the chest of the Elder Crocodile, shattering it in a violent explosion. (5700/2800) "When Marrow destroys a card through this effect, the controller of the destroyed monster loses 1000 life points."

Alligator stumbled back in fear, right before it disappeared within a fountain of blood. When that fountain dropped back through the cracks in the floor it revealed a bag made of scaly skin filled with bones. The meat of the Vengeance was gone.

Antlion- 5000

Gauntlet- 4000

Scout- 4000

Alligator- 0

Rysel- 4000

Scout and Gauntlet both gasped right before their three monsters were blasted as well. (Blood Empire Flagship Marrow: 2700/2800)

Antlion- 5000

Gauntlet- 3000

Scout- 2000

Alligator- 0

Rysel- 4000

Rysel glanced amongst his last three opponents, and the fact that their fields were clear of monsters. "It seems that neither of you have anything to defend yourselves with. While I cannot help both of you…" He smiled calmly to Scout, who stumbled backwards in fear. "Scout-kun, let me offer you my help."

"Sire, that isn't necessary…"

"I insist." A card appeared on Rysel's field. "I activate the magic card Blood Gift." A pair of bloody statues appeared on the Vengeance's field. "This card special summons two Bloody Guard Tokens (0/2000) to your field in defense mode."

Scout's hands started to tremble as he looked over at the remains of Alligator. "Lord, please do not destroy me! I can destroy Starlight Savior for you! Please give me a chance!"

"I'm sorry Scout-kun," Rysel already had a pair of white earphones in his ears. "I can't hear you right now, as I'm enjoying a gift one of my servants on Earth brought me. They are called ipods, apparently used for recreational activities."

He closed his eyes and listened to the heavenly harp playing through the speakers. "Ahhhh, such a beautiful thing this planet Earth is. It can come up with such amazing things like the harp, and ways to record that beautiful sound for me to personally listen to." He snapped his fingers. "Marrow, fire." (Blood Empire Flagship Marrow: 700/2800)

Both Gauntlet and Antlion started trembling in fear as they watched the starship blast the two tokens on Scout's field, and then they were forced to watch once more as another of their kin was engulfed within Prince Rysel's fountain of blood. This time though, when it withdrew, there was nothing left but pieces of rusted armor.

Antlion- 5000

Gauntlet- 3000

Scout- 0

Alligator- 0

Rysel- 4000

Rysel, eyes closed and head bobbing slightly to the peaceful sounds coming from his new toy, sighed happily. "This is quite a relaxing workout." Then he looked over at Gauntlet's panic-stricken face. "You look worried, Gauntlet-kun. Perhaps it is you feel that I have no more gifts to give?"

"N…no…master I…" Gauntlet started to stammer out something.

Rysel tapped the earphone he was wearing gently to indicate he couldn't hear anything. "Let me show you that I care. I activate the magic card Shien's Questioner, giving you control of one monster on my field." His Blood God howled and slithered over to Gauntlet's field. "Here you are, a new pet to play with."

Gauntlet stared at the titanic beast, which eyed him angrily. ("Why is it looking at me that?")

"I must warn you though, that your new pet likes to be kept well fed. It does not respond well to a being the pet of a duelist who has no blood named cards in their graveyard. In fact, in such a case it deals that duelist its attack in damage and destroys itself." Rysel closed his eyes right before the Blood God bit Gauntlet in half and then exploded in a spray of blood mist, none of the rust-smelling liquid touching his form somehow.

Antlion- 5000

Gauntlet- 0

Scout- 0

Alligator- 0

Rysel- 4000

A pair of cards appeared face-down on Rysel's field. "End turn, Antlion-kun." The prince's peaceful eyes looked upon the insect Vengeance.

Jaws clicking together rapidly in mindless fear, the monster drew weakly. ("Wait…Prince forget about Antlion face-down monster. That Antlion's Man-Eater Bug, that destroy Marrow.") The Vengeance drew, as did Rysel through the effect of Appropriate. "Antlion finish this now! Antlion no want to die!"

Rysel, eyes closed again, bobbed his head to sounds only he could hear.

"Antlion activate magic card Pot of Greed." The Vengeance drew two cards and then motioned to its set monster. "Reveal Man-Eater Bug." (450/600) "When monster flip summoned, destroy one monster."

"Reverse card open," Rysel sang out. "Blood of Hades activates when you target my field, hand or deck with an effect. That effect is directed back to you." The Man-Eater Bug bit its own leg and exploded.

"…Not done!" Antlion snapped up a different card. "Antlion activate Monster Reborn, revive Tiger Beetle!" The striped bug reappeared on its field. (1800/1300) "Antlion play Axe of Despair, power up Beetle by 1000!" (2800/1300) "Beetle attack Marrow!" Its insect monster howled and charged.

"Reverse card open." Rysel's other set card flipped up. "Blood of Persephone negates your attack and deals you the attack of your monster in damage."

"Antlion knew that come, so Antlion set counter trap!" The insectoid's face-down card flipped up. "Seven Tools of Bandit…" It gagged in surprise as the card melted into a puddle of blood.

Rysel, eyes still closed and head still bobbing, held up a card from his hand. "Blood of Styx, when discarded from my hand, negates a trap you activate and destroys it. Also, you take 1000 points of damage."

Antlion roared in pain as the bloody puddle created from its trap suddenly formed into a spear of the same substance that stabbed a hole in its gut. Moments later it was filled with needles made of condensed blood as Blood of Persephone triggered its damage effect.

Antlion- 1200

Gauntlet- 0

Scout- 0

Alligator- 0

Rysel- 4000

Rysel started to hum in tune with his private concert, unable to hear the cries of anguish coming from the fatally injured Antlion.

"Antlion…" The insectoid dropped to one knee. "End turn…now…" It was strong, but damage it had suffered was great.

Rysel opened his eyes calmly and drew. "Very well then, I draw." He held up his drawn card. "The magic card Bloody Charge lets me remove monsters from my graveyard to power up one Blood Empire ship card I have in play by 400 per card." Blood God and Blood of Helios left his graveyard. (1500/2800) "Marrow, if you'd be so kind." (500/2800) The ship belched out a blast of energy that pierced the Tiger Beetle and shattered it.

Antlion- 200

Gauntlet- 0

Scout- 0

Alligator- 0

Rysel- 4000

Antlion let out a gargling noise of pain, its claws trying to cover the burning hole in its stomach that had come from the laser blast. "Master…"

"From my hand I activate the magic card Phoenix Array Shot." Rysel glanced up at his starship, which brought all of its weapons to bear on Antlion. "By sacrificing all of my Marrow's attack points, I will end it."

Antlion let out one last guttural groan of pain before it was swallowed up in a burning storm of laser fire, what little remained of it being something similar to charcoal.

Antlion- 0

Gauntlet- 0

Scout- 0

Alligator- 0

Rysel- 4000

Rysel exhaled and removed the earphones, putting them in the pocket of his trenchcoat. He turned to see that a blue-ponytailed man was standing at the entrance to his recreation room. "Ah, it's Chansen." He smiled calmly and walked up the sweating spy. "I must thank you again for this ipod, it is such an excellent method to let me listen to the sound of the beautiful harps I love so much."

"You're very welcome, milord Rysel." His blue eyes quivering in terror of the destructive power he had just watched, the spy bowed his head to his Prince. "I have come with information concerning what you wished to know about Earth."

"Excellent." Rysel clapped his hands together and walked out of his recreation room happily. "Come Chansen, I wish to hear all about it over some lunch."

"Yes sire." Chansen glanced back into the room for a few moments, shuddered in fear once more, and then followed Prince Rysel swiftly.

_To be continued…_


	45. Dream's Powerup

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The following events occur at the same time as the duel between Griff and Anarchy, at least for the first parts.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 45: Dream's Power-Up 

"**Mega Ray!"** Valor Savior snapped his finger out and released a blast of dark green energy that Vortex Savior had to use all of his agility to avoid. "Come on Zaytel, you can do better than this!"

"Shut up!" The spiky-haired superhero rolled along the sandy beach and came up with his fists clenched, charging in towards the other Savior. "I'm stronger than you think!"

Flicking some of his hair out of his eyes, the Savior watched Vortex's straight charge with disdain. ("He's charging in like a fool,") Even as the purple-armored Savior blurred out of sight Valor was turning to point behind him. **"Mega Ray."**

"Gah!" Vortex dropped to his back to avoid taking the blast to the face. When he looked up he found an aquamarine-colored finger aimed at his forehead. "….I hate you so much."

"It isn't my fault that you're ridiculously predictable." Stretching his neck, the long-haired hero walked over towards the lagoon where he was currently camping out while he was staying at Duelist Academy. "Let's take a short break, maybe it will clear your head."

Grumbling, Vortex Savior stood up and followed.

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Chris skipped down the stone path towards the beach cheerfully, humming a little tune to herself. ("It's a beautiful day, so I wonder why Nikolai-san wants us to train during the afternoon.")

"_Huh? Why?" Chris blinked at her Russian comrade, who was speaking to her over the video feed on her PDA. "Why do we need to train today? I was going to find Erian-san and…"_

"_There's no time for any of that." Nikolai glared at her through the little window on the PDA screen. "At the current moment none of us are strong enough to beat any of the Vengeances that Rysel has sent against us so far, and I still don't trust that fool Pilkington to handle it all by himself."_

("He's worrying too much about it. Besides, what is training going to do for us besides wear us out?") Then again ever since she had gained her powers as a Savior it felt like no matter how hard she tried that she couldn't do anything against the monsters that kept showing up. ("Maybe I'm not supposed to be able to use the Infinity Dream? It might have come to me just because it sensed my love of the thing it represented…that could be it.")

-----------------------------------------

Nikolai poked the cooking fire he had set up a couple of times with a nearby piece of drift wood. "Dinner should be ready soon."

"This is idiotic!" Adriel grunted as he punched his fist against the stone cliff wall once more, sending tiny cracks into the hardened mineral's body. "Why do you just get to sit there and make food while I have to punch a huge hunk of stone?"

"I'm not the one who needs to improve the most." Nikolai stirred the stew he was cooking a little bit, before pulling the spoon out and taking a small sip to make sure it tasted alright. "Hmmm, it needs a little bit more salt."

Adriel glared at Nikolai's back for a few seconds before returning to punching the cliff wall with increased fervor. ("And I'm sure when a Vengeance shows up you can just offer it some cooking advice and it'll be glad to Good Shot without any of us needing to lift a finger…jerk…") "You know at least I'm stronger than Chris! That girl's abilities are abysmal!"

"It can't be helped though," Nikolai glanced at the Infinity Duty, catching some of the falling sunlight through the stone's surface. "I was informed that the Infinity Dream wasn't meant as a destructive weapon. Its purpose is defensive in nature. Mine is purely offensive, yours is meant to be the other offensive Source, and the Infinity Mind is both offensive and defensive in nature."

"And the last one?" Asked the half dragon demon, his next punch embedding itself in the stone.

"It is the Infinity Shield, another defensive Source. Apparently it gives the user access to a powerful shield technique that we'll need if we want to protect ourselves against the Blood Children's strongest attacks." Nikolai looked out at the sea. "Unfortunately the Infinity Duty and Illustrious have no clue where it is located in the world."

"You're telling me that the last Source is another defensive one?" Adriel spun around angrily. "That's ridiculous! So when we find it we're just going to have another Chris following us around? Why even bother?" He heard something from behind the rocks that blocked off the other end of the lagoon. "Who's there?"

"Hey Adriel-san and Nikolai-san!" Chris waved to the two boys right before she lost her balance and dropped out of sight in the middle of the rock pile.

"……" Adriel growled and punched the stone wall hard enough to send a piece of it flying past his face and skipping across the surface of the lagoon.

Nikolai groaned and face-palmed. "Zaytel, take her out and get her started."

"My pleasure." The half dragon demon sneered, showing one of his fangs. "I'll make her useful to us, even if it kills her in the process."

"Kill her and I kill you, just so you know." Nikolai muttered this though, since he doubted that Adriel would actually follow through on such an idea.

---------------------------------

"Alright, come at me." Vortex Savior pounded a fist against his chest. "Show me your best!"

"Alright!" Fantasy Savior summoned her duel disk and held up her other hand to summon her deck.

Vortex Savior growled and launched forward, his fist stopping an inch from her face. "Not in a duel. You can't expect all of the Vengeances we face to be nice enough to accept a duel challenge."

The female savior gulped loudly and her duel disk disappeared. "O…okay." Bringing her fists up, she hopped forward and threw a punch at his face.

Letting out another growl, the spiky-haired Savior slapped her half-hearted punch away with minimal ease and belted her in the gut with enough force to send her sliding back about five feet. "That was far too weak. If I was a Vengeance you would have spent that moment praying your armor was strong enough to withstand that blow."

"Ow…" Fantasy Savior rubbed her midsection. "That hurt, Adriel-san."

"I hope you're joking." He leapt forward and punched at her face, stopping the blow when he realized that she wasn't going to dodge it. "If this is the best you can do then the earth is doomed. Do you want that?"

"Of course not!" She said loudly, immediately wincing at the pain that came from the spot where he hit her the first time. "It's just that I never learned any martial arts like you or Nikolai-san."

"Then I guess I'll just teach you the basics…" Cracking his knuckles, Vortex Savior smiled darkly. "Keep in mind though that my father was my teacher, and he had little mercy for weakness."

Fantasy Savior gulped loudly.

------------------------------

_A couple of hours later…_

------------------------------

Erian kept his hands over his head, stretching up towards the dwindling day-lit sky. ("It's too bad Griff-san lost to Anarchy, but it's nice to know that another of my siblings is here at Duelist Academy.") He continued to walk down the stone path towards the beach where Nikolai had set up camp. ("I suppose I'll go see how Nikolai and Illustrious are doing. After all, Illustrious probably knows where the final Source is, and since Nikolai doesn't like Ichigo too much I'll be the messenger.") A loud explosion came from directly below him, followed by a gasp of pain. "Huh?"

-----------------------------------

Fantasy Savior felt dizzy, and her vision was swimming. That last strike had been to her face, and now she could see five Vortex Saviors. "Ow…"

"Pathetic…you haven't even been able to hit me when I'm not even guarding!" The spiky-haired Savior cracked his knuckles again, before glancing back at Nikolai. "Even after she got to eat dinner and got to warm-up for it, she still can't fight at all!"

The Russian duelist took another sip of his soda, sitting cross-legged on a nearby rock and watching the two. "Why are you telling me? I can tell from here that she can't take this kind of combat."

Wincing at the bruise that was on her right cheek, Fantasy Savior realized that Vortex wasn't even looking at her right now. ("This is my chance to counter-attack…")

Vortex Savior felt the air behind get disturbed and he side-kicked on reflex, catching the female savior in her side and sending her into a fireman's roll across the sand. "You actually had a clear opening and you missed? Would you prefer I blind-folded myself too?"

Clutching her side, Fantasy dropped to one knee after attempting to stand up. ("I can't see him very well now…") Her cheek started stinging again as it swelled up. "I…I…"

"I don't want to hear it!" He roared. "Do you think that I'm being too harsh about this? Do you think I'm being unreasonable? Well think again! Our world is the stake in this fight, and so far there are only four of us, with Ichigo being the only one who can take on a Vengeance on his own! Do you think we can leave everything in his hands? Do you?"

"Ichigo-san is strong…" She winced as her side started throbbing again. She wasn't used to pain like this, and it was starting to get to her.

Nikolai took another sip of his soda quietly. "If you continue this you might cause her permanent injury." When he noticed that he was being glared at he added, "I'm not ordering you to stop, I'm simply giving you that warning. I know how important it is that we be strong enough to defeat the Blood Children's minions."

"Good, because I'm not stopping yet!" Vortex Savior charged in…and suddenly he was tasting sand as all feeling left his legs.

"What's the matter with you?" Erian released his power's hold over the Savior and ran to Fantasy Savior's side. "And I'm talking to both of you! What is this accomplishing?"

"I'm simply watching these two; don't act like I'm the one hitting her." Nikolai finished his soda and placed it off to the side on a small rock.

"That doesn't excuse you from having a responsibility to stop this!" The Traveler glared at both of them. "Do you think beating Chris-san senseless is going to somehow make this situation better? Well?"

"If she can't even hold her own against me when I'm pulling my punches them what's the point of her being a Savior?" Vortex asked this evenly, no anger is his voice now. "Tell me just what purpose she'll serve when we get into a serious fight like when we battled Rysel's bodyguards." When no answer came he frowned. "This isn't a battle where you can be a distraction that runs around screaming your head off. And besides, we're the guardians of your siblings and you, so why are you complaining?"

"Because…because…" Erian looked confused and frustrated now. "Because…"

Vortex narrowed his eyes. "Step aside Erian, I'm continuing this until she either loses consciousness or hits me."

"I won't move." Erian stood his ground, hands at his sides. "Adriel, this isn't getting us anywhere. Nothing good will come of you trying to make Chris-san stronger this way…"

"For the love of Bahamut, just move already!" Vortex Savior suddenly gasped in pain as something hit him in the back of the head hard enough to drop him to his knees. A few moments later he felt something large shoot right over his back and crash to the beachside.

Nikolai, who had thrown the rock which had hit Vortex Savior in the back of head, glared at the humanoid form that stood bathed in the last rays of the sun. "Don't lose your guard like that, Zaytel, or else you'll get hit by surprise attacks like that."

The male humanoid form turned slowly to reveal a face covered by a metallic helmet and visor. "Rush…" It was covered from head to toe in stainless steel, giving its whole frame a very seamless appearance.

Erian growled at the Vengeance and then glanced nervously at Fantasy Savior. "This isn't good…apparently Rysel has decided to start letting his Vengeances actively seek us out."

Cursing under his breath, Vortex Savior stood up and snarled at Nikolai. "Hey jerk, hurry up and transform. No help is going to come from…" His eyes widened as Rush disappeared. "Where did…" Something cracked into the back of his skull and he went hurtling into the ocean.

Nikolai scoffed and kicked up a cloud of dust in front of him using his sneaker. ("I guess its name represents its powers…I barely caught its movements.") **"Awaken, Soul of Duty!"** Then he disappeared within a sphere of dark green light.

--------------------------------

Within his orb, Nikolai was surrounded by thousands of crisscrossing rays of dark green light. All at once those beams shot straight through him, creating an explosion of dark green light. From within the smoke created by that sudden violent action a long black-haired young man with sea-green eyes emerged, an aquamarine bodysuit covering his body. Snapping up his arms, he braced himself as another wave of dark green lasers slammed into his body, forming same-colored segments of armor around his body.

-----------------------------------

Emerging from the orb, Valor Savior narrowed his eyes at the Vengeance. "Come on, I'm your opponent."

Rush aimed his helmet's visor at the dark green Savior, then over at Fantasy Savior and Erian. ("I was ordered to eliminate the rainbow-colored refugee if I could.")

("It doesn't look like I'm its opponent.") Snapping up his finger, the long-haired Savior aimed at Rush's exposed back. **"Mega Ray!"** A blast of dark green light shot from the tip of his finger, burning into the sand where the Vengeance had been moments before. ("It's too fast…")

Erian's eyes widened as the steel-colored Vengeance disappeared. ("Where did it…") Something locked around his throat and he was hauled off of his feet, the air being crushed out of his neck as his windpipe had a metallic arm pressed against it roughly.

Rush, holding Erian in a choke-hold, tilted his visor to look at Valor Savior. "Will you try firing? With my speed I can easily make sure your attack hits him instead of me."

Lowering his finger, the Savior glanced over at the sopping wet Vortex Savior who joined him. "I hope you enjoyed your swim, as now we've got a bit of a hostage situation on our hands."

Rush continued to apply pressure Erian's neck, waiting for that snapping noise. ("Lord Rysel will reward me immensely for…") The Vengeance suddenly was back-first against the stone wall of the Cliffside, something pushing into its stomach roughly.

Erian dropped to his knees and gasped for air as Fantasy Savior tackled the Vengeance off of him. "Ch…ris…"

Valor Savior lifted up his finger and aimed for the Vengeance's head. **"Mega…"**

Rush snapped his knee up with incredible force, catching Fantasy Savior in the chin and sending her stumbling away from him. "Foolish…" Then he disappeared.

Vortex and Valor both caught glimpses of steel before they were on the ground, pain burning through their whole bodies from a huge number of hits taken in a very short amount of time.

Rush appeared in front of the kneeling Valor Savior. "You can't hit me with your little trick, can you?" The Vengeance kicked him in the face and sent him crashing into the rock he had been sitting on.

"**Empty…"** Vortex Savior gathered the power for his ball, preparing to suck the monster to its end.

Erian felt a strong wind blow past him, and then a loud explosion came from the Cliffside wall.

Rush removed his hand from the throat of the spiky-haired hero, who was now embedded in the wall thanks to being carried there via superspeed express. "That was fairly easy. I suppose without Starlight Savior the three of you are pretty much nothing." He turned to look at Erian's back. "Now then, where was I?" Suddenly he turned and kicked Vortex Savior in the stomach, listening to the sound of the hero's armor cracking. "That was just in case you were still awake enough to fight me. Now I'll take care of the little rainbow refugee and earn my reward from Lord Rysel."

"No…" Fantasy Savior stood up, tears in her eyes as she fought through the pain that blow to the chin had caused her neck. "I won't let you hurt Erian-san."

Rush tilted his visor to look over at her…and then he was standing a few inches away. "You can't be serious," He said incredulously as he launched forward and drove a punch into her armored stomach.

The female hero gasped in pain and crumpled forwards, the speed behind the punch turning it into something like getting hit by a jackhammer. However, she did not go limp or lose consciousness. ("Adriel-san was right. I have to be strong. The world is depending on us.")

Rush hmphed and landed a three-punch combo on her jaw, but she still didn't fall. "You're awfully stubborn…" He disappeared as a beam of light flew past the point where he had been standing. A few moments later Valor Savior could be heard grunting in pain and then the Vengeance appeared back in front of her. "As I was saying, you're awfully stubborn aren't you?"

Erian tried to yell at Fantasy Savior, to tell her to run, to fall, to do something other than stand there and take those hits. ("I can't concentrate…but I need my powers now more than ever!") A sudden image of a very dead Chris appeared in his mind. ("If I use my powers like I am right now, I'll stop the life of everything in a fifty foot radius of the Vengeance.")

Rush adjusted the girl Savior's face so she was looking at him, and then he uppercutted her brutally. And still she didn't fall. ("I'm hitting her with my full strength…why isn't she falling?")

Stumbling back, Fantasy Savior suddenly felt the pain disappear as she was enveloped by a pillar of red and pink light. When that light disappeared Chris dropped to her butt on the sand, completely unharmed. "Huh?" She stared at her ring and eeped as the Infinity Dream shattered. "Now? Now?"

Rush crossed his arms across his chest. "It looks like you're out of luck, missy." He lifted up one fist calmly.

Erian's eyes widened in terror. ("At the speed he punches he'll tear her head off!") "R…run…Chri…"

"It's a bit late for that, don't you think?" Rush drove his fist forward, and blinked in surprise as it stopped inches from her face. "Huh?"

Hand outstretched, Erian prayed that either Adriel or Nikolai woke up now to help Chris. It was taking all of his remaining strength to stop the Vengeance.

Chris scrambled to her feet and ran over towards Valor Savior's body. "Nikolai-san, wake up! My Source broke and…and…" She could already tell that he was out cold. "…we're doomed."

Rush turned his head to look at Erian. "Well then, my friend, it looks like I'll kill you first so you can't do that again." His right fist started to spin rapidly, building up kinetic force. "Since you can negate stuff, I'll have to make this a punch I normally reserve for cutting through steel."

Erian watched the Vengeance's approach weakly, his vision darkening with every passing moment. ("I'm done for, but maybe Chris-san can get away now. After all, what threat is she to him as a normal girl?") With that one last thought he passed out, falling face-first into the sand.

"Wake up!" Chris slapped the long-haired hero across the face repeatedly. "Wake up wake up wake up wake up!" She still got no response. "Please, save Erian-san! Wake up!"

Rush wound up to strike right through Erian's skull. "I won't leave it to chance, so I'll liquefy you with this hit. Sorry, it's gonna hurt a lot."

"Fix yourself!" Chris, holding the empty ring that had held the Infinity Dream, shook the tiny object repeatedly. "Why did you break now? Why now? How can I protect dreams if I don't have your power?"

Rush thrust his fist down at Erian…

"How can I protect Erian without your power?" Chris blinked in surprise as the ring exploded in a flash of light, sending a spray of glowing golden shards into Rush's back.

Gasping in pain, the Vengeance stumbled forward past Erian's body and collapsed to the sand. A few moments later a huge explosion sent sand spraying everywhere as his charged up punch released its energy into the ground.

Chris stared stupidly at where the ring had been. "Huh?"

**_("Child, do not despair.")_** A peaceful female voice echoed in her head. **_("I felt your desire to fight, and I apologize for leaving you as you were. However, I needed time to become one with you.")_**

Chris' eyes widened as the ring, plus Infinity Dream, appeared on her finger once more. Its stone was much brighter and cleaner cut, and the ring itself was much more elaborate design that before.

Rush hopped to his feet angrily. "You little bit…" He turned and blinked at the fact that Chris was now facing him. "What's with that look, huh? What are you going to do without your Source?"

She held up the ring and smirked at the gasp she elicited from the Vengeance. **"Emerge, Dreamer's Soul."** Then she disappeared within a burning orb of pink and red energy.

----------------------------------

Within her orb, Chris was surrounded on all sides by glittering rainbow-colored clouds. One by one they surrounded her body, forming into the shape of a flying angel with her hidden in its center. Then they dissipated to reveal an older girl wearing a pink bodysuit, her red eyes shining enthusiastically. Segments of bright red armoring appeared on her limbs and body one by one in a burst of red light. Striking a pose she smiled sweetly as a pair of armored bright red armor shoulder-pads appeared on her, and then from that point a cape of glittering cherry red material formed, growing down to her knees and finishing itself in a burst of light.

------------------------------------

The orb shuddered and exploded, spraying red and pink light everywhere.

Rush lowered his arm, which he had brought up to guard his face from the blinding explosion. "So what, you got your powers back. That doesn't change a…"

"Hold on, big boy…" Fantasy Savior flourished her cape in front of her and giggled. "Ooooo, I like it! Do you think it might be better if the cape was pink though?"

"Why are you asking me for fashion advice?" Screamed the Vengeance. "Forget it, I'm punching your head off!" He launched forward, and punched right at her head….only to find himself flying backwards with cracks appearing along his visor. ("Impossible…I hit her! I know I did!")

Fantasy Savior giggled and waved her hand dismissively at the monster as it crashed along the ground. "Did you hit yourself?" Suddenly she tilted her head off to the side, listening intently to something. "Oh! You mean I did that?"

Rush leapt to his feet, his fists shaking with building kinetic force. "I'll kill you! No one makes a fool of me!" Then he charged at her again, fists outstretched to hit her with a double-strike.

"You really shouldn't do that!" Fantasy Savior winced as Rush's fists touched her cheeks, stopped immediately, and his chest caved inwards. "I tried to warn you. Apparently my Pacifist's Way got an upgrade. Now it reflects any damage done to me back at you."

Rush gasped in pain and stumbled backwards, unable to draw breath. His own force had crushed his lungs inwards like a pair of balloons.

The female savior snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah, now's good of a time as any to strike the final blow!" She clapped her hands together happily. "Yay! I get to try out my attack!"

"Wha…" The Vengeance tried to charge again, but he no longer had the strength.

Holding out her right hand, Fantasy Savior focused her energies into her palm. A bright pink light exploded from there, and she charged right at Rush. "Here I come!"

Rush managed to throw one punch, aiming for her face…

Elbowing the blow aside, the female Savior pressed her palm against the Vengeance's helmet. **"Lullaby Touch!"**

Rush's visor exploded outwards, expelling a spray of bright pink light. **"Good…shot…"** The now empty husk of metallic armor dissolved into a pile of dust at Fantasy Savior's feet.

Erian's eyes opened just in time to see Fantasy Savior hopping up and down happily, cheering about how she beat the monster all by herself. ("Good job…Chris…")

-----------------------------

"She beat the monster…" Adriel began.

"…On her own?" Nikolai finished.

Erian nodded, and then smiled at Chris, who was standing next to him with a giant smirk on her face. "That's right. Ichigo didn't show up, she took care of the Vengeance on her own with her new attack."

Nikolai shrugged and walked off. "I don't doubt it. Anyway, I guess Chris doesn't have to come here for training anymore if she can take down a Vengeance on her own."

Adriel sighed at the expectant look on Chris' face. "Fine, you're not useless! I hope you're happy to hear it, because I'm not saying it again." Turning, he stomped off after Nikolai. "I will not let her be stronger than I am! I refuse to allow it! Come on you jerk, let's get back to training!"

Chris skipped in a full circle until she was facing Erian. "Thank you very much."

"Huh?" The Traveler blushed and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I didn't do anything except become a liability and…"

She leaned in and kissed him before skipping off down the beach. "You helped more than you know," she sang out. "Now let's go find Ichigo-san. I'm sure he'll be happy to find out that I beat the monster." She repeated that last part over and over again, turning it into her little song.

Erian, cheeks glowing red, sighed and ran after her. ("Why do I have the feeling like she's going to be happy about this for a long time…")

_To be continued…_


	46. Plans of a Wouldbe Mad Scientist

Masami Morioka sighed and rubbed his eyes with his hands. "It's so close to completion, all I need now is for Anarchy to hurry up and show me where the last things I need are." Standing up from the seat at his desk, the Ra Yellow student put his glasses back on and knelt down in front of his bed.

Pulling out the small metallic strongbox he kept his most precious possessions in, Masami undid the five locks and flipped it open. Placing something inside carefully, he relocked the whole thing and pushed it back under the bed. "Now all of my careful planning will come to fruition!" Leaping to his feet he started laughing maniacally, his glasses glowing with reflected light.

This continued on for a few minutes, until he realized that someone was knocking on his door. "Oh, who could that be?" He opened the door and smiled at Anarchy. "Hello there, my associate! How…"

Right eye twitching, the Traveler punched the human in the face. "You left me out there for ten minutes listening to your stupid laughing."

"Sorry…" Masami, now on the ground with his glasses broken, twitched a couple of times.

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Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 46: Plans of a Would-Be Mad Scientist

With the moon shining on his back Masami readjusted his spare pair of glasses and looked at the cave entrance that sat before him. "This is the place, huh?"

"Yup." Anarchy looked behind them and down the side of the mountain. "Are you sure we have to go tonight? I can get into the place without any problems but the security system won't allow you in without a fight."

"It's fine." One of Masami's scarlet eyes could be seen through his thick glass lenses, while he kept that quirky little smile of his going. "You did place the device that I gave you into the proper point, correct?"

"Yeah but…" The Traveler frowned worriedly. "Masami, this is Blood Children technology you're messing with. They put in lots of dangerous fail-safes, like the Darkness Game generators. Without a doubt, the computer on that thing is going to lock you into a Darkness Game of its choice. What if it doesn't choose to duel you? What if it chooses something like an astral physics quiz instead?"

"Then it'll be a sad day…" Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the green-haired boy walked past his alien friend and into the cave. "…because that means I'll get my prize without much of a challenge."

--------------------------

They entered into a small cavern that bottle-necked to a large crimson-colored metallic door. Without hesitating Masami walked towards the door, stopping when he saw lights along the portal activate. **_"Warning Citizen; This is a restricted area. Leave or face severe consequences."_**

Masami chuckled and let his glasses slide down enough to reveal his eyes and the amusement behind them. "I still don't get why they thought that kind of initial warning system would stop any intruders." He took another step forward and cleared his throat, announcing the following loudly, "The Almighty Masami-sama has come to play a little game."

The lights on the portal's front flickered a few times. **_"You have a Bankai after all, don't you?"_**

Reaching into his blazer, the green-haired boy removed a small paper fan and flipped it open in front of his face. "No way! A mere handsome perverted businessman like myself? The very idea of having a Bankai would be preposterous!"

The door made a few beeping noises. **_"Program online, initiating Operation Masami is Awesome."_**

Anarchy rolled his eyes and watched from the far end of the cavern quietly. "I still don't get why you had me put that thing in place. All it did was turn up the skill of the computer's defense system."

"**_Chosen game is Duel Monsters, creating deck type. Selecting deck type number four…"_**

Masami removed his glasses, not really caring about keeping up his image since he and Anarchy were alone in here. "It's simple, my dear Anarchy…" Closing the fan and returning it to his blazer, he held up his duel disk and activated the device. "I don't want to get this prize through a shallow and easy win. Computer, hacker fish three." When the portal beeped in response to the code he smirked. "What is your current duelist level?"

"_**Current deck and AI level is considered to be Pro-Level. This AI program is from an unknown but accepted source, do you wish to change it?"**_

"No." Masami had no desire to duel inferior Blood Child AI which had no idea how to duel. "Besides Anarchy, after having to hold back against Ichigo-san I feel rather antsy to use my actual deck, and not that silly Alien deck I threw together the night before. Duel!"

Computer- 4000

Masami- 4000

"Draw card." Six huge holographic cards appeared in front of the portal in the wall. "I summon one monster in face-down defense mode, and then I place one card face-down on the field. End turn." A pair of cards appeared on its field.

"Draw." Masami fanned out his hand casually. "This should be a good start for this duel. I summon Genetic Soldier in attack mode." (1000/1000) A human appeared on his field, its body covered in patches of metal armoring. "This monster, when summoned, lets me add one card with DNA Helix in its title from my deck to my hand." Removing a card from his deck he winked at the inanimate machine. "Let me give you a little kiss with this continuous magic card. I activate DNA Helix-Bull!"

A card with a picture of a DNA Helix with the silhouette in its background appeared on his field. "This card lets me select one Genetic named monster on my field upon activation. As long as this card remains in play the monster I selected gains 700 attack points. Also that monster's type changes to beast-warrior and its attribute becomes earth."

His Genetic Soldier lets out a roar of anger before exploding in size, transforming into a combination of bull and human. (1700/1000) "Attack the set monster now!"

"Activate trap card." The door beeped a couple of times and its face-down card flipped up. "Chaos Barrier allows me to discard a dark or light attribute monster from my deck to my graveyard. During this turn all of your attacks are negated." A monster card appeared on its field (Reflect Bounder/Light/4/Machine/1700/1000/When this monster is attacked, before damage calculation, deal your opponent the attack of their monster in damage) and then disappeared into its unseen graveyard slot.

Masami watched his monster trample the computer's set monster. "It doesn't matter, as the effect of my DNA Helix card prevents you from negating attacks while it is affecting one of my monsters."

"Face-down monster's effect activates." A black and purple train appeared on its field and then exploded. "Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive's special ability is that when it is flipped up I draw one card." A card appeared alongside the other four floating in front of it.

"I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn." Masami smiled to the computer. "Come then, everything is set. If that deck is really professional level then I don't expect to be able to attack like I just did again."

"Draw." The portal's lights flickered and Dekoichi and Reflect Bounder appeared on its field. "I remove one light monster and one dark monster from my graveyard to summon Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning." The two monsters disappeared and were replaced by a mighty-looking warrior. (3000/2500) "Black Luster Soldier, attack Genetic Soldier. Blade of Legend!" Yelling out a battle cry the warrior launched forward and slashed through Masami's monster, shattering it.

Computer- 4000

Masami- 2700

"Black Luster's special ability allows it to attack once more when it destroys a monster as a result of battle with its first attack." The computer beeped a couple more times while the Black Luster Soldier lifted its sword to cut through Masami's body.

The scarlet-eyed youth watched the falling blade stop inches from his face. "Reverse card open." His face-down card flipped up. "Genetic Manipulation lets me force the effect of one monster on the field. I cannot use this card until the target monster has destroyed at least one monster as a result of battle though." He watched as the Envoy dissolved into nothingness. "The second effect of Black Luster Soldier is that it can remove one monster in play from the game. I choose for it to select itself."

"Activate quickplay magic card Dimension Burial." One of the computer's cards flipped over. "This returns all of my removed from play monsters to my graveyard. After that I remove Black Luster Soldier and Dekoichi from the game to summon Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End." A huge bone-masked dragon appeared on the field and howled loudly. (3000/2500) "Chaos Emperor Dragon's special ability triggers now. By…"

"Hold on there, my hasty electronic friend." The green-haired boy held up one of his hand cards. "From my hand I activate the effect of the magic card Cryostasis. This card triggers when you summon a monster. By discarding it from my hand you are unable to activate that monster's effect during this turn." Sliding the card into his graveyard he wagged an index finger at the machine. "I don't have to tell you that means you won't be able to finish me off with your Envoy this turn."

"…." The computer beeped and another of its cards flipped over. "Activate Primal Seed. This magic card can only be activated when Chaos Emperor Dragon or Black Luster Soldier are in play. I may add two removed from the game cards to my hand." The Dekoichi and Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning cards appeared in front of it. Both of them then flipped over and shuffled up amongst the other cards in its hand. "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Masami drew and inserted a card into his disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Genetic Recorder. While this card is in play I can return any DNA Helix named card on my field to my hand to draw one card." He motioned to his DNA Helix-Bull, which still remained in play. "Obviously that is my choice." The card disappeared back into his hand and he drew another card.

Anarchy adjusted his back against the rock he was using for a seat and smiled. ("This is why I love hanging out with Masami. He's such a bizarre human. He makes the prize he wants harder to get to so it'll taste sweeter when he earns it. I've never seen a human, Blood Child, or any of my fellow refugees do such a thing before.")

"I suppose this guy will have to do." Masami held up a card. "When I have no monsters in play and you have a monster in play with at least 2500 or more attack points I can normal summon this monster without sacrifice." A horse-sized furless dog appeared on his field and howled loudly. "This is my cute little Genetic Chimera, and when he's summoned I add two DNA Helix cards from my deck to my hand." (2200/1800)

After a few moments of looking through his deck Masami had the perfect candidates to use in his hand. "First I activate the field magic card Genetics Laboratory!" The stony surfaces around them changed to steel, while giant clear tubes rose from the floor to the ceiling. "As long as this card is in play all Genetic named monsters on my field gain 400 attack points for every DNA Helix card targeting them. And with that done I'll play these three cards!"

The first card brought a roar of pain out of his monster's muzzle as it grew a pair of huge bull horns. "DNA Helix-Bull increases the attack of the targeted monster by 700, turns it into a beast-warrior along with an earth attribute. Also, as I'm sure you remember while this card is up on my field you can't negate my attacks." (2900/1800)

It didn't stop there, his monster howling horribly as giant draconic wings exploded out of its back. "Next is DNA Helix-Dragon, which adds 500 attack points to my monster, changes it to a dragon type, and gives it the wind attribute. Also when it attacks I can select one magic or trap card and destroy it. That card cannot activate its effect in chain." (3400/1800)

Gnashing its teeth together, the howling chimera's eyes changed to a deep grey color and its furless body became scaly. "My final card is DNA Helix-Basilisk. This card doesn't increase my pet's attack strength but it does make him a reptile and an earth attribute monster. Plus it now has the effect which says that any monster it battles with is given a Stone Counter. Any monster with a Stone Counter cannot use its effect, switch modes, or attack. Also when a monster with a Stone Counter is destroyed the controller takes 500 points of damage."

Masami stepped up to the side of his monster and patted its side gently. "There there precious, that didn't hurt did it?" When the monster turned and nuzzled its snout against his chest he smiled and patted its head. "Oh yeah, Genetics Laboratory powers up my Chimera by 1200 attack points." (4600/1800) Returning to his spot on the field, the scarlet-eyed boy snapped his fingers. "Sic'em." Even though he wasn't looking he had to smile at the roars of pain as his monster tore the Chaos Emperor Dragon apart. "Oh yes, and your set trap card was destroyed when I attacked…not that you didn't already figure that out. End turn."

Computer- 2400

Masami- 2700

The portal thrummed with energy now. "Draw." A card appeared alongside its current three. "I remove Chaos Emperor Dragon and Reflect Bounder from my graveyard to summon Black Luster Soldier!" The mighty Envoy reappeared in a blast of light. (3000/2500) "I activate its second effect, removing your Chimera from the game." Its warrior aimed the point of its sword at the roaring genetic beast and fired a beam of light that pierced the Chimera's chest and blew into nothingness.

"Genetics Laboratory triggers its other effect." Masami drew a card. "When a Genetic named monster on my field is destroyed or removed from the game I draw one card."

One of the computer's other cards flipped over to reveal Dekoichi. "I summon Dekoichi in attack mode." (1400/1100) "During the turn it triggers its removal effect the Black Luster Soldier cannot attack. However, Dekoichi will attack your life points directly!" The train charged forwards and stopped a few feet from Masami's body, spraying him with scalding steam. "Also I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Computer- 2400

Masami- 1300

Masami brushed himself off indignantly. "I see what this deck is now. It's a Chaos Cycle deck that only requires one light and one dark in the graveyard to allow you to endlessly use the two Envoys." Then he drew. "However, against me such a mild strategy won't work. First I use the effect of Genetic Recorder to return DNA Helix-Basilisk from my field to my hand." He pulled the named card out of his disk and then drew a card. "And now I activate Pot of Greed, drawing two cards."

"Hey Masami, can you hurry this up please?" Anarchy had finished pacing from one wall of the cavern to the other at least 500 times.

"Please be patient. Like an artist making a masterpiece, I need the perfect mood." Masami held up a magic card. "I activate Giant Trunade to return all magic and traps on the field to their owner's hands." His field magic card and his three continuous magic cards returned to his hand.

The computer's set card disappeared back into its hand. "At this time my trap card activates." The card flipped over to a picture of a treasure map. "The trap card Treasure Map lets me discard this card and draw two cards." Two new cards appeared in place of its revealed trap.

"Good for you." Masami slid a card into his disk slot. "I place one card face-down and then I'll summon Dark Doppelganger." A blob of black slime appeared on his field. (?) "This monster discards one card from my hand when it is summoned, but first let me explain its full effect. At this time it copies one monster on your field, effects and all." The blob formed into an exact copy of Black Luster Soldier. (3000/2500)

"And now I'll explain the effect of this card." Masami held up the card he was discarding to the effect of Dark Doppelganger. "This is called Safety Unlock, and its effect triggers when it is discarded from my hand by an effect. I select one set card on the field, and if that card is a trap then during this turn it can be activated." He inserted the magic card into his graveyard. "Obviously I'm choosing the only face-down trap on the field, my own. And now, Dark Doppelganger, copy the double attack effect of Black Luster Soldier and destroy his monsters!" His copy Envoy launched forwards and slashed through the train, following up by clashing swords with the real Black Luster Soldier and exploding. "And then I trigger the card Safety Unlock affected."

Computer- 800

Masami- 1300

The face-down card flipped up and spat out five blobs of grey slimy matter. "Amoeba Reproduction triggers when a monster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle. This card special summons five Amoeba Tokens which cannot be sacrificed." (0/0)x5

Glancing at the remaining cards in his hand, Masami realized he lacked any kind of defensive traps. "I place three cards face-down on my field." Three cards flashed into existence on his field. "And then I play Emergency Provisions, sacrificing those three cards to gain 3000 life points." As quickly as the cards appeared, they disappeared.

Computer- 800

Masami- 4300

"And finally I play the continuous magic card Damage-Off Zone. While this continuous card is in play all battle damage to our life points is cut in half. End turn." Even though he was making all of these preparations on a hunch, Masami knew better than to ignore his gut when it was trying to warn him of something.

"Draw." The Computer beeped once and flipped over one of its cards. "I activate Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." Now it had five cards in its hand. "I activate another Dimension Burial, returning Chaos Emperor Dragon and Reflect Bounder to my graveyard. With these preparations complete, I play the magic card Dragon's Mirror. This allows me to remove monsters from my graveyard to special summon a dragon type fusion monster."

("I was right…") Masami clenched his fist closed tightly. ("It's going to summon that monster.")

"I remove Chaos Emperor Dragon and Black Luster Soldier from the graveyard to summon Master of Chaos Knight." The Black Luster Soldier riding atop the back of the Chaos Emperor Dragon appeared on the Computer's field. (3000/3000) "At this time I activate its effect. Once per turn Master of Chaos Knight may destroy all defense mode monsters on your field at the cost of one card from my hand."

Masami grimaced as his five Amoeba Tokens exploded.

"And now I attack directly! Chaos Galaxy Crusher!" The Black Luster Soldier and Chaos Emperor Soldier unleashed a pair of powerful energy blasts that razed across the ground until it reached Masami, burying him in its burning power.

"Masami!" Anarchy stared at the flaming silhouette of his ally. ("This is a darkness game, so even though the effect of Damage-Off Zone cuts the actual damage of all attacks in half he'll still feel the full strength of the blow!")

Computer- 800

Masami- 2800

The fire of the attack died to reveal Masami. His yellow blazer was half-burned away, and smoke was rising from his body. Gritting his teeth he watched the Envoy combo charging up their attacks again. "You can discard a card from your hand to let it attack again." Then he disappeared within another burning pair of blasts.

Computer- 800

Masami- 1300

"I discard the last card from my hand to allow Master of Chaos Knight to attack your life points one more time." The computer beeped loudly while its monster released another blast of power.

Masami, his yellow jacket completely burned away to reveal his smoldering black undershirt, narrowed his eyes as the blast dissipated into nothing. "Damage-Off Zone lets me send it to my graveyard and pay half of my life points to bring one instance of battle damage to zero!" The continuous magic card faded off of his field.

Computer- 800

Masami- 650

"End turn." The computer continued its quiet beeping.

("Could this be the end for me?") Masami looked at the Genetics Laboratory and DNA Helix-Basilisk cards in his hand. "Not a chance," he responded out loud before drawing. "From my hand I activate the magic card Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two." Following the effect of the card, he saw his chance to win now. "I place two cards face-down on the field and then reactivate Genetics Laboratory. End turn." All around them the field returned to cold steel.

"Draw. Master of Chaos Knight, attack his life points directly!" The computer's monster charged up for the last strike. "Chaos Galaxy Crusher!" The Soldier and Dragon both unleashed their attacks together.

"Reverse card open!" One of Masami's set cards flipped up. "If I can't beat you with my Genetics, I'll beat you with the other strategy of my deck! The continuous trap card Cosplay Agenda targets one monster in play and equips to it, raising its attack by 500 points! Also, that monster's name gets the words Anime tacked onto it!" The Master of Chaos Knight shimmered and changed appearances, the Chaos Emperor Dragon painted to look like a Blue-Eyes White Dragon and the Black Luster Soldier dressed up like the Dark Magician. (3500/3000)

The computer beeped loudly. "The attack is still successful, you lose."

"Don't underestimate the power of an Otaku!" Masami's other set card flipped up and a huge number of teenage girls appeared on the field between him and the no-longer attacking Anime Master of Chaos Knight.

"Does not compute…" The computer sweatdropped.

Masami gasped in mock surprise and pointed at the Anime Master of Chaos Knight dramatically. "Hey, isn't that Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes White Dragon?"

"He's right!" One of the girls said, and like a flood the whole mob of them poured forwards and encircled the monster. A number of them starting climbing up the back of the painted dragon and hugging the disguised Black Luster Soldier as well. All of them continued to chatter amongst themselves, swarming the body of the dragon and its rider like ants.

"This…makes…no…sense…" Smoke started rising from the portal's body.

"Don't you get it yet?" Masami closed his eyes and tapped the side of his head to indicate it was obvious. "My second trap card targets one monster in play that has Anime in its name and destroys it. Afterwards you take that monster's attack in damage." His eyes opened. "That trap's name is Fangirl Riot!" As if on cue the envoy combo exploded, as did the locks on the door's body.

Computer- 0

Masami- 650

The field faded away and a pair of cute girls in bunny outfits appeared on both sides of Masami, clapping. "Congratulations Masami-sama!"

Taking a shallow bow, the green-haired boy removed his glasses from his pocket and put them back on. "So Anarchy, shall we?"

"Yeah yeah, you big ham…" Shoving his hands into his pockets, the Traveler walked right through one of the female holograms. "Why did you program those two in?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Masami walked after his ally. "After all, soon my work will come to fruition!" He started his evil laughter again….and because he wasn't looking where he was going walked right one of the cave walls. "Ow…."

_To be continued…_


	47. Early Saturday Morning

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX or the new OC to this chapter.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 47: Early Saturday Morning

The sun rose slowly on the horizon, bringing with it a new dawn. It was a serene feeling, an instance of time where nothing could go wrong. Such was the beauty of a Saturday morning.

The Obelisk Blue dorm, bathed in the rays of the rising sun, appeared like some kind of castle from a fantasy story. Or at least it did to Krieger's eyes. ("Then again considering what I'm reading, I suppose such thoughts aren't really unusual.")

As he always did, Krieger had woken up at five in the morning and had taken a walk up along the hills near the Obelisk Blue dorm. How could he sleep when there was so much to see and do in nature?

Flipping through the pages of the novel that sat in front of him, the half cat demon truly appreciated just how beautiful the forest was. ("Back at the Southern Lights Academy all we had was snow and tundra to look at.") It was a lovely day, and considering it was a weekend that meant he didn't have any studying that needed to be done. ("I suppose once Ichigo and Griff wake up we'll figure out something to do.")

"Hey! You up there!" A voice from down the trail yelled.

"Hm?" Closing his book and standing up, Krieger brushed his jeans off and looked down the dirt trail. About forty feet away there was a student in a Ra Yellow uniform waving to him. "Good morning!" He returned the wave. "Can I help you with something?"

"Are you Krieger Reinhardt?" The Ra Yellow student, his features difficult to make out at this distance, yelled up at the half cat demon. When Krieger nodded he let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. Listen, would you mind dueling me?"

Krieger sweatdropped at how silly they must have seemed yelling at each other like this. "Hold on." He walked down the trail until he was about twenty feet from the Duelist Academy student. "Is there any particular reason you wanted to duel me?"

The Ra Yellow, a lanky boy with long black hair and light green eyes, chuckled. "Well I heard that a famous idol was attending the academy and I felt like taking a walk…and then I came across you. So I decided it would be a good idea to take this chance and duel you."

Krieger smiled cheerfully, remembering that he was a celebrity and that he had keep up a good image for his fans. "I'd love to. Shall we duel here then, Mr…?"

"Oh!" The boy chuckled again. "My name is Sheldon Juarez!"

"Well then Sheldon…" Krieger reached behind his back, underneath his fur-lined overcoat, and pulled out his duel disk. "…I hope you don't expect me to hold back!"

Chuckling nervously, the Ra Yellow activated his own duel disk. "Duel…" He didn't sound all that enthusiastic about this situation.

Sheldon- 4000

Krieger- 4000

"I'll take the initiative, draw!" Sheldon's green eyes trailed over the cards in his hand slowly. "I activate the continuous magic card Messenger of Peace." A card with a picture of a peaceful monk surrounded by a halo of light appeared on his field. "While this card remains face-up on the field all monsters with 1500 or more attack points cannot attack. Also I place one monster face-down on my field and end my turn."

("He started the duel with a stall card?") Krieger drew. "I summon Ice Knight in attack mode!" (1300/1200) A humanoid creature made of ice appeared on his field. "For every Aqua type monster I have in play this monster gains 400 attack points." (1700/1200) "Also I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw!" Sheldon's Messenger of Peace card started glowing. "During my standby phase Messenger of Peace costs 100 of my life points."

Sheldon- 3900

Krieger- 4000

"And now I'll reveal the monster I had face-down! Go Submarineroid!" (800/1800) A cartoonish submarine appeared on Sheldon's field. "Also I summon Jinzo#7 in attack mode!" A purple-skinned cyborg appeared on his field alongside the cartoon monster. (500/400)

("A machine deck?") Krieger didn't think was what he was facing. ("Jinzo#7 and Submarineroid…what can they do?")

"And now I activate the magic card Machine Duplication, selecting one machine monster I have in play that has 500 or less attack points and special summon up to two more copies of it from my deck to the field!" Two more Jinzo#7 appeared on his field. (500/400)x2

"Now you have a trio of monsters huh?" Krieger definitely was sure there was more to this deck than just a bunch of machines.

"I have one more card to play." Sheldon held one of his hand cards, its back facing the half cat demon. "And that card is Hell Alliance!" His center Jinzo#7 shuddered and started glowing brightly. "This equipment magic card powers up the equipped monster by 800 attack points for every other monster in play that has the same name as it." (2100/400) "I suppose now is as good of a time as any to tell the effects of my four monsters. All of them can attack your life points directly."

"What?" Krieger's eyes widened in realization. ("It's a direct attack deck, so that's why he's running stall!") "Wait…" He smiled suddenly at a realization. "Messenger of Peace prevents you from attacking me with your powered up Jinzo#7."

"Oh, you're right…" Sheldon held up his Giant Trunade magic card. "I would have forgotten about that too." A powerful swept across the field and all magic and trap cards in play returned to their owner's hands. "Thank you for the reminder, Krieger-san."

"You…are welcome." The White Tiger currently felt like kicking himself in the head.

"And from my hand I reactivate Hell Alliance." (2100/400) Sheldon pointed at Krieger. "Submarineroid, attack his life points directly!" The cartoonish monster disappeared into the ground, and a few moments later Krieger was swallowed up in an explosion of dirt.

Sheldon- 3900

Krieger- 3200

Sheldon glanced at his monster as it emerged out of the ground. "When this monster finishes its attack it switches to defense mode." While Submarineroid brought its little arms up in front of itself protectively, he pointed at his Jinzo#7. "Attack directly!"

Krieger took the two hits from the 500 monsters fine, but the 2100 one threw him back a couple of feet.

Sheldon- 3900

Krieger- 100

("Wow, I'm actually on the verge of winning this.") Sheldon inserted the last two cards in his hand into his disk. "I reactivate Messenger of Peace and set one card face-down on my field. Sorry Krieger-san, but it looks like you'll lose during the next turn. All I have to do is attack you with any one of these four monsters to end it. Speaking of ending, I end my turn."

Krieger stood up and groaned as he looked down at his clothes. "I'm all dirty too…oh well, I'll just have to work with it." He drew and breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, I thought I might have been on the verge of losing."

Sheldon's eyes widened. ("Did he really draw something that is going to fix the problem of him getting attacked during the next turn?")

"Now I'll remind you of the origin of my name!" Krieger slapped a card down into his field magic card slot. "I activate the field magic card Tundra!" All around them the dirt road froze over. "Also I activate the continuous magic card Blizzard Defense!" A huge snowstorm blew over the field. "As long as this effect remains out, all 1500 and less attack monster cards cannot attack. In combination with your Messenger of Peace that means that no monsters can attack."

Sheldon knew about the effect of Blizzard Defense, and he also knew it came with a 100 life point cost during the controller's standby phase. Therefore Krieger would only be able to block off any attacks for one turn.

"Also…" Krieger placed a monster face-down on his disk, along with two cards into his magic/trap slots. "I set one monster face-down and two cards face-down. End turn."

Sheldon drew. "During my standby phase I have to pay 100 life points to keep the effect of Messenger of Peace going." He smirked and the continuous card shattered. "I'll ignore that cost, and as such the card is destroyed. Of course, the biggest problem for you now is that my powered-up Jinzo#7 can attack your life points directly!

"I thought you would." One of Krieger's face-down cards flipped up. "Magic Stasis triggers when you attempt to send a continuous magic or trap card to your graveyard from the field. That card returns to play and freezes in place." Messenger of Peace reappeared on Sheldon's field and froze over, encased completely in ice. "This card's effect negates any cost you need to pay, but now Messenger of Peace's effect remains in play."

"Not bad…" Sheldon nodded slowly. "It's fine though, as during the next turn you won't be able to use Blizzard Defense anymore. End turn."

Krieger drew. "As you said, I have to discard Blizzard Defense to the graveyard." The snowstorm died down. "This doesn't mean I'm beaten though. I activate the magic card Pot of Greed." Drawing two additional cards, the half cat demon pointed at his Ice Knight, which melted into a puddle of water. "I activate the magic card Greenhouse Effect, removing a water attribute monster from my field to special summon a same level fire attribute monster from my deck to the field." A silver-feather bird-dragon appeared on his field. "My choice is Horus the Black Flame Dragon LVL 4!" (1600/1000) "Also I activate the magic card Commandment of the Black Flame! This card can only be activated when Horus is in play, and all face-up magic cards on the field are destroyed!"

A bright blast of dark fire swept across the ground and melted the Tundra, along with Magic Stasis, Hell Alliance, and Messenger of Peace. (500/400)

"And now your field is wide open! Horus, attack Jinzo#7!" Krieger smiled slightly as his partner released a blast of black flame that destroyed the cyborg. "At the end phase of this turn Horus the Black Flame Dragon levels up because he defeated one of your monsters in battle." The metallic dragon shimmered and grew larger. (2300/1600) "End turn."

Sheldon- 2800

Krieger- 100

Sheldon drew. "Sorry Krieger-san, but I can still attack you directly! Jinzo#7, attack his life points directly and end it!" One of his remaining two cyborgs leapt at the White Tiger. "This is the end."

"Not yet it isn't!" Krieger's set monster shattered and a barrier of ice formed around his body. "I send my Ice Wall (0/2000) to the graveyard from my field to make all direct attacks to me during this turn zero."

Gritting his teeth, Sheldon should have followed through and summoned the monster that was in his hand. "It's too late to do anything about that, but I will sacrifice my three machine monsters to summon this!" A giant metal fortress appeared behind him. "Giga Fortress Goliath (0/3400) allows me to summon a Bomb Token during each of my standby phases. They only last until the end of the turn, but they can attack directly. Also, when I tribute three machine monsters instead of two to summon this monster I can discard a card from my hand to add one special summon effect magic card to my hand from my graveyard!"

He inserted the last card in his hand into the graveyard and removed Machine Duplication. "By activating Machine Duplication, I'll special summon the other two Giga Fortress Goliath monsters from my deck to play!" Two more giant metal fortresses rose up from the sides of the road. (0/3400)x2 "End turn!"

Krieger snapped the top card off of his deck and sighed. ("He'll still finish me during the next turn unless this card is something good.") Holding up the card, his eyes widened. ("Partner…") Looking at his face-down card, the White Tiger smirked. "Here we go Sheldon! From my hand I activate Level Up!" Horus LVL 6 disappeared and Horus LVL 8 appeared on his field, screeching its battle cry. (3000/1800) "And then I sacrifice Horus LVL 8 to summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LVL 12 in attack mode!" (3500/3000)

"3500 attack points?" Sheldon nearly panicked, but then he remembered that he had three of his Fortresses in play. "You can't beat all of my monsters, Krieger-san."

"Yes I can." Krieger's set card flipped up and Horus roared angrily, creating a powerful storm of black fire around its body. "The trap card Burst Breath lets me tribute a dragon type monster on my field to destroy all monsters in play with defense less than or equal to the sacrificed dragon's attack!"

Sheldon braced himself as Horus' flame washed over his three monsters, and in one massive explosion the field was nearly clear. ("All I've got left is my face-down card, but I can't use it without a monster in play.") He drew. ("There's still a chance. Call of the Haunted will let me summon Submarineroid and attack his life points directly during the next turn.") "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Krieger drew. "Sorry Sheldon, but Horus isn't one to stay down! I activate the magic card Level Modulation!" In a burst of black fire the mightiest form of Krieger's partner appeared in play once more. (3500/3000) "Horus, attack his life points directly!"

"Wait!" Sheldon's face-down card flipped up. "I activate Call of the Haunted, reviving Submarineroid!" (800/1800) The cartoon vehicle appeared in play again, and then was destroyed in a blast of black flame.

Sheldon- 100

Krieger- 100

Krieger grimaced in dismay. "Since you survived the attack of Horus I'll let you know that Level Modulation lets you draw two cards. End turn."

Sheldon looked down at his deck nervously. ("This is really close. I need to try and win though, otherwise Masami won't uphold his end of the deal.") He drew three cards from his deck. "I place three cards face-down on my field and end my turn."

Krieger drew. "I'm betting those are defensive traps. It's a shame though, Sheldon, that I drew this." He flipped over the drawn card. "Stamping Destruction can only activate if I have a dragon type monster in play. One magic or trap in play is destroyed and you take 500 points of damage!" One of the four cards shattered.

Sheldon- 0

Krieger- 100

Sheldon slid to his knees and sighed loudly. "Oh man, I blew it."

"Don't feel too bad." Krieger walked up to his opponent and offered him a hand up. "After all, it was a really close match and you had me beaten in just one turn."

"I guess so…" Getting pulled to his feet, the Ra Yellow student shrugged to himself and walked down the trail swiftly. "Anyway, I'd better get back to my room and shower up. I got all dusty from that duel."

Krieger smiled slightly and followed, though he had a different destination. ("I'll need to go shower as well, that was an awfully messy duel.")

-----------------------------------------

"So you couldn't beat him, huh?" Spinning in his chair to face Sheldon, Masami pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose calmly. "Don't worry about it."

Sheldon glanced around at all of the weird memorabilia that the other boy had in his room…and then did a double-take at Masami. "What?"

"I said don't worry about it." Reaching into his blazer the green-haired student pulled out a Duel Monsters card and flicked it across the room to Sheldon. "Honestly I just wanted to see how desperate you were for that card, but I couldn't just give it to you without making sure you learned something out of it."

Catching the card, Sheldon continued to stare at Masami in amazement. "Are you…sure? This card's worth about fifty dollars on the common markets…"

"Psh, like I care." Turning back around to face his desk, Masami returned to whatever he was working on. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got stuff to do."

Nodding slowly, Sheldon walked out and closed the door behind him. ("That was weird…")

("My invention is done, and this will be its trial run.") Masami gave his trademark quirky smile. "I will be famous, and everyone will realize my greatness and genius!" Leaping up dramatically, he began his daily session of maniacal laughter.

_To be continued…_


	48. Another Ally?

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 48: Another Ally?

A loud scream echoed through the night, followed by an explosion from the Obelisk Blue girl's dorm. Smoke started to rise into the air, and dozens of half-asleep girls could be seen running out the front doors of the large building.

"Hurry up!" Miss Harding tightened the straps on her bath robe and kept ushering the girls out through the front. ("Why do things like this have to happen now?") She heard another roar and the whole building shook. "Don't worry about your stuff, just get out of the building!"

-------------------------------

Rysel sat in a small private viewing room on board the Marrow, watching the unfolding destructive scene with a calm smile. "Well Ichigo, you don't think I intended to let you relax during the weekends, did you? And I even sent a special one of my Vengeances for you to play with."

------------------------------

Miss Harding, along with the rest of the female student population of Duelist Academy now was across the lake, watching as another explosion lit up the insides of their dormitory.

Suddenly one of the building's walls exploded outwards and a humanoid form stepping out of the dust-filled cloud created. "Ball…" A walking suit of sharp-angled armor stepped into view, its crimson-colored body rattling to reveal that there was no one occupying it. Bellowing in anger, the Vengeance picked up a hunk of masonry that had once been part of the girl's dorm and hurled it with amazing accuracy across the expanse of the lake, its target the gathered groups of girls.

The huge hunk of stone dropped towards a pair of now screaming girls, and then exploded as Eri leapt into the air and punched through it forcefully. ("Hurry up Ichigo, I sent you an email! You'd better wake up…") The demoness touched down on the grass and snarled at the far-away monster.

Roaring again, Ball started to reach for another hunk of stone to hurl at the innocent bystanders.

"_Hold it right there!"_ A bright circle of light illuminated the top of the dormitory, revealing a lone caped form. _"For disturbing these girls while they were dreaming of fun stuff I, Fantasy Savior, will defeat you!"_ The pink and red Savior flourished her cape in front of her and giggled quietly about how cool it looked on her.

Eri breathed a sigh of relief. ("That's right, Chris lives here.")

Fantasy Savior leapt from the roof of the dorm and dropped down in front of the hulking Vengeance. "So, are you going to surrender quietly?" She smirked confidently, crossed her arms across her chest and closed her eyes. ("Heh, he's in for a surprise when he tries to hit me with…") Pain flashed across her vision as Ball back-handed her and made a Savior-shaped hole in the wall of the dorm.

Pounding its fists against its chest, the Vengeance rushed in after her. From inside the sounds of a huge scuffle could be heard, followed by a trio of explosions and a feminine scream. _"Help! S.O.S! Ah, put me down you big ape!"_ Another scream came from the out-of-sight Fantasy Savior. **_"Lullaby Touch!"_** In an explosion of pink energy Ball went sliding out of the hole it had originally created, smoke rising from its body. The female Savior ran out after it, and eeped at the sight of it unharmed by her attack. "It had no effect?"

Ball pounded its fists together and roared again as it got ready to charge.

Gulping, Fantasy Savior took a couple of steps back. ("I'm going to get trampled. Why isn't Pacifist's Way working as it should?") Suddenly it occurred to her. ("That thing's armor is so strong even its own damage can't harm it? Oh great…") Now would be a great time for reinforcements to arrive.

"_I am the Hero of the Heavens!"_ For the second time tonight a bright circle of light illuminated the roof of the Obelisk Blue girl's dorm. _"In the name of love and justice and architects everywhere, I won't let your villainy be forgiven!"_ Cape blowing behind her, Starlight Savior pointed down at the Vengeance. _"My name is Starlight Savior!"_ The circle of light disappeared, plunging the roof into darkness.

When the light reappeared Vortex Savior was standing where Starlight Savior had been. _"You, who would disturb a girl's dormitory, cannot be forgiven. I will swallow you whole into the void."_ The circle of light disappeared once more, and when it returned there was no one there.

Sitting on a hunk of debris next to Fantasy Savior, Valor Savior took a sip of his soda. "Forget it." He glanced over at Starlight Savior and Vortex Savior, the former giving him a death glare. "I'm not spouting silly lines for no reason. Just hurry up and Good Shot that eyesore, Pilkington."

"I guess I might as well, since you went and ruined our entrance," huffed the blue-haired Savior as she stomped towards Ball. "Alright, you big waste of space, this is the end! **Awaken Aries, Pisces and Aquarius!"** A hunk of dark blue crystal formed in her hand, shaping itself into a sword shape with numerous holes along its blunt side.

-------------------------------

"Ah yes, your multiple power trick." Rysel laced his fingers together calmly. "This time you'll find yourself rather out of luck." His eyes started glowing crimson. "Ball, now is the time."

---------------------------------

Starlight Savior's eyes widened as a chain launched from Ball's arm and tied her arms to her sides. She suddenly felt weightless as the chain disappeared and turned itself into a clear ball of crimson-colored energy with her floating inside it. "Huh? Wait, what the…"

Grimacing, Valor Savior placed his soda behind his seat and leapt to his feet. "It looks like this one won't be so nice as to let her tear it to shreds."

"Then we'll just have to break that orb!" Vortex Savior charged forward and punched the crimson prison as hard as he could. This did not prove to be a very wise idea, as punching a ball tends to result in the ball moving forward. And in this case, the orb shot across lake like a cannonball. "……"

Valor Savior sighed. "Chris, I'll get its attention. Use your attack on it when you see an opening…" He stopped in mid-sentence as a loud and deep-voiced laughter radiated from the roof. "Oh great, now what?"

"_It seems that the Saviors cannot defeat such a threat."_ Shrouded in the night, a person standing up on the roof of the dorm picked up his laughter again. _"Therefore it looks like I'll have to step in and take charge of the situation."_

------------------------------

("I wonder who that is…") Starlight Savior, still floating weightlessly in the crimson prison, looked at the figure standing on the roof and then glanced behind her. "Thanks for stopping me, by the way."

Teruha, dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, smirked and gave the heroine a thumbs-up and wink.

-------------------------------

After a straight minute of listening to the mystery man's laughter, Valor Savior was on the verge of using his Mega Ray to discover who the new arrival was. "How about you stop laughing and identify yourself already?"

"_My name?"_ The figure snapped his fingers and a circle of light illuminated where he was standing, revealing a young man dressed in a red and black bodysuit, along with similar colored boots and gloves. Around his head there was a weird-looking black mask made to resemble the beak of a hawk and an accompanying cowl. _"I am the ultimate hero of justice, and with my superhuman skills I shall save this world! Only one such name could encompass all of my supreme and raw awesomeness."_

"Awesomeness is a word?" Fantasy whispered to Valor, who replied with a nod. "Awww, if I had known that I would have used it."

Sweeping his arm back to reveal that there was a black cape with red lightning streaks going down its outer side, the young man struck an over-dramatic hero pose. _"I am Captain Zeta!"_

"Zeta?" Valor Savior snorted and turned to point his finger across the lake. **"Mega Ray!"**

Starlight Savior screamed and braced herself as she saw one of Valor's lasers coming at her, which meant that when it pierced and broke the prison she fell to her rump unceremoniously. Snapping her eyes open angrily she screamed across the distance at him. "Was that really necessary?"

"Shut up and get rid of the monster." Valor glanced up at the roof. "Sorry weirdo, but these things are called Vengeances and they're our responsibilities. So you can go home and play hero elsewhere."

Ball looked at the Saviors, then at Captain Zeta for the hundredth time. Master Rysel had told it to destroy the Saviors that got in its way, but was the new guy a Savior?

"_Despite it looking like you've got the situation under control, I cannot turn my back to this evil monster!"_ Captain Zeta leapt from the roof to the debris-covered battlefield. As soon as he touched down he pointed at the monster dramatically. "You, foul beast, are one of the Blood Children's creatures correct?"

Ball nodded eagerly, realizing it should probably just smash…

"I challenge you to a darkness game then." Captain Zeta thumbed at his chest. "If you win, then I can promise you that these four won't interfere with you. If I win, then I will finish you off."

---------------------------------

Back in the private viewing room, Rysel's smile was wider than ever. "Interesting…Ball, accept his challenge."

----------------------------------

The Vengeance nodded its head again, and a duel disk appeared around its arm.

"Hold on a second," Vortex ran up and grabbed Captain Zeta by the cowl. "Who said we'd back down if you lost?"

"Worry not," The costumed hero said under his breath. "Even if I were to lose, which is impossible then I will personally defeat the monster." Brushing the Savior's hands off of his costume, Captain Zeta snapped out his right arm. **"Come out now, Zeta Dueler!"** There was a flash of light and a black and red duel disk appeared around his arm.

Vortex's right eye twitched in annoyance. "Zeta...Dueler? You named your duel disk?"

"Of course!" Pulling a deck from out of a container attached to his costume's belt, Captain Zeta inserted it into his disk's deck slot. "Now then creature, let us begin!"

---------------------------------------------

"What's going on over there?" Teruha squinted to try and see what they were doing. "Are they dueling? Why?"

"Who knows?" Eri didn't feel like explaining darkness games to a human right now.

-------------------------------------------------

Ball- 4000

Captain Zeta- 4000

Ball brought its massive hand up and drew. "I summon Armored Gauntlet in defense mode." A metallic fist appeared on its fist. (500/500) "Also I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

"The battle for justice begins now! Draw!" Captain Zeta tossed a card onto his disk. "And for this battle I will summon a hero of might!" A white-haired superhero in a blue and red leather costume appeared on his field, an aura of leadership and wisdom radiating from him. "I summon League of Virtue-Captain Virtue!" (1500/1200)

"League of Virtue?" Starlight Savior, apparently having kept Ichigo's ability to mysteriously appear where ever a duel was occurring, said from over Vortex's shoulder. "That sounds really familiar. I think I heard my dad mention something like once…"

Captain Zeta nodded and stood valiantly, source less wind billowing his cape out. "The League of Virtue was a comic created near the beginning of the millennium by a group of college students. However it quickly gained in popularity until in 2006 it turned into a worldwide following. This is a set of cards created by Industrial Illusions during the infamous Dreams to Reality era of the industry, where a huge number of unique cards were printed. Now then, back to the duel! Captain Virtue, attack Armored Gauntlet with KO Blow!" His superhero launched forwards and uppercutted the metal fist, shattering it.

"Reverse card open." Ball's face-down card flipped up and a pair of cards left its deck. "Accursed Forge activates when an Armored Gauntlet, Armored Leggings, or Armored Chestplate are sent from my field to the graveyard as a result of battle. I may then add two Armored Gauntlet, Leggings or Chestplate from my deck to my hand."

Captain Zeta inserted a card from his hand into his disk. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

"Draw!" Ball slammed a card into its disk. "I activate The Warrior Returning Alive to add Armored Gauntlet from my graveyard to my hand! And now the stage is set, I play Polymerization!" Five of the cards in its hand disappeared. "I fuse my two Armored Gaunlets and Leggings with the single Armored Chestplate in my hand to fusion summon Immortal Knight!" A suit of ridged black armor holding a spiked shield and curved sword appeared on its field, the open faceplate of the armor showing that there was no occupant. (2400/2000)

"Then I activate the magic card Pot of Avarice, shuffling the five fusion materials I used back into my deck and then drawing two cards." Now that its preparations were complete, Ball pointed at Captain Virtue. "Immortal Knight attacks!" The suit of armor flew forward and struck the hero in the stomach with its sword.

Captain Zeta smirked as Captain Virtue yelled out and punched the monster back to the Vengeance's field. "While Captain Virtue is in attack mode he cannot be destroyed as a result of battle."

Ball- 4000

Captain Zeta- 3100

"Also," Captain Zeta's set card flipped up. "I activate Fallout's Trap! This trap card activates when the opponent attacks a member of the League of Virtue. At that time you take 500 points of damage and I special summon League of Virtue-Citizen Fallout from my deck to the field!" A male hero in a grey and white spandex suit wearing grey goggles, a grey fedora, and a thick gray cloth wrap around his lower face appeared on the field and struck a pose. (1400/1200)

Ball- 3500

Captain Zeta- 3100

"I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn." Ball rustled loudly for a few moments.

Captain Zeta snapped the top card off of his deck and struck a pose. "It's my turn, draw!" He flipped the card over to show a magic card with a picture of a shield insignia on it. "I activate the magic card League Symbol, which allows me to select one of its three printed effects. My choice is the first effect, drawing two cards if there is a League of Virtue member on my field. However, for the rest of this game I cannot that effect again even through the use of other League Symbols." Drawing two cards he added them to his hand and snapped up a different card. "And now I activate Captain's Might!"

Captain Virtue posed, his muscles rippling for a moment as a rainbow aura came from his body. "This card raises the printed attack power of Captain Virtue by 500. This means that even if he is destroyed and sent to the graveyard this card's power-up will remain with him when he returns." (2000/1200)

"He's still too weak to beat my Immortal Knight." Ball began to chuckle, the sound echoing through its hollow insides.

"Don't be too hasty." Captain Zeta held up a trap card. "By discarding a trap card from my hand I can use the effect of Citizen Fallout to add one Fallout Gadget card from my deck to my hand." Removing a card from his deck he smiled slightly. "Captain Virtue cannot defeat you, but that's why heroes form teams. If you cannot defeat an opponent, then work together to bring him down!"

The card he searched for was slammed into his disk. "I activate Fallout Gadget-Grenade Shot! This card destroys one attack mode monster on your field and deals you 500 points of damage!" Citizen Fallout pulled a grenade launcher out and fired, the projectile slamming into the knight and blowing up Ball's field.

Ball- 3000

Captain Zeta- 3100

The smoke cleared to reveal Immortal Knight unharmed. "It's too bad the reason my monster is called Immortal Knight is because it cannot be destroyed as long as there isn't a full set of the Armored monster cards in my graveyard."

"I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn." Captain Zeta glanced at his two monsters. ("I hope I made the right decision for my deck.")

"Draw!" Ball held up a magic card. "I activate the equipment magic card Curse of Mortality." A dark aura formed around Captain Virtue. "The monster equipped with this card has any effects that prevent it from being destroyed negated. Immortal Knight, attack Captain Virtue now!" Its monster floated forward and slashed through Captain Virtue, the mighty hero leader exploding.

Ball- 3000

Captain Zeta- 2600

Captain Zeta snapped his hand up into the air. "Reverse card open! League Communications Device activates when a League of Virtue member on my field is destroyed! From my deck I can special summon a League of Virtue member! My choice is League of Virtue-Arctic Osprey!" A blue and yellow spandex-wearing hero with mist coming from his body appeared on the field. (1000/1200)

"End turn." Ball rattled once more.

"Draw!" Captain Zeta nodded to the drawn card. ("Alright, I take it back. This was the right choice.") "From my hand I activate the magic card The Warrior Returning Alive!" A card slid out of his graveyard. "I return Captain Virtue to my hand and then summon him!" The mighty white-haired leader of the League of Virtue appeared in play once more. (2000/1200) "This is the core group of the League. These three are the original heroes, and each of them represents the pinnacle of a hero's career!"

Valor and Vortex both sweatdropped, thinking the same thought. ("He really likes to hear himself talk.") Starlight Savior was completely sucked into this duel, grinning widely. Fantasy Savior was as well, though not quite so bad.

("Now is the time to show just what these guys can do.") Captain Zeta opened his field magic card slot. "I activate the field magic card Paradise City!" All around them the rubble from Ball's rampage disappeared and was replaced by a glittering white town center, a holographic sun glowing down upon a giant statue of Captain Virtue standing tall in the path of any threat. "While this field is in play, all League of Virtue monsters gain 1000 attack points when battling with a stronger monster!"

"Also," Captain Zeta slid a card into his disk and Citizen Fallout disappeared. "I activate Fallout Gadget-Stealth Device. This equipment magic card allows Fallout to cut his attack points in half and attack you directly. Also, he cannot be declared as an attack target."

"And now it's time for justice to shine! Captain Virtue, attack Immortal Knight with KO Blow!" The leader of the League of Virtue hurtled forward and slammed an amazing haymaker across the helmet of the cursed armor. (3000/1200)

Ball- 2400

Captain Zeta- 2600

"And now," Captain Zeta pointed at Ball. "Citizen Fallout attacks your life points directly!" (700/1200)

Ball shuddered as something at its feet exploded, spraying it with fire.

Ball- 1700

Captain Zeta- 2600

"End turn." Crossing his arms across his chest, Captain Zeta was smirking confidently now. "This is the power of justice; can you feel its mighty force?"

Bellowing out an enraged roar, Ball drew. "Immortal Knight, attack Arctic Osprey now!" Its cursed monster flew forward to strike.

Captain Zeta had to stop himself from face-palming. ("I forgot to use Arctic's effect!") "Hold on there, evil-doer!" He discarded the card he was holding. "I discard the magic card Unstoppable to double Captain Virtue's attack power and redirect your attack to him." Said superhero yelled out a mighty battle cry as his costume changed to a white and dark blue version of itself, white fire coming from his eye sockets. (4000/1200)

"Reverse card open!" Ball's set card flipped up and Captain Virtue's attack power dropped. (0/1200) "Reverse Trap reverses all attack and defense bonuses during this turn!" (1000/1200) Captain Virtue was slashed, and after a few moments of pain he shoved the Immortal Knight back to Ball's field.

Ball- 1700

Captain Zeta- 1200

"And now I activate the continuous magic card Poltergeist Curse. As long as this card remains in play all equipment magic cards are useless." Ball released a rumbling laughter as Citizen Fallout shimmered back into view. "Finally I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Captain Zeta grimaced as Captain Virtue exploded. "At the end phase of the turn Unstoppable is used Captain Virtue is destroyed." Then he drew. "I switch Arctic Osprey to defense mode and trigger his effect! Block of Ice!" The mist-covered hero dropped to one knee and Immortal Knight was frozen solid, covered from helmet to toe with ice. "When Arctic Osprey switches to defense mode he selects one monster on your field as a target. That monster, while Arctic is in defense, cannot switch modes or attack. I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Ball kept its laughter going as he drew. "You cannot stop me with your pitiful effects! I open my face-down continuous trap Free Spirit. As long as this card is face-up in play all continuous effects that prevent a monster from attacking…" Immortal Knight silently broke free of its icy prison. "…are negated. However I must discard a card from my hand as a cost."

Captain Zeta grimaced. ("This isn't good; my face-down card won't be able to help me unless I have all three core members in play.")

"Immortal Knight, attack Citizen Fallout now!" (2400/1200) The superhero and the suit of armor met midway on the field, but Fallout was still shattered. "End turn."

"Draw!" Captain Zeta dourly inserted the card into his disk. "I set one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Ball's draw was an afterthought compared to the thought of crushing the insect's last monster. "Immortal Knight, attack Arctic Osprey!" Red energy coming from its body, the suit of armor charged.

"Reverse card open!" Captain Zeta's monster recently set card flipped up and Arctic Osprey was suddenly encased in a spiky formation of ice. "Hibernate is a continuous trap that targets Arctic Osprey for the next three of my turns. While it is targeting him he cannot be destroyed in battle. Also, during the third turn when this card is destroyed I gain 1000 life points."

The Immortal Knight's sword glanced off the icy covering with ease. Ball scoffed hollowly. "End turn."

"Draw!" After glancing at the card Captain Zeta nodded to the Vengeance. "End turn."

Ball drew and then nodded to Captain Zeta. It had no intention of dragging this out.

Drawing, the masked hero held the card up and then inserted it into his disk. "I set this card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw." Ball snorted in disgust. "For a hero you sure are doing a lot of hiding from my knight. However, that will soon end, just as my turn is ending now."

Captain Zeta looked down at his deck. ("If Arctic Osprey falls then my chances of winning are nearly zero.") From under his mask his right eye twitched in irritation. ("No, I will not let my first darkness game as a hero be a defeat!")

He drew and Hibernate shattered, revealing Arctic Osprey again. (CZLP: 2200) "I activate Pot of Greed." Drawing two more cards, he felt the tension. This was his last turn. Holding the drawn pair up, he let out a very unheroic sigh of relief. "Wow, I actually thought I was…" Regaining his composure he puffed out his chest. "Let the League of Virtue come forth to finish this evil immortal foe!"

A card appeared on his field. "I activate the magic card League Mural, which special summons one League of Virtue monster from my graveyard!" Citizen Fallout reappeared in play. (1400/1200) "And then," he continued, "I activate the magic card League Symbol! Using its second effect, I special summon one League of Virtue member to the field!"

Captain Virtue dove in from the sky above and landed in front of Arctic and Fallout, saluting them. They returned the salute and then all of them turned to face the Immortal Knight. (2000/1200)

"It's useless; you cannot defeat me in that way!" Bass pointed at its knight. "As long as Immortal Knight is in play your efforts to win cannot succeed!"

"Then I'll just have to remove him from play, won't I?" Captain Zeta pointed at the card he had placed face-down during the last turn. "I activate the trap card Paradise's Most Wanted! For every League of Virtue member I have in play I can call one monster name, and if you have that monster in your deck you must discard it to your graveyard. Earlier you discarded an Armored Chestplate, so I call Armored Leggings, Armored Leggings, and Armored Gauntlet!"

Ball removed three cards from its deck and inserted them into the graveyard slot.

"That means you have four of the five cards that make up your Immortal Knight in the graveyard." Captain Zeta flipped the last card in his hand over. "From my hand I activate the magic card Confiscation! At the cost of 1000 life points, I look at your hand and discard one card from it to the graveyard." (CZLP: 1200)

"What makes you think it's in my hand, huh?" Ball rumbled out.

"It's elementary, my dear Vengeance." Captain Zeta smiled confidently. "Two turns ago, when you drew, your body stance changed. I noticed it because that was the same way you reacted when you drew the Armored Chestplate. Therefore logically the card you drew…" Holograms of the three cards that Ball was holding appeared in the air. "…was one of those armor pieces." (Armored Gauntlet, Reinforcement of the Army, The Warrior Returning Alive)

Captain Zeta listened to the gasps of surprise that came from Fantasy and Starlight. ("Oh yes, deductive reasoning wins out in the end and it impresses the girls to boot.") "My choice is, of course, Armored Gauntlet!"

The hologram of the card shattered and the Vengeance discarded it. "And with that, there is a full five set in your graveyard." Immortal Knight shuddered as the bloody aura around its body disappeared.

Captain Zeta motioned to his final face-down card. "The last strike of the League of Virtue's core members is here, monster! Reverse card open!" The face-down card flipped up to reveal a trap with a picture of Arctic Osprey, Citizen Fallout, and Captain Virtue standing triumphantly before a crowd at Paradise City Hall. "Golden Age Legends activates when I have Captain Virtue, Citizen Fallout, and Arctic Osprey in play. During this turn when a League of Virtue member battles with your monster their attack is doubled during the damage step! Captain Virtue, attack Immortal Knight with one last KO Blow!"

Launching high into the sky, the leader of the League flew full speed towards the now mortal suit of armor. "Paradise City powers up the Captain by 1000 points!" (3000/1200) "And then Golden Age Legends activates its effect!" (6000/1200) Plowing through the enemy monster with ease, Captain Virtue slammed into Ball's body as well and sent the massive monster sliding backwards.

Ball- 0

Captain Zeta- 1200

As Paradise City faded away, Captain Zeta pointed at the stumbling Vengeance. "And now I will finish you off, just as I promised!" He struck a pose that looked like it belonged in an aerobics class. **"Zeta Punch Surprise!"** Launching forward, he punched right through Ball's hollow body and then hopped back about ten steps.

"Where's the surprise?" Fantasy Savior asked.

"I'm glad you asked. For like any good hero…" Captain Zeta held up the detonator to the bomb he had left in the Vengeances body. "…I bring the bang!" Pressing the plunger, he didn't flinch at as Ball's body contorted in strange directions and sprayed flames out of its openings, leaving the monster complete off-balance. "Starlight Savior, if you'd be so kind."

Nodding, Starlight Savior snapped out her hand and awoke the songblade, the weapon forming instantly in her grasp. Bringing the pommel to her lips, she started playing. As she did everything but she and the Vengeance faded into darkness. **"Celestial Songblade Dance!"** She was suddenly everywhere at once, slashing millions of times through Ball's body.

Ball shuddered, dark blue lines covering its body. **"Good…shot…"** Then it exploded in a burst of dark blue sparks.

--------------------------------------------

Rysel clapped politely in congratulations to his foes. "Captain Zeta, eh?" Chuckling, the Blood Prince stood up and walked out of the viewing room. ("Perhaps it's time to bring out the heavier weapons.")

--------------------------------------------

Eri was getting a feeling of déjà vu as she watched the other female students mob the hero of the evening. ("Oh yeah, it's like when Ichigo showed up as Starlight Savior.")

Stretching his writing hand out, Captain Zeta wrote his autograph once more. "And what is your name, citizen?"

"Damn it," Vortex Savior muttered under his breath, using some rubble for a seat. "Why does everyone want that fake's autograph?"

"Because people as a whole are stupid," Valor Savior took another sip of his soda, sitting on another pile of rubble. "At least Starlight and Fantasy aren't sitting there brooding like you are."

Fantasy came skipping up to Vortex and grinned at him, holding something behind her back. "Hey, guess what I got?" When he didn't answer she held up her autograph book to show off her newest acquisition. "See? I got Captain Zeta's autograph! And it even says 'to my second biggest fan, keep those cute smiles going'. Isn't it the awesomeness?"

"You're using the word wrong," Valor said before taking another sip of his soda.

"His second biggest fan, huh?" Vortex snickered at the first thought that came up. "I guess for you to believe that having high-powered explosives means you're a superhero makes you your own biggest fan."

"Hey!" Starlight squirmed her way out of the crowd and grinned widely, running up to Fantasy Savior and holding up an autograph book she had gotten from Eri. "To my biggest fan, keep up the good fight!' Isn't it the awesomeness?"

"And the goddess of grammar sheds another tear," Valor stood up and brushed himself off. "I'll be on my way now; it is the middle of the night after all."

Vortex Savior watched his rival and Fantasy Savior dance in a circle giddily for about five more seconds before he stood up and stomped off. ("I hate Ichigo so much right now…because he must not be realizing what he is doing.") Turning to glare at the blue-haired heroine, he spouted off one last thing before he left. "Hey Starlight, keep in mind that what you're doing isn't very manly." He waited for the inevitable and at least slightly amusing 'Ichigo freak out' scene.

"And what's your point?" Starlight stuck out her tongue at him and returned to dancing with Fantasy.

"………" Vortex stomped off now harboring plans to blow up something large and solid before he went back to his room to sleep.

--------------------------------------------

Anarchy yawned and rolled off Masami's bed as he heard the window open. "So, how was it?"

Captain Zeta leapt in and grinned. "The name of Captain Zeta will spread like wildfire," Pulling off his mask, a cat-eyed Masami grinned. "And I owe it all to you, my friend." Throwing back his head, he started his maniacal laughter.

Anarchy sighed and walked out of the room. "Let me know when you're done, I'll be somewhere quiet."

_To be continued…_


	49. Preparations Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 49: Preparations (Part 1)

Ichigo yawned and rubbed the back of his head sleepily. "It's Sunday isn't it? Why I am awake?" He looked around his room, and then pulled himself out of the mass of his blankets. "Erian, are you here?" Pulling himself up to look at the middle bunk, he sighed to see the covers already made. "Okay, you're not here. That means I don't have something to do with you. So what woke me up?"

The door to his room shook as someone knocked on it again. "Ichigo, are you there?"

("Oh, that explains it.") Rolling out of bed, the half demon stumbled over to the door and pulled it open. "Yeah, who's there?"

Eri watched the door slowly creak open, then her hair stood on end and her face flushed bright red. "AHHH!" Spinning away from the door, she threw a hand over her eyes. "Put on some clothes before you answer the door!"

"Huh?" Ichigo glanced down at his red boxers. "Oh come on, it's not that bad." When she didn't turn around he shrugged and walked back into his room. "Suit yourself, but it's your loss." Sounds of different things being thrown about the room could be heard from past the door. "So, what brings you to this neck of the woods?"

Slapping her cheeks a couple of times to get the blush out, the demoness stuttered out a reply. "I got an official challenge that's going to take place this afternoon and it occurred to me that it's been a while since I've dueled against anyone. So I decided that it might be wise to come challenge you and get my duel skills to their peak."

"A duel?" Ichigo's head reappeared in the doorway. "Sure, let me just toss my clothes on." He ran back inside and grabbed the black undershirt that was hanging from the ceiling fan.

Throwing it on over his head he grabbed his red blazer from his desk chair and then his deck. "Oh wait!"

Opening his desk drawer, he pulled out a small stack of cards and flipped through them. "Let's see, which one was it?"

Grinning, he found the card he was looking for. "There it is!" Sliding one of the cards from the stack into his deck, he shuffled it up and picked up his duel disk on the way out the door.

--------------------------------------

Tightening the fasteners on his blazer, Ichigo smirked at Eri from across the field in front of the Osiris Red dorm. "Alright then, miss number one rank, shall we?"

Eri nodded slowly, her eyes wavering for a moment as she realized how long it had been since she had dueled Ichigo. ("The last time we dueled seriously was a little less than half a year ago. Ever since then I never had any reason to, but this situation requires me to be on my best and there's only one to put myself there. I have to duel the Blue Osiris and win. If I can do that, then this challenge will be nothing.") "If you hold back against me because we're girlfriend and boyfriend, I'll never speak to you again."

"Huh? Why would I hold back against you?" The half demon crossed his arms across his chest. "You're the top-ranked duelist in this school for a reason, Eri. Even in the face of guys like Kenshin and Hitokage, you still stood at the top."

Eri sighed and felt her tension fade. "You're too good at making me relax, and I don't duel well when I'm relaxed. It's not what my life was made up of when I was a child." Suddenly her smile faded and she sneered at him. "I can't lose to you! This won't be a friendly little duel, Ichigo!"

Sighing, Ichigo rubbed the back of his head. "I was afraid you were going to say that. It's fine though, Eri, I don't intend to lose to you either. Therefore the winner of this will be the duelist who has the better strategy I guess."

Ichigo- 4000

Eri- 4000

"And with that said," Ichigo drew. "I'll begin!" Fanning out his hand, he grimaced. ("Even though I said that, I don't want to hurt you. However, I'm not allowed to back now after declaring that I would win.") "I play the magic card Wings of the Avenger. This lets me special summon Final Shadow Avenger Zero from my hand to the field!" A demon winged and black-armored warrior appeared on his field, black smoke pouring from its body. (2600/2000) "Also, I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn. There you go Eri, is this what you wanted?"

The demoness narrowed her eyes at the Final Shadow. ("His strategy has changed, and I cannot forget that he has the Infinity Travelers on his side in this duel. If he isn't holding back then he'll be running both of those strategies in tandem against my deck.") "Draw." Her hand was good, and with it she could defeat Avenger Zero right away. ("His face-down card isn't a bluff though. It never is.")

"Is something the matter, Eri?" Ichigo glanced at his set card and smiled understandingly. "Oh, you're worried about this huh? Well…"

"Ichigo please shut up now." Eri placed a card onto her disk. "I summon Apprentice Young Magician in attack mode!" A brown-haired young boy in dark blue robes appeared on her field. (400/800) "Also I play the field magic card Apprentice Academy!" A giant elementary school rose up around the sides of the field. "As long as this card is in play all Apprentice monsters on my field can attack you directly! Apprentice Young Magician, attack Ichigo's life points directly!" The little boy fired a ball of light from his hand that slammed into the half demon's chest.

Ichigo- 3600

Eri- 4000

"Apprentice Young Magician's activates now!" Eri placed her hand on the top card of her deck. "I now look at the top card of my deck. If it is a magic card I may activate it now. If it is anything else I must put it on the bottom of my deck." Lifting the card up, she nodded quietly. "It's the magic card Smashing Ground, which destroys the highest defense monster on your field."

Ichigo braced himself as his Avenger Zero exploded. "Not bad Eri." His face-down card flipped up. "However I knew it was coming! Reverse card open, Final Mirage! This trap triggers when a Final Shadow monster on my field is destroyed by one of your card effects. That monster returns to play in the same mode it was in when it was destroyed!" Avenger Zero reappeared on his field. "Sorry Eri, but it's not that easy to clear my monsters."

The demoness slid one of her hand cards into her disk. "Actually I expected something like that. It was luck I got Smashing Ground with Apprentice Young Magician's effect, but this card I'm holding isn't a matter of luck. Go Magical Conference." She pointed at her Apprentice Young Magician, who disappeared. "This lets me send one level three or lower Apprentice spellcaster from my field to the graveyard to special summon a monster from my deck that has the name of the monster I sent to the graveyard in its text. In the case of Apprentice Young Magician I special summon Magical Patron Dorothy in attack mode!" A pink-haired woman wearing a pink dress appeared on her field. (1600/1000) "Once per turn Magical Patron Dorothy may destroy an attack mode monster on your field!"

Ichigo braced himself as his Avenger Zero was destroyed for a second time.

"And then I set one card face-down on my field and end my turn." Eri grinned at Ichigo. "I hope you're ready to see that a lot. I'll destroy all of your monsters."

"Draw!" Ichigo tossed the drawn card onto his disk. "I summon Cyber Shadow Kuriboh in defense mode." A little brown furball in a tuxedo appeared on his field and chirped happily. (300/200)

"Cyber Shadow Kuriboh?" Eri blinked at the monster. "I thought the Cyber Shadows were destroyed!"

"Aha, that was what I thought too." Ichigo grinned as Cyber Shadow Kuriboh hopped onto his head. "However, this little guy showed up in my deck recently. I'm guessing the Cyber Shadows were all reborn into my Final Shadows, but Cyber Shadow Kuriboh wanted to stay the way he was. Anyway, let's continue!" He slid a card from his hand into his graveyard. "I discard one card from my hand to the graveyard to activate the effect of Cyber Shadow Kuriboh. Cuteness Espionage!"

Eri nearly screamed as something landed on her head. Then she looked up and saw a flash of grey feathers. ("A pigeon?") A click came from her deck and whatever was on her head disappeared.

Ichigo giggled as Cyber Shadow Kuriboh appeared on his field dressed up in a cloak of grey feathers and holding a card in its claws. "Thanks buddy." Taking the card, he held it up and winked to the demoness. "Once per turn by discarding a card from my hand I can take the top card of your deck and use it as my own! And that card is Graceful Charity, letting me draw three cards and discard two."

Pulling out a comb, Eri smoothed out her now messed up hair while fixing Cyber Shadow Kuriboh with a death-glare.

"I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn." Ichigo smiled at Eri cheerfully. "He didn't mean anything by it. Don't get too mad at him."

"Who's mad?" She screamed, drawing. "I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, drawing two cards. And then I play the magic card Class in Session, letting me summon one Academy Teacher monster without sacrifice!" A black-haired man in a purple shirt and black pants appeared on her field. "Academy Teacher Rascal is summoned!" (2200/1700) "Also, because Apprentice Academy is in play Rascal-sensei gains 400 attack points!" (2600/1700) "Dorothy, attack Cyber Shadow Kuriboh now!" The woman released a blast of magical energy that slammed into the fuzzball and shattered it. "And now Rascal-sensei attacks you directly!"

"Not this turn he doesn't!" Ichigo's face-down card flipped up. "I activate the trap card Kuriboh Espionage! This card triggers when there is a Cyber Shadow Kuriboh, Kuriboh, or Final Shadow Super Ultra Kuriboh of Doom in my graveyard. From my deck or hand Revised Cyber Shadow Kuriboh is special summoned!" An exact copy of Cyber Shadow Kuriboh appeared on his field. (300/200) "When this monster is summoned one random card from your hand is sent to mine and is activated!"

Eri gasped as the right of her two cards disappeared, reappearing in Ichigo's hand. "That means…"

Glancing at the card, Ichigo grimaced. "Snack Time…I can't use this so it's discarded." He tossed it across the field to her, and she discarded it into her graveyard slot. ("Sorry buddy…") He winced as Rascal cracked his whip through the furry monster and shattered it. "When Revised Cyber Shadow Kuriboh is destroyed as a result of battle you discard a card from your hand."

Eri snarled and discarded her other hand card. "End turn."

"Draw!" Ichigo nodded at the card. "Eri, it looks like we'll be relocating this duel to somewhere more appropriate! From my hand I activate the field magic card City of Shadows!" The elementary school came crashing down around them and giant black skyscrapers rose into the sky. "When this field comes into play I can remove one magic or trap card on the field from the game."

The demoness let out an even lower snarl and removed her set card from her disk. ("I've got no magic or traps now. Still, Dorothy and Rascal are in play. I should be safe.")

"And now…" Ichigo held up another field magic card. "Let's change the scenery one more time! I activate the field magic card Infinite Palace!" Giant spires of dark blue crystal rose in the air behind and around him. "And then I activate Infinity Spectrum. When Infinite Castle is in play I can add one Infinity named card from my deck to my hand!" Removing a card from his deck he threw it down and a humanoid being made of fire appeared on his field. "I search for and summon Infinity Traveler-Inferno Brawler!" (0/100) "For every monster you have in play his attack is increased by 1000 points." (2000/100) "And Infinite Castle doubles the attack of all Infinity named monsters on my field!" (4000/100)

"4000 attack points?" Eri gasped in surprise. She had expected him to fight back, but this wasn't what she had seen coming.

"Inferno Brawler has no choice, he'll be attacking Dorothy!" Ichigo watched his flaming monster release a fireball that consumed Eri's monster.

Ichigo- 3600

Eri- 1600

"End turn." Ichigo grimaced as he watched the attack power of his Inferno Brawler drop. (2000/100)

"Draw!" Eri pointed at Inferno Brawler. "I attack now!" Rascal cracked his whip through the Traveler, easily destroying it. "And when Rascal-sensei deals you life point damage I can add one level three or lower Apprentice named monster from my deck to my hand." Removing a card she replaced her deck into its slot and inserted a card into her disk. "I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. ("It looks like I'm down to the wire here.") "I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Eri smirked and drew. "It looks like your luck isn't coming out like it should. Rascal-sensei, direct attack!" Her monster leapt forward and cracked his whip across Ichigo's face. "At this time I add another level three or lower Apprentice named monster from my deck to my hand. End turn."

Ichigo- 1400

Eri- 1600

Ichigo rubbed his nose tenderly. "Did he have to hit me so hard?" Then he frowned at his deck. ("Alright guys, let's see some hustle out there!") He drew. "Hey Eri, it looks like things won't be going your way from this point."

"And why's that?" The demoness narrowed her eyes at the card Ichigo flipped over. "Another one, huh?"

"That's right." A ball of pulsing light appeared on Ichigo's field. "I summon Infinity Traveler-Chaos Gambler!" (600/300)

"Chaos Gambler?" Eri blinked at the monster, and then at Ichigo. "Who…" When he shrugged she rolled her eyes. "I should know better than to think you know why cards you've never seen before just show up in your deck."

"Infinity Traveler-Chaos Gambler triggers a die roll when summoned, and depending on the number his effect is decided!" The body of the ball flickered through yellow, red, orange, green, blue and purple. Finally it stopped when it was glowing bright red. "Alright! Red means two, and that means all cards in play and our hands are sent to the graveyard!"

"Wait what?" Eri screamed as the bright red alien monster exploded, and the whole field blew up, along with the three cards in her hand.

Ichigo- 600

Eri- 1600

As the smoke cleared Ichigo breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Unfortunately, I lose 100 life points per card lost. End turn."

Eri looked down at her deck and then up at Ichigo. "You do understand that all I have to do is draw a weak monster and you lose."

Ichigo nodded. "That's right. Now show me the patented draw that makes you the top duelist of this school."

Eri drew and smiled happily. "Ichan…I got it." Flipping the card over, she revealed Apprentice Momonga Ninja." (600/700) A pink-clothed little girl ninja appeared on her field. "Attack Ichan's life points directly!"

Ichigo closed his eyes right before he was slashed across the chest.

Ichigo- 0

Eri- 1600

"See?" Ichigo winked to her. "You're on the top of your game. I could barely touch your life points except for that one surprise attack."

The demoness walked up to him and sighed. "Maybe you should look your deck over again instead of saying I'm way above your level. After all, you were all over the place in that duel. I saw Infinity Travelers, your Kuribohs, and your Final Shadows over the course of a few turns."

"Really?" Ichigo pulled his deck out of its disk slot and fanned it out in front of his face. "Judai-sensei used to run some cards that had nothing to do with each other, and it worked for him. So, you know, I thought I'd put a bunch of my best cards together in a deck and see how it worked."

Eri took Ichigo's hand gently and led him back towards his room. "Come with me, Ichigo. I'd like to assist you in reworking your current deck."

------------------

_Back in Ichigo's room, about ten minutes later…_

-------------------

Ichigo, sitting on his desk chair, rifled through his newly adjusted deck. "Wow, I didn't think these could combo. And this, and this…" He repeated those two words over and over again as he went through about half of the deck.

Eri sighed and patted him on the head, sitting in Erian's desk chair. "And this is why you're lucky I love you as much as I do. If not for my guiding hand you would have dueled someone else with that travesty of a deck and lost miserably."

"It wasn't that bad." Ichigo shuffled the deck a few times and then put it in his pocket. Wordlessly he turned to face her, leaning in close and grinning stupidly. "Hey Eri?" He sang out.

"Yes?" The demoness had a sudden chill run down her back, though she wasn't sure why. Then that chill disappeared as he kissed her, and was replaced by that warmth she loved. Her eyes closed, and for a few moments she could see a beautiful rainbow light reflected behind her eyelids.

The door to Ichigo's room flew inwards, Griff and Krieger jumping in. The former had a trumpet with him and the latter had a shoulder drum. "Good morning, Ichigo Pilkin…" His brain broke at what he saw. "……" From behind him he heard Krieger drop the drum with a thud, and then pass out with a louder thud.

Ichigo broke off from his kiss with Eri and glared at his friends. "Don't any of you people knock before just waltzing into…" He noticed that Griff's face was pale white, which shouldn't have been possible considering how tan the Egyptian boy's skin normally was. "Oh come on, I know you knew that I was this bold now, so stop freaking out."

Griff's right eye started twitching on its own accord, and his head tilted to the right slowly. "….."

"Oh come on, are you really all that surprised by this?" Ichigo was really getting angry now. "It's not like this isn't anything abnormal or something!" He turned to look at Eri. "I wish you'd grow…"

Sitting where Eri had been there was a male black-haired wolf demon of about the same age as the half demon. "Ichigo," he said. "What's the matter? Why are you turning pale?" He grabbed at his throat. ("Wait, I don't sound right.") Looking down at his clothing, he quickly realized something was definitely wrong considering it fit wrong in every place it shouldn't have. After a few moments of staring down he started whimpering, while Ichigo banged his head against the nearest hard surface muttering something like "Why me?"

_To be continued…_


	50. Preparations Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 50: Preparations (Part 2)

"Where is it?" A loud explosion came from the Ra Yellow dorm. "Where is it? Where is it? ARGH! Where?"

Anarchy opened the door to Masami's room carefully and peeked in to see the human flying about the cluttered space looking frantically for something. "Is there a problem, Masami?"

"It disappeared!" His hair an absolute mess and his glasses askew, the self-proclaimed genius threw a whole box of assorted metal parts to the side to check and see if it was there. "It's not here either!"

"Do you mean your precious project?" Anarchy walked all the way into the room to show he was carrying a small metal suitcase with him. "I just took it out for a little test run."

Masami snatched the suitcase from the Traveler's hand and undid the latches; hurriedly checking the device inside to make sure it was alright. "Whew…nothing is damaged."

"Of course." Anarchy thumbed at his chest and smirked. "I know what I'm doing."

"Since you took it out for a 'test run', apparently you do not." Slamming the case closed, Masami leapt to his feet and glared at his alien associate. "What did you do with it? Where did you test it? Don't you know that I'm still not sure whether or not it is safe yet?"

The Traveler chuckled. "If it wasn't safe then you wouldn't have used it on yourself, my dear friend. And as for what I did with it? Well, let's just say that it's going to be a very interesting Sunday." He turned and opened the door. "Now come on, we've got a duel to attend."

"A duel?" The Otaku quickly packed the suitcase into a backpack, which he strapped to his back, and followed the Traveler. "What duel?"

-------------------------

_Meanwhile, back at the Osiris Red dorm…_

-------------------------

Ichigo sat quietly in his desk chair, looking across the room. In the chair next to him was Eric, which was the name Eri had decided would fit his current form, dressed in a spare set of Ichigo's school uniform. The only thing's that made him look different than Ichigo was his black hair and his golden eyes.

Sitting on the top bunk of the beds were Erian and Chris. In a bunch of spare fold-out chairs that had been brought in from the dorm's storage room were Adriel, Griff, Krieger, Ambience and Resshin. All of them were positioned in random locations across the small room, making conditions rather cramped. "Well, anybody have any ideas?"

With his back resting against the door, Nikolai took a quiet sip of his soda. "I'm still trying to figure out what this has to do with me. Care to explain?"

"And I'm still trying to figure out how you don't have diabetes considering how much of that soda you drink," Ichigo snapped back. "Care to explain?" The two Shadow duelists glared at each other, and then looked away at the same time.

"Stop being snippy, Ichigo." Krieger bowed his head to Nikolai. "Please don't take offense, Nikolai-san, Ichigo's in a very bad mood right now."

Ichigo's right eyebrow twitched a couple of times. "Krieger stop talking about me like I'm not in the room. And yes, I think I've got good reason to be angry, don't you?"

"Actually," Eric muttered and pointed at himself. "You don't have any reason to be angry, unlike me. I intend to kill the one responsible for this, unless it was somehow your fault Ichigo. If so I'll just beat you senseless and we can call it even."

"So why did you call us here?" Resshin asked grumpily. "Do you think this is a plot of the Blood Children?"

"It could be," Erian said. "I don't know the exact details, but if Rysel is involved this might be his handiwork." He flushed red as Chris latched onto him. "Anyway, what do you think Ichigo? You have the most experience with Rysel out of all of us."

"I don't think he'd do something like this." Sighing in frustration, Ichigo's wolf ears lilted and he sank back into his chair looking extremely depressed. "I know this is my fault though, and that's why I called all of you guys here. I don't know what I should do. Eri's official duel is today in just a few hours, but she can't go like she is now."

Erian snapped his fingers. "Hey, why don't we ask Illustrious? I'm sure he would know."

All eyes in the room turned to look at Nikolai.

"Fine, if it will get me out of here faster." Pulling a Duel Monster card out of his pocket, the Russian boy held it up in front of his face. "Did you hear that Illustrious?" A faint glow came from the card. "Right, right, I'm coming." Closing his eyes, he let his mind drift off in the flow of his ally's abilities. ("Show me who we're supposed to see about this.")

Everyone watched Nikolai intently, until he suddenly grimaced and snapped his eyes open. "Well, it looks like you're going to need to find that Captain Zeta loser if you want to fix your problem." Standing up, he brushed himself off and opened the door. "Now if you'll excuse me, that's all Illustrious would tell me and I see no point in staying."

A shoe shot past him and kicked the door closed violently. Spinning him around, Eric growled right in the Russian duelist's face and grabbed his shirt collar. "You're going to stick around until my problem's fixed unless you'd like me to tear out your throat with my bare hands to pass the time between when we find this Captain Zeta and now. Am I clear?"

"Crystal." Brushing the demon's hands away, Nikolai rested his back against the once-again closed door. "So, how do we contact the freak?"

Erian clapped his hands together at an idea he had. "Maybe if we shout his name really loud he'll hear us?" When everyone sweatdropped he sighed and hung his head. "Sorry."

Griff stood up and walked over to the door. "Just wait for my email. If he's anybody on this campus then there's only one guy to go to, and he'll only speak to me when it comes to the information business." Pushing past Nikolai and Eric, he shoved his hands into his pockets angrily. ("It's too bad I hate him.")

----------------------------------------------------

_About twenty minutes later, at the Ra Yellow dorm…_

-----------------------------------------------------

"Hey Masami, open the door!" Griff pounded away at the door to the freak's room repeatedly. "I've got business with you!"

A loud click came from behind the door and a crackling noise came from inside the room for a few moments before Masami's voice could be heard. _"Hello, visitor, if you're here to see me, the great Masami-sama, then unfortunately you are out of luck. I'm not here right now."_

"That's just great," Griff muttered under his breath as he turned to walk away.

"_However, if you're Mohistava then you can reach Captain Zeta through use of a special beeper he left in my care. It's located in my room, so please help yourself to it and lock the door on your way out. Oh yes, by the way if this isn't Mohistava and you take the beeper I will know, and if you, Mohistava included now, touch anything else in my room I will know. Consider how I knew Mohistava was coming."_ The voice waited a few seconds. _"Now that you've considered it, ponder what it would be like to spend the rest of your days at this Academy with my anger upon you."_

"……" Griff was suddenly very afraid to walk inside.

The crackling noise inside the room started again. _"Get in here and take the stupid thing, Mohistava!"_

"Right!" The Egyptian boy pushed the door open and ran inside, hoping to make this as painless as possible.

--------------------------_---_

_Forty minutes later, up along the hills near the Obelisk Blue boy's dorm (Time until Eri's official challenge: Three hours and ten minutes)_

-------------------------------

Ichigo sighed and rubbed the back of his head nervously. He was standing in the middle of a large clearing nestled between a pair of hills, which was the location that had Griff had told him he was needed to go to. "Hello? I came alone, like you requested! And I brought my duel disk too. Captain Zeta, we need to talk about something that happened to my girlfriend!"

A loud laughter suddenly started echoing across the mini-canyon. It continued on for about a minute before a familiar heroic voice yelled out, _"You are brave to come alone, Ichigo Pilkington. I commend you for that trait, but I cannot give you the answer you seek until after you have defeated the challenger I brought for you."_

"Challenger?" Ichigo blinked as a shaggy red-haired guy in a Ra Yellow uniform walked out into the open, a duel disk on his arm. "You want me to duel this guy?"

"_That's correct,"_ The hero's voice echoed across the clearing. _"Good luck, as you probably will not be able to win. He's quite serious about defeating you for some reason."_

Anarchy smirked and activated his duel disk. "Ichigo Pilkington, the half demon who is bonded with my eldest brother. You're the Starlight Savior, and you're the guy who is supposed to be able to beat the Blood Children huh? Let's see just how much of that is true. Name's Anarchy, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you." Ichigo activated his duel disk. "I'm guessing you're one of Erian's siblings, according to what you said. Therefore I won't bother introducing myself, as it seems you guys learn really quickly who I am!"

"Duel!" They both said, drawing their opening hands.

Anarchy- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

-------------------

Up near the top of one of the hills, Captain Zeta crouched down and watched the duel begin. ("Anarchy, you already know I'm not happy about what you did with my invention. And yet you did it anyway, because you wanted a reason to duel Ichigo when the guy's got something on the line.")

-------------------

"I'm first, draw!" Anarchy snapped the top card off of his deck and a card slid out of his deck. "At this time the effect of my Ultimate Chaos field magic card activates now! Prepare yourself, Ichigo Pilkington!" The sky turned into a mess of random flashes of lights and colors. "This card is activated from my deck when I have no cards in play. Its effect is that during my standby phase I roll a twenty-sided die. Depending on the number rolled a different effect will activate! Go!" A giant seventeen appeared in the sky. "Aww, that's no fun. That effect won't be any good if the only card in play is Ultimate Chaos. Oh well, I'll move onto my main phase then." He slid two cards into his disk. "I place two cards face-down on my field and end my turn."

"It's my turn, draw!" Ichigo drew.

"Reverse card open!" One of Anarchy's set cards flipped up. "The continuous trap card Chaos Boost activates when Ultimate Chaos is in play. From this point onward you will now roll a die during your standby phase for the effect of Ultimate Chaos as well." A giant number ten appeared in the sky. "Heh, ten means that your opponent, me, special summons a monster from their graveyard."

"You don't have any monsters in your graveyard," Ichigo said calmly. "Therefore that effect is wasted."

"Not quite. Reverse card open!" Anarchy's other set card flipped up. "Assorted Chaos sends one random magic card, trap card, and monster card from my deck to my graveyard." Three cards slid out of his graveyard and he slid them into his graveyard slot. "Also, I gain 500 life points."

Anarchy- 4500

Ichigo- 4000

The Traveler watched the monster that was discarded by Assorted Chaos appear on his field. It was a black hourglass filled with rainbow sand. "Chaos Hourglass (0/2000) is special summoned to the field in defense mode. Continue with your turn."

"Then I play Polymerization to smash your time-piece!" Ichigo snapped up the trademark magic card. "From my hand I fuse Final Shadow Blood Saber and Star Shadow Wolf together!" A blood-stained cyber warrior and a crystalline wolf appeared on his field before being sucked into a vortex. "Star Wolf Rider (?) is special summoned!" The two monsters reappeared in play, Blood Saber riding on the back of the Star Shadow Wolf.

"Star Wolf Rider's attack and defense are equal to the combined attack and defense of its fusion components!" (3000/2600) "Battle, Blood Slasher!" His fusion galloped across the field and chopped through the hourglass. "At this time, when Star Wolf Rider destroys a monster as a result of battle, I draw a card." Yanking the top card off of his deck, he added it to his hand.

Anarchy grinned and pointed up at the sky. "When Chaos Hourglass is destroyed the effect of one die-roll card in play can be activated right away! In this case, Ultimate Chaos triggers!" A giant seven appeared in the sky. "Seven means my opponent draws one card."

"Thanks." The half demon drew another card. "I end my turn."

"Draw!" Anarchy pointed up at the sky. "Ultimate Chaos activates now!" Another seven appeared. "Heh, it looks like you're being favored in this duel."

Ichigo drew another card. "It looks like it."

"However," Anarchy slammed a card into his duel disk. "Let's see how lucky you really are. I activate the magic card Chaos Catalyst, triggering the effect of Ultimate Chaos once more!" A four appeared in the air. "And now I get to special summon a monster from my graveyard to the field." His Chaos Hourglass appeared in play once more. (0/2000) "Also I place two cards face-down. End turn." A pair of cards appeared alongside his Chaos Boost card.

Ichigo drew. "According to Chaos Boost, I have to roll!" He pointed up at the sky. "Go for it, Lady Luck!" A giant eighteen appeared in the sky, and Anarchy started laughing loudly. "What's so funny?"

"Number eighteen means we both lose 300 life points for every card in our hand." Anarchy braced himself as he felt a light burn across his chest. Over on Ichigo's side it was more like a bomb going off in the half demon's face.

Anarchy- 3900

Ichigo- 1900

Gasping for air, Ichigo dropped to one knee and clutched at his chest. "I'm not…beaten yet!" Leaping to his feet he tossed a card onto his disk. "Here goes nothing! I summon Final Shadow God Halo Breaker (1700/1000) in attack mode!" An armored dark-haired magician-warrior appeared on his field. "When this monster is summoned a counter is added to it. As long as this counter remains on it, its attack goes up by 300!" (2000/1000)

"A couple of powerful monsters you have there," Anarchy smirked and pointed at his two set cards suggestively. "Are you sure you want to attack though?"

"Not yet, but soon." Ichigo held up a card. "I activate the magic card Halo of Legend. This card lets me destroy a magic or trap card in play per Final Shadow God and Final Shadow I have in play! My choices are those two cards!" He pointed at the two set cards on Anarchy's field.

"Reverse card open!" One of Anarchy's targeted face-down cards flipped up. "At the cost of one card from my hand the trap card Judgment of Anubis negates your magic and trap destruction magic card! Also, I destroy one monster in play and deal its attack in damage to your life points!" Star Wolf Rider exploded.

-----------------------------------

Captain Zeta closed his eyes sadly. ("Sorry Ichigo, against a guy like Anarchy you don't stand a chance. When he's serious nobody can beat him, not even…") His eyes widened as he realized that the chaotic conditions of Ultimate Chaos were still in the air. ("The duel didn't end?")

-----------------------------------

"Impossible…" Anarchy's eyes widened as the smoke cleared on Ichigo's field to reveal that the half demon's life points were unfazed. "How?"

"I owe the quick save to this." Ichigo removed the card he had shoved into his duel disk and held it up. "The quickplay magic card Penalty Point activates when you destroy a monster on my field with a trap effect. All damage to me for the turn is zero and I draw one card." Pulling a new card off of his deck, the half demon inserted a card into his duel disk. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Anarchy drew angrily. "During my standby phase Ultimate Chaos activates!" A giant sixteen appeared in the sky.

"And what's that…huh?" Ichigo gasped as all of the cards in his hand disappeared.

"Sixteen means we both discard all cards in our hand." Anarchy pointed at his set card. "I reveal Guard Switch. This card switches the attack and defense of one monster on my field for the turn!" (2000/0) "I switch Chaos Hourglass into attack mode and attack Halo Breaker! Crazy Time!" The hourglass didn't move, but it and Halo Breaker exploded. "At this time the effect of Chaos Hourglass activates!"

"In chain I reveal Night Signal!" Ichigo's set card flipped up. "When a monster on my field is sent to the graveyard as a result of battle I special summon a level four or lower Final Shadow from my deck! Come out now, Final Shadow Psyche Vizier!" A female thief wearing a dark metal helmet appeared on his field in a crouching position. (1200/1300)

"Go Ultimate Chaos!" Anarchy pointed up at the sky and a giant number one appeared. "One means I draw a card." Pulling the top card off of his deck, the Traveler tossed it face-down onto his disk. "I set a monster face-down on my field and end my turn."

"Draw!" Ichigo looked up at the sky and watched a giant number five appear. "What's that do?" A green glow surrounded his body. (ILP: 2900) "Cool! I gained 1000 life points!" He looked at the drawn card and pumped his fist into the air happily. "Ultra mega super cool, I drew Pot of Greed!" Drawing two cards from his disk, he grinned at Anarchy. "This is the coolest duel I've been through in a long while."

("This is incredible…") Anarchy had never dueled anyone before who had adapted this quickly the crazy conditions of his ultimate deck.

----------------------------------------

Captain Zeta smirked down at the duel and at Ichigo. ("Ichigo Pilkington, you're on my list of good people now. Even I couldn't adjust to dueling Ultimate Chaos as easily as you are.")

------------------------------------------

"And now," Ichigo's field magic card slot opened. "I activate the field magic card City of Shadows!" Giant black skyscrapers rose into the sky around them, but the chaotic conditions didn't disappear.

Anarchy smirked up at the strange field that had been created. "The power of Ultimate Chaos prevents other cards from destroying it. I'm guessing that's why you didn't target the field with your one magic card."

"Nope," Ichigo blushed a little. "I just thought all of the crazy effects were really cool."

"…Really?" And once again, this was a first for Anarchy. Every other player he had met hated the random situations brought up by his field magic card.

"Anyway, when City of Shadows comes into play one magic or trap on the field can be removed from the game!" Ichigo pointed at the Chaos Boost card, which dissolved.

"And then I summon Final Shadow God Rage Demon in attack mode!" (2000/0) A feral-looking version of Ichigo appeared in play. "Also I switch Psyche Vizier into attack mode." The female thief stood up. "Go Rage Demon, attack the set monster now!" The feral God leapt forward and was deflected as the revealed monster turned out to be another Chaos Hourglass. (0/2000) "End turn."

Anarchy drew, looking a little bit desperate. ("This guy is much more adaptable than I thought. He's not letting the effects of Ultimate Chaos throw him off of his game. At this rate I'm going to get blown away.") A giant eleven appeared in the sky and Ichigo was surrounded by a green glow once more. (ILP: 3900) "I set one monster face-down on my field and end my turn!"

Ichigo drew. "Without Chaos Boost in play I won't have to roll a die during my standby phase." His eyes widened at the drawn card. "Alright! I sacrifice Rage Demon and Psyche Vizier to summon Final Shadow Avenger Zero!" A demon-winged warrior appeared on his field, dark smoke pouting from its body and making it fit in perfectly within the atmosphere of City of Shadows. "Avenger Zero, attack the monster he set face-down!" The Final Shadow flew across the field and slashed one of its wingtips through the card, shattering it.

"That was my Chaotic Symphony monster, and when it's destroyed I can roll two die during the next activation of Ultimate Chaos!" Anarchy drew and two numbers appeared in the sky. (12, 7) "I decide to use the effect of seven, gaining 1000 life points!" (ALP: 4900) "End turn!"

Ichigo drew and pointed at the Chaos Hourglass. "Go Avenger Zero, Avenging Angel Blade!" The winged warrior dove through the time-piece and slashed it in half with a swipe of its wings. Up in the sky above a giant ten appeared. "Wait, doesn't that let you special summon…" The same Chaos Hourglass he just destroyed reappeared in play. "Awww, that stinks. End turn."

Anarchy drew, sweat on his forehead. ("How can he be this calm?") The sky above projected a two. "I have to discard a card from my hand." He slid the card he had just drawn into the graveyard. "End turn."

Ichigo drew. "From my hand I activate Polymerization, fusing the Final Shadow Ebony Ninja in my hand with the Avenger Zero on my field!" A black-clothed ninja appeared alongside his demon warrior, both of them disappearing within a vortex of shadow. What emerged was a devil-winged ninja. "I fusion summon Final Shadow Avenger Ninja in attack mode!" (2600/2000) "During my battle phase this monster may attack you directly, dealing half damage! Avenger Ninja, attack his life points directly!" The monster disappeared in a burst of smoke.

Anarchy's eyes widened as he felt a sword slash across his back.

Anarchy- 2600

Ichigo- 3900

Ichigo watched his fusion flip back to his field with a big smile on his face. "End turn."

("I can't lose here! I can't lose to someone in a duel of chaos!") Anarchy drew with a desperate look in his eyes. ("This is my element, not yours! I will not lose here!") A giant eighteen appeared and fire exploded along his body. (ALP: 2000) "End…turn."

Ichigo drew. "Avenger Ninja, attack his life points directly again!" The half demon's monster disappeared in a burst of smoke, stealth-slashed the Traveler, and then flipped back to his field. "End turn."

Anarchy- 700

Ichigo- 3900

Dropping to one knee, Anarchy stared at the stone ground of the City of Shadows in confusion. ("This can't be. How am I losing to him this badly?") Forcing himself to his feet, he drew. "Go Ultimate Chaos, show him he that this is my world!" A giant thirteen appeared in the sky. "At this time a random card from both of our hands is switched."

Ichigo gulped as the Mirage of Nightmare he had been holding disappeared and was replaced by a Chaotic Symphony. (300/300)

"Heh," Anarchy felt some of his control returning in this duel. "I place one card face-down on my field. Then I play your Mirage of Nightmare. Also, I'll offer my Chaos Hourglass to set monster face-down on my field." Now that he had no cards in his hand, he nodded to Ichigo. "End turn."

Ichigo drew, and watched as Mirage of Nightmare released a glow. "During my standby phase you draw cards from your deck until you are holding four cards in your hand." After watching the Traveler draw he pointed forward. "Avenger Ninja, attack his life points directly for game!"

"Reverse card open!" Anarchy's face-down card flipped up. "Emergency Eject lets me send a magic or trap card in play back to its owner's hand to gain 1000 life points." Then he stumbled backwards as he stealth-slashed again.

Anarchy- 400

Ichigo- 3900

Ichigo glanced at the Mirage of Nightmare that was back in his hand. "End turn."

Anarchy looked down at his life point counter. "If there was a time to show my power, it's now!" He drew. "Ultimate Chaos, let's show him that I am the master of this realm! Go!" A giant number nineteen appeared. "……" He smirked slowly to Ichigo. "This, my friend, will be interesting! Go Living Insanity!"

Ichigo yelped as his life point counter went insane, flying through thousands of numbers. "Gah! My duel disk is malfunctioning!"

"Not quite." Anarchy watched as his life point counter did the same. "The computer is just going to change our life point scores." Finally both counters stopped their momentary insanity.

Anarchy- 17947

Ichigo- 1

Ichigo stared bug-eyed at his counter. "O…o…one?"

Anarchy whistled in sympathy. "You must have used up all of your luck earlier, because now you're paying for it." Holding up one of his hand cards, a slight smile crossed his face. "In all truth, you're screwed now. It looks Ultimate Chaos has turned against you, though why it sided with you in the first place I'm not sure of. From my hand I activate Chaos Charge, which is the continuous magic card version of Chaos Boost. Also, I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Ichigo drew…

"Reverse card open." Anarchy's set card flipped up to reveal another Chaos Boost.

A couple of lines of sweat went down Ichigo's forehead. "It rolls twice." Up above, a large number sixteen appeared, bringing a growl from Ichigo's throat as both he and Anarchy lost all of their hand cards.

Anarchy closed his eyes and pointed up at the sky with a big smile on his face. "Roll once more!" A giant three appeared. "You must now destroy a monster on your field."

"What?" Ichigo threw up his arms just in time to brace himself as his Avenger Ninja exploded violently, leaving his field nearly clear except for the City of Shadows. "When Avenger Ninja is destroyed by an effect, Ebony Ninja is special summoned from my graveyard to the field." The black-clothed ninja appeared on his field in a crouching position. (900/0) "End turn."

"It's all over." Anarchy licked his lips, his fear gone. He was back in his element, and it was treating him as it should treat its prince. "You have no cards in your hand, and nothing to protect you but a zero point defender. All it will take is one monster on mine to beat you. And when you lose, so does any chance of you saving your girlfriend from what I did to her."

"You did that?" Ichigo bared his fangs angrily at the Traveler. "Why? How does it benefit you at all? What did she ever do to you?"

"No reason, it doesn't, and nothing," answered the Traveler. "All of these things I do are in the name of both chaos and my namesake anarchy. However, I learned about you from Erian, and found it obvious until I've beaten you there won't be any chaos here. Now, let's watch as Erika Amero falls down the path of humiliation because you weren't able to stand against me in this duel. Whether you blame it on luck, fate, or yourself doesn't matter to me though. Now then, let's see if you'll survive another turn! It's my turn, draw!"

_To be continued…_

Author's Note: There are a couple of new threads up in the Infinity Chronicles forums, check them out if you've got the time. Especially check out the thread asking what you, the reader, want to see in this story. Thank you in advance.


	51. Preparations Part 3

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 51: Preparations (Part 3)

Griff sighed, his back resting against the wall of his room. He didn't feel like returning to Ichigo's room, and it didn't matter if he did. ("I've got a bad feeling anyway, like Ichigo is in trouble. In fact…") He turned and walked towards his door. "I'm going out to the location that the beeper said. It doesn't matter if it said he was supposed to go alone, I've got a feeling that Ichigo's going to need some back-up."

----------------------------------

"_You did that?" Ichigo bared his fangs angrily at the Traveler. "Why? How does it benefit you at all? What did she ever do to you?"_

"_No reason, it doesn't, and nothing," answered the Traveler. "All of these things I do are in the name of both chaos and my namesake anarchy. However, I learned about you from Erian, and found it obvious until I've beaten you there won't be any chaos here. Now, let's watch as Erika Amero falls down the path of humiliation because you weren't able to stand against me in this duel. Whether you blame it on luck, fate, or yourself doesn't matter to me though. Now then, let's see if you'll survive another turn! It's my turn, draw!"_

"Before you look at that card, keep something in mind." Ichigo took a deep breath to clear the anger gnawing at the back of his mind. "It'll take more than your rant about chaos to upset me, and what you're doing is a really villain kind of thing to do. Therefore, that automatically makes me the hero in this duel, and the hero always wins."

"That's so utterly…" Anarchy gasped at the card he had drawn. ("I can't use this card at all in this situation.")

"Like I said," Ichigo thumbed at his chest. "I'm the hero, you're not."

Gritting his teeth, the Traveler pointed up to the sky. "Go Ultimate Chaos!" A sixteen appeared. "What?" The card he had drawn disappeared. "You stubborn…reverse monster open!" A blob of rainbow-colored slime appeared on his field. "Chaos Jam (2000/2000) when flip summoned triggers Ultimate Chaos one more time!"

"It's useless." Ichigo smiled confidently. "You just announced your evil intentions, and expect luck to be on your side?"

"Shut up! Go Ultimate Chaos!" Anarchy looked up at the sky, and gasped in fear. "A three? That means…" His Chaos Jam exploded.

Ichigo placed his hand on the top card of his deck. "It's my turn, draw! First the effect of Chaos Boost triggers!" A twelve appeared in the sky. "And then the effect of Chaos Charge triggers Ultimate Chaos again!" A one appeared. "I remember that effect, it means I draw a card!" Adding a second card to his hand, the half demon smiled at Anarchy. "Now what does a twelve mean?"

Anarchy braced himself as a red aura surrounded his body. "It means your opponent loses 1000 life points." (ALP: 16947)

"I set two cards face-down on my field!" A pair of cards appeared face-down on Ichigo's field and he pointed at Ebony Ninja. "Now I switch my Final Shadow to attack mode! Direct attack!" The black-clothed ninja stood up and threw a pair of shurikens across the cityscape, slashing into Anarchy's chest. "End turn."

Anarchy- 16047

Ichigo- 1

"I won't lose, not to you!" Anarchy drew. "Go Ultimate Chaos!" A seven appeared in the sky. "Why?"

Ichigo pulled down his eyelid with a finger and stuck out his tongue. "Evil doesn't win. Bleah!" Then he drew a card.

The Traveler looked at the card he drew, and then he drew it onto his disk. "I summon Chaos Knight (1000/1000) in attack mode!" A rainbow-colored knight appeared in play. "Attack now! This means you lose!" His warrior slashed through Ichigo's monster.

"Is that so?" Ichigo tapped his field magic card slot. "As long as City of Shadows is in play all battle damage to me from battle involving a Final Shadow or Final Shadow God is zero." Then he drew. "Go Chaos Boost!" A three appeared. "I don't have any monsters in play, so I don't have to destroy anything. Thanks for clearing my Ebony Ninja instead of forcing me to kill it."

"Shut up!" Anarchy glared at the half demon.

Shrugging, Ichigo pointed up at the sky. "Go Chaos Charge!" A fifteen appeared. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that one. Care to explain?"

"A fifteen means we both add one card from our graveyards to our hands." Anarchy fished a card out of his graveyard slot.

"Really? Yes!" Ichigo reached down towards the bottom of the pile. "I thought after I lost this card that I would never get a chance to use it!" Pulling the card he had lost earlier out, the half demon snapped it up into his hand and threw out a different card. "I summon Final Shadow Smash Brute!" (1800/1500) A giant humanoid appeared on his field, slamming its fists together angrily. "Rolling Smash!" It charged across the field and punched the Chaos Knight's head off. "End turn."

Anarchy- 15247

Ichigo- 1

Anarchy clenched his free hand into a fist, his eyes glittery rainbow-colored for a moment. "I will defeat you here. This is my world, Pilkington! It's my turn, draw!"

Ichigo rubbed his chin. ("I've heard this somewhere before. Eh, it must just be my imagination.")

"Go Ultimate Chaos!" Another fifteen appeared. "From my graveyard I'll add the magic card I lost before to hand. Its name is Pot of Chaos."

"Then from my graveyard I'll add my Pot of Greed!" Ichigo removed the magic card and slid it in between the other two cards in his hand.

"That's fine." Anarchy held up his Pot of Chaos. "I activate this, so we both roll a six-sided die and draw a number of cards equal to the number rolled." A rainbow-colored die appeared in his and Ichigo's hands. "Go!" They both threw their cubes at the same time, each one coming to a stop at the same time. (Anarchy: 3; Ichigo: 5) Both of them drew the appropriate number of cards. "And now I'll play the magic card Random Occurrence. This card lets me discard the top card of my deck and copy that card's effects, regardless of requirements!" Inserting the top card of his deck into his graveyard, the Traveler snickered. "It was my favorite magic card, Maximum Chaos."

"Maximum…" Ichigo yelped as all of the cards in his hand floated freely into the air. "Huh? Wait….what's going on?"

Anarchy watched as the City of Shadow started to come apart. "This card normally would require for me to have rolled a twenty on the effect of Ultimate Chaos at one point or another during the duel, but in this case it isn't a worry as my other magic card goes past that requirement."

"Please explain what the effect is!" Ichigo yelped again as he started to float into the air. "AH! Put me down!"

"Let's just say I can't tell you what the effect of my card does because it can do nearly anything." A flash of light blinded both of them and when that light cleared it revealed an entirely different field.

Ichigo fell onto his rump unceremoniously. "Ouch!" The three cards in his hand flew free, and he snatched them out of the air before they could get away. "Wait, three? AHHH! Where'd the rest of my hand go?" His Smash Brute had disappeared, replaced by Final Shadow Shield Guardian. (0/1500) City of Shadows had disappeared and was replaced with Infinite Castle, while his set cards had been replaced by Mirage of Nightmare and another set card. "Ow, I think I broke my brain trying to figure out how this happened."

"Don't bother." Anarchy started laughing. "The only absolute is that my Ultimate Chaos is still in play. Well, that and this guy." A glittering rainbow-colored titan appeared on his field, pounding its chest with its fists and roaring angrily. (4000/4000) "When the effect of Maximum Chaos went off I triggered Incarnate Madness from my hand. That card allowed me to special summon Chaos God; Maximum Twenty from my deck to my field. This guy makes me immune to all negative effects of Ultimate Chaos. Plus he gets a bunch of possible effects when summoned, from a choice of twenty. The combo he got was that when he battles with a defense mode monster and his attack is higher than the opponent's defender, the difference is dealt in damage to your life points."

Rubbing his head and looking absolutely confused, Ichigo sighed loudly. "What's his other effect?"

"When he destroys a monster as a result of battle you get to draw a card. Oh well, it can't be helped!" Anarchy threw back his head and started laughing. "Plus I got a shiny new face-down card. And you know what's even better?" He pointed at Ichigo, a huge sneer on his face. "You can't look at your set card, so you don't even know if it will help you. Not that it matters!"

The sweat on Ichigo's forehead increased. ("He's right, I can't look at the card. However…") "We can still activate the card in question during the turn it is set, right?"

"Of course, but do you really want to leave it to chance?" The Traveler pointed at Shield Guardian. "Maximum Twenty…"

A loud crashing noise came from off to the side and Griff came charging in. "Hold it!" The Egyptian boy ran up to Ichigo and shook the half demon by the edges of his jacket. "Listen Ichigo, you can do it and you're not alone and…"

Eyes spinning, Ichigo clamped a hand over Griff's mouth. "Relax, alright? I haven't given up hope." He grinned cheerfully. "Don't worry Griff, I can do this!"

----------------------------

Captain Zeta sighed down at the field. ("He just had to come in and break the tension, didn't he? Oh well, it doesn't matter. The mathematical chances of Ichigo winning now are low considering if his set card isn't a defense trap he's toast.")

-----------------------------

Griff stood off to the side of the duel and glared at Anarchy. "Did Megame put you up to this?"

"Masami put me up to nothing. This is my decision, and I will defeat Ichigo Pilkington right now!" The Traveler looked around the crystal walls of Infinite Castle nostalgically, and then he pointed at Shield Guardian. "Maximum Twenty, crush his last hope!" Howling, the rainbow crystal giant charged towards Ichigo's defense mode monster. "This is the end!"

("That last effect tipped the game completely in his scales.") Ichigo looked down at the set card. ("Can that equal the playing field a little bit?") His eyes widened. ("Wait a second…this setup, the cards in my hand…") A slight smile crossed his face. "I think it's time we fixed that screwy number score! Reverse card open, Life Equalizer!" The card flipped up to reveal the trap card he had named. "Sure enough, that's what it was."

"Life Equalizer?" Anarchy gasped down at the life point counter.

Anarchy- 15247- 3000

Ichigo- 1- 3000

"That's right." Ichigo smiled. "Life Equalizer activates when the difference between our life points is 8000 or more. At that time both of our life point scores become 3000!" Then the Chaos God punched through his Shield Guardian, sending shockwaves through Ichigo as well.

Anarchy- 3000

Ichigo- 500

"Impossible…" Anarchy ground his teeth together in anger. "How are you able to stand under these conditions? It doesn't matter though; I'm willing to bet it all on my set card! Reverse card open!" His face-down card flipped up and his eyes widened. "That's…that's…"

------------------------

Captain Zeta frowned at the sight of the card. ("Ichigo's lost now. As long as that card remains in play, he cannot win.")

-------------------------

"My card is Extreme Prejudice, which triggers when a God named card on my field destroys a monster of yours as a result of battle." Anarchy licked his lips. "As long as this card remains in play, you cannot summon any monsters with Final Shadow in their title. End turn."

Ichigo gaped at the card, and then at his deck. ("That means…I can't win.") He didn't have a chance. ("He's sealed my key monsters, and without them I can't defeat this guy.")

"Ichigo!" Griff yelled, snapping the half demon out of his momentary depression. "What's the matter with you? Are you giving up so suddenly? If this is all it took to make you give up then you'd have been defeated long ago!"

"Griff…" Ichigo's eyes watered for a moment, and then he wiped a hand across them to clear the building liquid. "Yeah, you're right. I'm not giving up, don't worry about me. However, with his monster's effect I can't hope to last another turn. First I draw from the effect of Maximum Twenty's monster destruction power!" Adding a card to his hand, he placed his right index and middle on the top cards of his deck. "I trust in the power of my friends, the Final Shadows. Also I trust in the power of my friend Griff. I promised I'd restore Eri to normal, because you guys are my responsibility! Draw!"

He held up the card he had drawn from the effect of Chaos God. "I activate Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." Sliding two more cards off of his deck, he smiled at them. ("These cards are the ones I dropped into my deck before I went to duel Eri.") "Griff, you've got your deck with you, right?"

The Egyptian duelist nodded and held up his deck. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I'll need to borrow the power of the Dark Scorpions to win this!" The half demon snapped up one of the two cards drawn through Pot of Greed. "I activate the magic card Relic of an Alien World. This card lets me select a card from any surrounding player's deck and send it to my graveyard!"

Griff smiled slightly and walked up to Ichigo, fanning out his cards. "Take your pick."

Reaching over with his free hand the half demon removed Dark Scorpion Combination and slid it into his graveyard slot. "And now I sacrifice one continuous magic card on my field to activate this!" Ichigo's Mirage of Nightmare disappeared and was replaced by a card that had a picture of a tear in the sky. "Crossover Universe is a continuous magic card that lets a player that is in range of me select one group of monsters from their deck and special summon them to my field."

Griff calmly removed five cards from his deck and held them out to Ichigo. Turning to look at Anarchy, he gave a thumbs-up. "The effect of Crossover Universe lets me summon the Dark Scorpion Burglars to Ichigo's field."

"Introducing the guest stars to this duel," Ichigo bowed and stepped aside for Griff. "Will be their user."

The Egyptian boy pointed at Ichigo's field. "Dark Scorpion Roll Call! Dark Scorpion-Gorg the Strong!" A bald-headed giant appeared on the field, holding a giant hammer at his side. (1800/1500)

A female thief holding a long whip appeared alongside Gorg. "Dark Scorpion-Meanae the Thorn!" (1000/1800)

On Gorg's other side a small yellow-haired boy holding a huge mallet appeared. "Dark Scorpion-Chick the Yellow!" (1000/1000)

A glasses-wearing man with a knife in each hand appeared in play next to his comrades. "Cliff the Trap Remover." (1200/1000)

Finally the white-haired leader of the thief group appeared, and all five of them struck their poses on the field. "And with Don Zaloog that makes five!" (1400/1500) "Back to you Ichigo!"

Nodding, the half demon stepped back into his position. "From my hand, I reactivate the field magic card City of Shadows!" The Infinite Castle crumbled around them and was replaced by the dark city of the Final Shadows. "Therefore I'll be removing Extreme Prejudice from the game, thank you very much!"

"Not a chance!" Removing the card from his disk, Anarchy slid it into his graveyard. "As long as Maximum Twenty remains in play you can't remove anything from my field, as everything that would be removed goes to the graveyard."

Ichigo closed his eyes. ("And everything falls into place.") "It's over Anarchy, you've lost."

"What are you talking about? I'm protected by Maximum Twenty!" The Traveler's monster roared loudly. "As long as he is in play those five dysfunctional losers can't touch me."

"And the hole you've dug yourself into just gets deeper and deeper." Ichigo held up Psyche Vizier from his hand. "I discard one card from my hand to activate the effect of City of Shadows, removing one random card from your graveyard! And since my graveyard was clear after that effect, I'm betting yours was too. Therefore…" A card shot out of Anarchy's graveyard and landed in Ichigo's hand. "Yup, Extreme Prejudice." The trap dissolved out of his grasp. "When a trap is removed by the effect of my field magic card, I can remove a trap from my graveyard and activate its effect."

Griff started chuckling. "You might want to take back what you said, Anarchy."

"Why should I? What trap in there could…" Anarchy's eyes widened. "Dark Scorpion…Combination…"

"That's right!" Ichigo held up the trap he had gotten from Griff's deck. "When all five members of the Dark Scorpions are in play, they can all attack you directly. During that battle phase the maximum amount of damage they can deal you is 400! Go Dark Scorpion Must-kill Combination!

Cliff leapt across the field and dodged around the Chaos God, slashing through Anarchy with one of his knives. (ALP: 2600) Gorg charged past the god and crashed his hammer-weapon onto the Traveler's shoulder. (ALP: 2200) Meanae flipped over the Chaos God's head and cracked her whip down his chest. (ALP: 1800) Chick followed in right behind her, slamming his hammer right into Anarchy's stomach. (ALP: 1400) Back on Ichigo's field, Don Zaloog took aim with his revolver and fired a single shot that snapped their enemy's head back violently. (ALP: 1000)

Collapsing to his knees, Anarchy gasped for breath. "I…I'm still…standing…"

"When each of the Dark Scorpions deal you damage, I can trigger their effects. First for Cliff, this will send the top two cards of your deck to the graveyard." Ichigo pointed at the Traveler's Chaos God. "Gorg will send your monster back to the top of your deck. Meanae's effect I'll skip, and Chick's effect lets me send the Chaos God to the bottom of your deck. Finally, Don Zaloog discards the top two cards of your deck to your graveyard."

Anarchy did so weakly. Now his field was nearly clear, except that Ultimate Chaos still remained. "During my next turn, my field magic card will give me the power to recover. Can you say the same with any confidence, Ichigo Pilkington?"

"I don't have to," Ichigo said, flipping one of the two remaining cards in his hand over. "I activate the quickplay magic card Dark Warrior Revolution! This card lets me return one dark warrior from my field to my hand, and then I can special summon a dark warrior from my hand to the field." Don Zaloog disappeared into his hand.

"It's useless," Anarchy stumbled to his feet. "One of those cards you sent from my deck to my graveyard was Chaos Smoke. During the turn it is sent to my graveyard the attack of any monster that attacks me is reduced to 500. You just didn't notice because your trap lowered the damage even more than that. If you special summon Don Zaloog now you'll just be wasting your time…"

"Who said I was summoning back Don Zaloog?" Ichigo flipped over the other card in his hand. "Come out now, Final Shadow Death God!" A black-robed and bone-masked warrior holding a black katana appeared on his field. (1900/1000)

"I told you that any damage above 500 wouldn't work during this turn!" Anarchy realized that Ichigo was still smiling. "Your attack will fail!"

Ichigo smirked and pointed at Anarchy. "Final Shadow Death God is unaffected by trap cards, so regardless of your effect it's still the end! Shadow Full Moon!" The black-robed warrior launched high into the air, its body silhouetted against the full moon that appeared in the sky, and then reflected against Anarchy's eyes as the katana and its wielder dropped like lightning and slashed down the Traveler's chest.

Anarchy- 0

Ichigo- 500

As the chaotic conditions of Ultimate Chaos disappeared, Ichigo grinned at Griff and held up the six cards he had borrowed. "Thanks for letting me use the Dark Scorpions, buddy."

"Heck, thanks for letting me let you use them." Shuffling the cards back into his deck, the Dark Scorpion duelist thumbed over at the kneeling Anarchy. "So, what should we do with him?"

"Nothing." Ichigo ignored the confused look on Griff's face, tilting his head up and yelling, "I'm sure you saw that, so come out now and explain to me how you intend to fix Eri's problem."

"_But of course!"_ A black and red blur leapt out of a nearby tree and landed between them and Anarchy, instantly striking a dramatic hero pose. "Tis I, the hero of justice and shining awesomeness! Beware all those who would…" He continued on like this for a few minutes or so.

Griff sighed loudly, but to no avail. Captain Zeta was still introducing himself. "Isn't he breaking some kind of rule? I mean, your intros as Starlight Savior take all of what, ten seconds?"

Ichigo's right eye and ear twitched. "I stick to three lines every time…I don't think this guy knows where he is going, because he hasn't even noticed that we're talking during the middle of his introduction."

"…Captain Zeta!" Striking one final pose, the hero realized that the two weren't even looking at him. "Hey! Can the two of you pay attention please?"

"I'm sorry, you lost me at 'Beware all those who would…' and all that." Griff crossed his arms across his chest. "Anyway, do you know how to restore Eri to normal or what?"

"Of course I do, and as I promised I would be more than glad to help you." Captain Zeta stopped suddenly and glanced back behind him. "It seems like we have company."

Standing at the other end of the clearing a familiar crimson-clothed form. "Good afternoon Ichigo," Rysel said, bowing shallowly. "Have you been well?"

"……." The half demon sighed loudly. ("We don't have time for this…")

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: And things just don't get easier for Ichigo and crew. By the way, thank you to all of you who posted in the "What you, the reader, would like to see next" thread, and I encourage the rest of you to go there at one point or another soon. I enjoy hearing feedback from all of you.


	52. Preparations Part 4

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 52: Preparations (Part 4)

_Time remaining until Eri's Official Challenge: Two hours and twenty minutes_

_Standing at the other end of the clearing a familiar crimson-clothed form. "Good afternoon Ichigo," Rysel said, bowing shallowly. "Have you been well?"_

"……_." The half demon sighed loudly. ("We don't have time for this…")_

Captain Zeta noticed that Anarchy had scrambled back behind him upon seeing the newcomer. "Who are you?"

"I am Rysel, prince of the Blood Child throne." Bowing to the masked hero, he turned to look at Ichigo. "Ichigo, my friend, shall we catch up on old times? I've missed your chipper attitude."

("Chipper?") Griff believe that was the first time he had ever heard someone use that word before. "Ummm…Ichigo, is this that one guy you mentioned?" He whispered this into the half demon's ear, as he didn't want to give away Ichigo's secret identity.

Captain Zeta tilted his head slightly so that he could glance back at Ichigo. ("How does Ichigo know this guy? Could it be possible? No, it can't. Ichigo isn't in league with these guys, I can tell by the look in his eyes when he looks upon this Rysel character.") "Anarchy, take those two and get them out of here. I'll deal with this guy."

The Traveler nodded and motioned towards the way Ichigo had come from. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Ichigo frowned and prepared to run. He'd 'get lost', change into Starlight Savior, and return to back up Captain Zeta.

"Where are you going in such a hurry, Ichigo?" Rysel took a step forward, and noticed that Captain Zeta was getting ready to attack. "Oh, you wish to fight me physically? Don't you know who I am? I told you, so you really don't have an excuse."

"I don't need an excuse!" The costumed hero struck a pose. "I am Captain Zeta, defender of justice and light! With my heroic purpose shining through, you won't defeat me."

Rysel started to chuckle. "You say the strangest things, my friend." He snapped his fingers and his shadow exploded behind him, the darkness expanding across half of the clearing. "My Vengeances, awake." Dozens of dark humanoid forms exploded from his expanded shadow. "Now then, you're more than welcome to play with all of these. I wish to speak with my dear friend Ichigo, and therefore you're going to have to get out of my way."

"Not a chance…" Captain Zeta got ready to charge into battle. ("These are not exactly numbers I can beat on my own, but I've got to try.")

Ichigo nodded to Griff, which was a silent warning to leave. "Go get the others; it looks like Rysel refuses to uphold his part of his bargain."

"Who ever said that, Ichigo?" The Blood Prince folded his arms behind his back. "I gave you my word that I would not personally involve myself in this combat. That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to come here and watch though." From behind him the shadowed forms were awakening.

("If all of those things wake up at once…") Ichigo cursed under his breath and pulled his pendant free from the confines of his shirt.

Captain Zeta glanced behind him again. "Why haven't you…?" His eyes widened right before he was blinded by a blast of dark blue light.

"**Emerge, Starlight Soul!"**

--------------------------------------------------------------

Within his orb, Ichigo was surrounded by thousands of light blue stars. They gathered around his body, forming into a pulsing cocoon of light. A few moments later the cocoon cracked and shattered, revealing the female Starlight Savior wearing nothing but a light blue bodysuit. Her eyes opened and shimmered from hazel to blue. She braced herself as the dark blue space that had housed the stars condensed around her limbs and body, forming into hardened dark blue segments of armor. Threads of dark blue light shot down her back, combining to create a dark blue cloak that trailed down her back to her knees.

--------------------------------------------------------

The orb shattered, revealing Starlight Savior. **"Awaken Aries, Pisces and Aquarius!"** A dark blue crystal formed in her palm and flowed outward, transforming into a long sword with holes along the blunt of the blade. Bringing the pommel of the weapon to her lips she began playing, a sweet song filling the air and bringing everything but herself, Rysel, Captain Zeta, and the dozens of Vengeances into darkness. **"Celestial Songblade Dance!"** She launched forward, moving fast enough to leave afterimages of herself through that speed.

Rysel watched her shoot past him, and he heard the sound of a sword slashing through flesh amplified hundreds of times.

Landing at the end of the clearing, Starlight Savior closed her eyes and stabbed the songblade into the ground. From behind her the dozens of shadowed Vengeances began shuddering as lines of light exploded along their body. **"Good…shot…"** And then all of those forms exploded in beautiful bursts of dark blue sparks. Everything returned to normal as the last of those spark faded away.

("That…was…") Captain Zeta had seen it before, but after seeing it again in the light he realized just how impossibly fast Starlight Savior had to be. ("Nothing alive could move that fast, it's scientifically impossible even by demon physics.")

Rysel started to clap, that calm smile still on his face as he turned to face Starlight Savior. "That was a very wise move, Ichigo. By attacking the Vengeances while they were still awakening you prevented them from overwhelming you."

The heroine turned to face Rysel angrily. "Why did you come here? If it was to watch me cut down your monsters then you could have just done it from afar and saved yourself the trip." She noticed that Captain Zeta looked completely taken aback by what he had just seen. "As for you, if you're going to be of any help then snap out of it!"

"Right!" Shaking off his confusion and storing it for later, the masked hero slid into a fighting stance. He was ready to break in and attack Rysel if that's what it came to. ("Something about him is too calm anyway. It's like…") His nose scrunched up and he turned just in time to get struck in the midsection by a heavy blow that sent him flying.

Rysel stepped to one side right before Captain Zeta could slam into his back, and then he watched as the hero went into a wild roll and came to a stop in front of Starlight Savior, his cape over his head. "He's such an interesting fellow, don't you agree Chansen?"

"Indeed, Prince Rysel." The man who had attacked Captain Zeta stepped forward and kneeled behind the Blood Prince. He had his blue hair done up in a pony-tail, and his square-jawed face showed his might, as did the muscles that could be see underneath his blue martial artist's uniform. "However I feel he is a bit long-winded for my tastes, if you do not mind your opinion."

"Not at all." Rysel tilted his head to the side at Starlight Savior, who was helping Captain Zeta to his feet. "Ichigo, you're one of the most androgynous beings I have ever met."

The heroine's ears perked and she let go of Captain Zeta, the hero crashing to the ground again. "Excuse…" Her head creaked over to look at him, right eye twitching. "…me?"

"I'm just saying that you're a very strange creature. You're not quite human, nor demon. Also, you possess many feminine traits about you. It makes me wonder truly…which is your original gender?" Rysel, arms still folded behind his back, returned to smiling calmly. "Please excuse me, I was speaking my mind there and perhaps I went a little too far?"

The songblade shuddered as Starlight Savior's grip on the weapon hilt got tight. "I…am…a…guy!" She charged forwards, sword aimed to stab into the Blood Prince's heart. **"Infinite Starlight Sl…"** Everything went dark. In the distance she heard a loud crack noise, like breaking bone, and then sounds like those of trees being crashed through. And then there was nothing…

Rysel winced lightly. "Chansen, it wasn't necessary to hit Ichigo quite that hard, was it?"

The burly Blood Child, now standing in front of his prince, rubbed at his knuckles. "My apologies, lord Rysel. I felt it necessary to put the insolent earthling in his place for daring to attack you like that. Next time I will hold back my strength a little bit."

Captain Zeta threw his cape off of his head and nearly wished he could throw it back over his head. ("What in the…") There was a path of destruction that went from where the big Blood Child was to his left, through a number of trees, and finally into the wall of the hill. "Starlight Savior?"

Rysel pointed over at the hill. "Ichigo is over there, my interesting friend." He watched as the masked hero ran towards the hillside. "Hmmm, perhaps we should leave a Vengeance behind to finish up?"

"What?" Chansen turned to look at the Blood Prince in confusion and astonishment. "But sire, is this not the perfect opportunity to get rid of the leader of the Infinite Guardians that troubles our invasion plans so?"

"You would be right." Rysel rubbed his chin. ("However, I feel rather bad that Chansen was so quick to dispatch of Ichigo.") "I do not wish to deal with Ichigo at this time. If you wish to destroy them though, how about I leave behind the new experiment?"

"You mean the V2?" Chansen paled slightly. "Sir, I do not recommend such a thing. The scientists themselves said that its power was near your own in level. And it was very…"

"Yes, yes, it was unstable. However, if it comes down to it I'll personally restrain the creature." He snapped his fingers and a rumbling came from behind him. "There we are, leave it to the V2." Snapping his fingers once more, he and Chansen disappeared.

----------------------------

"…Pilkington…"

Starlight Savior felt cold. ("Did I take a hit? I don't feel pain though…") A tingle appeared in the back of her mind. ("That energy…") Her eyes opened and she tried to sit up, only to find that impossible. ("I can't feel my legs.") High above, the sun shined down on her. "Where am I?"

"You're still in the place we were fighting that Rysel guy." The voice was Captain Zeta's. "He left."

"Good, then go and fix Eri's problem." Starlight Savior closed her eyes and for a few moments there was blinding pain as the Infinity Mind evaluated the damage she had taken. ("That hit in combination with the impact dislocated something in my back. The Infinity Mind is going to need time to fix the damage I have taken.") "I…I won't be able to move from here for a minute or two."

"I don't think I can do that." Captain Zeta grimaced at the cracks that were appearing in the dirt in the center of the clearing. "Because it looks like we are about to have company, and it won't be pleasant company either." He scooped her up into his arms. "We need to leave right away, or else we'll be sitting ducks for whatever is coming out of the ground."

A loud roar of anger came from the earth and a hand tore free from the center of the ground. It shoveled the dirt away as a humanoid form slowly rose free from the ground. Lightning crackled along its form and a low growl escaped its throat. A pair of orange-colored glass eyes rolled open, and its smooth green metal body hummed like a well-oiled machine.

Captain Zeta turned and began leaping up the small ledges along the hillside. "We have to get out of here for…" His eyes widened as a bolt of lightning fell from the sky and slammed into his back, sending arcs of electricity across his body and throwing both him and Starlight Savior back towards the ground.

The V2 slowly approached where it saw them fall, each and every one of its footfalls creating small yellow sparks along the ground. "Destroy the Saviors…destroy the humans…destroy the demons…"

"_Hold it!"_ A loud trio of voices yelled out, bringing the creature pause. It slowly turned and looked at the other end of the clearing.

"The void cries in pain while a creature such as you walks the earth, you abomination." Stepping forward, Vortex Savior struck a pose and pointed at the creature. "I, Vortex Savior, will suck you into eternity."

"What he said!" Fantasy Savior said, seeming to just appear next to the spiky-haired Savior.

"I am Valor Savior, and I hate stupid intros." The third of the heroes stepped past the other two and pointed at the V2. "So we're going to quickly banish you from this world. Let's go!" Hearing sounds of agreement from behind him, he charged with the other two Saviors.

The V2 looked at one of its three-fingered metallic hands, and then clenched it into a fist, its strange bulbous and curved skull giving off a green glow for a few moments. "Disappear, Saviors."

Valor Savior's eyes widened as he felt the electrical discharge, and then all three of them were engulfed in a rain of lightning bolts.

V2's mouth twisted into a pleased smile as it watch Nikolai and Adriel roll out of the chaos created by its summoned power.

--------------------------------------

Rysel sighed loudly, watching this in his private viewing room. "That creature has absolutely no tact at all. I just don't indiscriminately waving my powers around and striking down the guardians. Where's the fun in that?"

--------------------------------------------------

Fantasy Savior stumbled back in confusion, an unconscious Nikolai under one arm and Adriel under the other. "AIEEE!" Turning, she ran full speed towards the trees.

The V2 lifted up its arm once more and prepared to summon down a lightning bolt to purge the last of the pests. It gave pause as something shot past its face though. "Huh?"

"_Hold thy mighty lightning, beast of the blood!"_ From the nearest ring of trees El Mariachi Verdadero appeared, his cape blowing behind him in the gathering storm being created by the monster. _"You are a danger to yourself and to all those who would walk outside on what was originally a beautiful day! Now repent, as I, El Mariachi Verdadero will be your opponent!"_ Leaping from his spot on the tree branch, the masked Spaniard landed about ten feet away from the V2. "Are you ready to fight?"

"Get out of my way, human." The metallic creature took a step forward, and then ate a face-full of grenade, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Flicking the hatch on his guitar closed, El Mariachi Verdadero pointed at the cloud. "I don't believe I offered you the possibility of simply walking away from my challenge now did I?" Then he drew his saber. "Let us battle!"

The V2 slowly walked out of the smoke cloud unharmed, electricity crackling along its body. "Get out of my way…" Its eyes released a bright orange glow. "I do not have time for you! I will destroy everything living on this island, but the Saviors are my first choice of prey! Wait your turn!" It clenched its fist and a dozen lightning bolts slammed down on all sides of the mariachi, creating an exploding web of power.

"**Lullaby Touch!"** Fantasy Savior came flying out of nowhere and pressed her glowing palm against the monster's back, a giant explosion of pink energy filling the clearing. She rolled to the side from where she still felt the creature. "Now Nikolai-san!"

"**Mega Ray!"** Valor Savior aimed right into the cloud where he had seen the girl enter and fired, a blast of dark green light hurtling into it, followed by another and another. ("One hit from that thing kicked both me and Zaytel out of our transformations. It was luck that we regained consciousness as quickly as we did, but we cannot let this thing attack again!")

"**Empty Demise!"** Vortex Savior stepped past the other Savior and charged up a ball of darkness above his head. "Be consumed…" He hurled the ball into the building cloud of destruction they had caused, watching it explode outwards like a kind of compressed air ball of massive proportions. "Once more!"

Smokes and burns coming from his body, El Mariachi Verdadero lifted his guitar and opened the hatch. "Apparently one won't work, so how about the full salvo!" He unloaded grenade after grenade, watching each one go off in rapid succession inside the cloud.

"It looks like you guys just went and started a party without the main attraction!" Captain Zeta came charging in from a different angle, hurling quite a number of small black boxes into the cloud. **"Zeta Surprise!"** Pulling a detonator out of his belt, the masked hero pressed down on the plunger and watched the whole cloud mushroom upwards as the explosives he had hurled went off.

"And for the finish!" Starlight Savior stepped into the clearing, the songblade in her hands. Lifting the pommel to her lips, she started playing that sweet song once more. Everything around her grew dark and dimmed out. **"Celestial Songblade Dance!"** Locking her eyes forward, the heroine charged into the cloud and got ready to slash the monster to ribbons. The blade rose…

The orange eyes of the V2 lit up the inside of the cloud. "Fools...disappear!" The cloud expanded across the clearing. A number of screams of surprise came from within it, and then when it cleared there was nothing there but a huge mound of torn and crumbled rock with the V2 at the top of it. "That was too easy..." Its eyes narrowed and the creature's nose sniffed the air. "I smell humans. As I said, after the Saviors they were next…" Lightning crackling along its body, the monster plodded down the mound of crumbled minerals it had created and buried the fools under. "My life means nothing…I exist only for a limited time. But I will take as many of them with me as I can…as many as I can."

_To be continued…_


	53. Trapped

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. I own the insanity that spawned this storyline, however.

The Infinite Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 53: Trapped 

His muscles were burning, and every effort to move brought with it the sound of the sky above them about to collapse. "Well this is just dandy," muttered Valor Savior, his arms held over his head to help even out the weight of the good ton of bedrock that was piled atop him. "I always wanted to die crushed under a bunch of rocks."

"At least you're alive, so don't complain." Vortex Savior was in a similar position just a foot or so away, their respective loads of rock propping up against each other. If either of them moved more than a couple of inches, they'd bring the entire load of stone down and flatten themselves in the little cave that had been created. "I wonder how long until our muscles give out though…"

"The chances of us dying because of this are pretty high…" Valor sighed loudly, resting his forehead against the hunk of smooth rock in front of it.

"I said stuff it with the pessimism, we'll be fine!" Closing his eyes, the spiky-haired Savior tried to call out with the minor telepathic abilities he had. Those abilities weren't there. "Oh great, while I'm wearing this stupid suit I'm human, and the abilities I have as a demon are sealed."

"Well then we seriously are finished, since if I use my Mega Ray while I'm in here then the blast will just bring the rest of the rock down on us. So for now, we're just going to have to stay under here and wait for help." Valor closed his eyes and tried to regain his strength.

"So," Vortex muttered, "You know any good tunes we could sing?"

"I don't sing."

"What about jokes?"

"I don't make jokes either." Eyes still closed, the long-haired hero concentrated deeper on storing his power and figuring out a potential strategy behind how they would defeat the V2 if they somehow escaped.

"Then you are officially the most boring guy I've ever met." Vortex Savior's arms shifted slightly to take some of the strain onto his back muscles instead.

-----------------------------

Fantasy Savior sighed sadly as she listened to the sweet sounds of El Mariachi Verdadero's guitar. "So we're stuck in here?"

"It seems to be that way." The Spaniard played his fingers masterfully along his instrument, the music filling the small enclosed cove that the two of them were stuck in. There was very little room to move, but that was no problem to the Mariachi. He had worked his magic in much worse conditions.

"Hey Mariachi Verdadero-san?" Fantasy Savior rested her back against a section of smooth stone and pouted. "Why do you always show up to help us?"

"Why do ask?" The musician's guitar went silent, leaving a very awkward void for her to fill in.

"Well, it's just that it seems really weird that you always show up with that guitar like you do. Is that just your method of an entrance?" She closed her eyes and tried to get at least a little comfortable. They probably weren't going anywhere for a while.

"My guitar has been my companion since I was a small boy." El Mariachi Verdadero turned to look at her. "It had been passed down through my family for generations, representing a wanderer's need to find where he belongs. This costume was something my father established when I was but a boy to sneak past country borders. Since then I have adopted it into my identity. After all, no one will pay a wanderer any mind. However, they will be more than certain to pay El Mariachi Verdadero the respect required."

"Really?" Fantasy Savior cuddled her cape. "All of this costume on and costume off stuff, why does everybody have to wear a costume? Isn't it alright if we just be ourselves?"

"In your case I would guess it is necessary since the lot of you apparently seem to get stronger as your costumes upgrade," The Spaniard adjusted the cloth covering his eyes and popped open the hatch of his instrument, inserting a new load of grenades. "In my case it is tradition. Much like the Zorro so famously illustrated in American culture, I wish my name to become a symbol across the world for a defender of romance, music, and peace."

"You carry high explosives in your guitar though…" She said, sweatdropping, "Isn't that kind of going against the whole peace thing?"

"It is a necessary evil. Without such things I would not be capable of fighting creatures like these Vengeances." Removing his hat and running a hand through his hair, El Mariachi Verdadero had to laugh a little bit. "If only my poppy could see me now, fighting aliens using the disguise that was once his method of being a thief. It would be quite the tale to tell my own children…if they'd believe me."

"Why wouldn't they believe you?" The female Savior opened her mouth and yawned, using her cape as a blanket. "Ever since I was a child I knew that there were worlds beyond our own. Just look at Ichigo-san and Adriel-san. They're demons. That's all kinds of impossible, but I knew that supernatural stuff existed."

"That is true." He closed his eyes and started to play again, this time the song being a lullaby. "Sleep well, guardian of dreams. I have a feeling that you'll be needed soon."

-------------------------------------

Starlight Savior groaned and opened her eyes slowly, seeing nothing but darkness. "Where am I?"

"Oh, you're awake finally?" Captain Zeta, his suit torn and his mask damaged, sat with his back against the wall of the small pocket they were trapped in. "I've already tried moving the stone, but it's no good. We're stuck under way too much of it to escape."

"Is that so?" She sighed and tried to get comfy, but it was impossible. "This stupid armor is too bulgy."

"I think the bulgy one is you, Ichigo." The masked hero said this calmly, though deep down inside he still found it rather surreal of a situation. ("So Ichigo Pilkington, the guy I have apparently befriended, is also Starlight Savior, one of my biggest fans, a fellow hero…and a girl. Ah, will this school never cease to amaze me?") A wave of dizziness hit him and he rubbed his eyes worriedly.

"That's right, you saw me transform." The heroine sighed and shrugged it off. "It can't be helped, it was that or let all of those Vengeances overwhelm us. So, do you intend to do anything with this information you've learned?"

"Huh?" Captain Zeta rubbed at his forehead weakly. "Oh, that you're Starlight Savior? No, what would it accomplish? Besides, it seems that you guys are the real heroes around here. If things like that metallic monstrosity are what you have to fight on a regular basis, then I'm out of luck. My source of superpowers apparently makes me as strong as you are when you're Ichigo Pilkington."

"What?" Closing her eyes, she leaned in towards him in the darkness and sniffed the air. "Hey, you're a demon!"

"Yup, that I am." A low chuckle came from his mouth. "Though compared to what the rest of you are I'm apparently just loser in a cape who can't hold his own against anything." He tried to laugh it off, but failed miserably. "Wow, it's like dreaming of being a…" There were no analogies for his situation. "My situation is so bad I can't even compare it to anything. That's sad beyond description."

"Oh come on," She motioned to her face, now that she knew his vision was advanced enough to distinguish basic things even in pure darkness. "At least you don't turn into a girl when you need to be a superhero."

"Psh, big deal," he muttered under his breath. ("Masami Morioka's no stranger to looking like a girl, and being one isn't that different.")

"….." Starlight Savior crossed her arms across her chest and thought about something for a few moments. "Wow, that's the first time I've ever got that response from someone."

"Oh that's right, you can hear me." Captain Zeta scoffed and crossed his legs. "You heard me then, it's no big deal."

"Really?" The heroine was truly intrigued now. "Where I come from we tend to believe that stuff like that is strange."

"Take a look around you, Ichigo." Captain Zeta sighed. "You're a superhero fighting aliens whose main medium of energy is blood. Do you think turning into a girl is that strange anymore?"

"You make it sound like you like that all of this is happening." She lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Yes!" He threw up his hands in success. "Finally someone gets it! Yes, I love this stuff! Do you think normal life is something worth living? I've tried that already, and let me tell you right now that it results in a whole lot of plain old-fashioned uninteresting stuff that is a waste of time!"

"…..You are the strangest superhero of all time, just so you know." Starlight Savior noticed that he slapped his face roughly in response to this. "Now what?"

("Sure Masami, let's just psychoanalyze myself until he figures out who I am. Brilliant!") "It's nothing at all." He let out another depressed sigh. "So, how will you beat that thing? It seems like it is a whole lot stronger than you are."

"It is…" She sighed loudly. "It defeated all of us at once. Maybe if we had the last Source we'd be able to win against it. Or maybe if I had more symbols up my sleeve."

Captain Zeta had no idea what she was talking about, but he kept his curiosity down for the time being. "I'm betting that there is a way to make you stronger, you just haven't thought of it yet."

"Huh?" Starlight Savior snapped her fingers. ("Maybe the Infinity Mind would know how to help?") Suddenly something brushed past her face and floated into her lap. "What's this?" Picking it up, she instantly recognized it as a Duel Monster card. "How'd this get here?"

"Good questions…" Captain Zeta glanced around the very tight area. "There are no openings I can see."

Her eyes widened as she recognized the picture of the card. ("It looks like Polymerization, but why is it glittering so much?") Suddenly the card disappeared in a burst of gold light, blinding the both of them. After lowering her arms from the moment she instinctively brought them up to shield her eyes, the heroine scratched the top of her head. "So…what the heck was that all about?"

"I have no clue," Captain Zeta pointed at her chest. "Errr, you happen to be glowing though."

"I am?" She looked down at her chest and eeped at the fact there was a zodiac symbol shimmering on her armor. "Wow, I wonder what…"

Both of them disappeared.

-----------------------------

"…this does." Starlight Savior glanced around and realized that she and Captain Zeta were back in the clearing again. "Oh, teleportation? Snazzy…"

"I think that was the symbol for Capricorn," Captain Zeta noticed that she wasn't listening to him though. "Eh, I'm betting you knew that already."

"**Awaken Capricorn, Soul of Dislocation!"** The heroine felt a pull through the air, and suddenly Vortex, Fantasy, Valor, and El Mariachi Verdadero appeared in front of her.

Valor and Vortex both instantly ate dirt as they were suddenly no longer using their weight to support anything, while Fantasy fell onto her back and was jostled awake. El Mariachi stood up and brushed himself off. "If you will excuse me, I'm not in much of a condition to battle against that thing."

Nodding, Starlight Savior watched him leap off. ("Later Carlos and thanks for showing up.") Glancing behind her, she wasn't surprised to see Captain Zeta gone as well. "Alright Capricorn, one more time!"

"Wait wha…" Valor Savior was about to say something but suddenly the four Saviors all disappeared.

--------------------------------

The V2 stomped past a pair of trees, easily vaporizing them into ash with the electricity surrounding its body. ("I must destroy them all before my time is up. I will bring them all with me to…") It stopped in surprise as it sensed a very familiar prescense.

Starlight Savior smiled slightly and motioned behind her, as she was standing in the creature's path. "Before you go any farther, you're going to have to get past me, along with the rest of these guys!"

"That's right!" Fantasy Savior bounced into view from where she had been hiding behind a nearby tree. "We'll defeat you now that we're ready for you!"

"Exactly right," Vortex Savior said, coming out of hiding on the V2's other side. "We are a team, and you can't defeat us when we work together."

Valor Savior stepped into place about ten feet behind the creature, though he didn't say anything.

"You actually think you can stop me?" The V2 snickered and the electricity around its body began charging. "Nothing you can do will put a dent in me!"

"That's why it's a duel challenge we're offering you instead." Starlight Savior knew this was a gamble, but at least they stood a chance by doing this. The other possibility didn't sound too appealing, which was fighting the freak. "If we win then your powers will disappear, if you win we'll let you destroy us."

"What's to stop me from doing that right…" The V2 watched the heroine seem to flicker, and suddenly it felt her at its back, and then everything was as it looked again. ("Teleportation? It had to have been…")

"Get it? I can move all of us to anywhere I wish easily. Therefore you won't ever be able to destroy us unless we allow you to." Starlight Savior pointed at him, trying to conceal the fact that she was exhausted to the point of collapse. ("Capricorn is really taxing on my energy, but if it learns that then our gamble will be useless.")

"Very well, you have yourself a deal." The V2 lifted up one arm, the metal there flowing outward into a duel disk shape. "Who will be my opponent though? You?"

"No!" Vortex Savior leapt in front of Starlight. "I'll be your opponent for this duel." His duel disk appeared with the deck already in place. "Now, are you ready?"

The V2 shrugged its rounded shoulders. "As you wish, I will brush you aside instead." Its green metal duel disk activated. "Duel!"

"Brush me, Adriel-sama, aside? Don't be insolent, fool!" Vortex activated his duel disk as well. "Duel!"

Vortex Savior- 4000

V2- 4000

Vortex Savior drew first, while the other Saviors moved out of the way. Even though they weren't dueling in a clearing, he knew the duel disk technology would work around it. "I'll summon Twilight Golem in defense mode!" A giant black crystal golem appeared on his field, barely fitting between the two trees on its sides. (1900/2000) "Also I'll place two cards face-down. End turn."

The V2 looked down at its hand sadly. ("Even this deck is a constant reminder that for all my power, I am destined to die.") Then it drew and added the card to its hand. "If I have no cards on my field, I can special summon this monster from my hand to the field. Emerge now, God of Limited Vitality!" A giant grey-winged demon appeared on his field, its bright red eyes glowing in contrast against its grey-scaled skin. (5000/5000)

"5000 attack points?" All four of the Saviors said at once in disbelief.

"Also, when God of Limited Vitality is in play, I can special summon Avatar of Limited Vitality from my hand to the field!" The V2 pointed at its field as a mix of human and the same kind of demon that the God of Limited Vitality was appeared on the field. (3500/3500)

"A 3500 as well?" Vortex Savior stared at the two monsters in fear. ("What kind of insane rush deck is this thing running?")

"This is the power of a creature with a three hour limit on its life! This is my hatred for you all, those who birthed me and those who I was created to destroy! I hate you all!" It grabbed another card from its hand. "From my hand I summon Soldier of Limiter Vitality in attack mode!" (2000/2000) A grey-armored warrior holding a battle-axe appeared in play. "In this one battle phase I will crush you in the duel, and then I'll slaughter you all!"

_To be continued…_


	54. Limited Vitality

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. I just own arbitrary stuff, whatever that means.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 54: Limited Vitality

_The V2 looked down at its hand sadly. ("Even this deck is a constant reminder that for all my power, I am destined to die.") Then it drew and added the card to its hand. "If I have no cards on my field, I can special summon this monster from my hand to the field. Emerge now, God of Limited Vitality!" A giant grey-winged demon appeared on his field, its bright red eyes glowing in contrast against its grey-scaled skin. (5000/5000)_

"_5000 attack points?" All four of the Saviors said at once in disbelief._

"_Also, when God of Limited Vitality is in play, I can special summon Avatar of Limited Vitality from my hand to the field!" The V2 pointed at its field as a mix of human and the same kind of demon that the God of Limited Vitality was appeared on the field. (3500/3500)_

"_A 3500 as well?" Vortex Savior stared at the two monsters in fear. ("What kind of insane rush deck is this thing running?")_

"_This is the power of a creature with a three hour limit on its life! This is my hatred for you all, those who birthed me and those who I was created to destroy! I hate you all!" It grabbed another card from its hand. "From my hand I summon Soldier of Limiter Vitality in attack mode!" (2000/2000) A grey-armored warrior holding a battle-axe appeared in play. "In this one battle phase I will crush you in the duel, and then I'll slaughter you all!"_

("A 5000, 3500, and a 2000 monster is on this guy's field in his first turn.") Starlight Savior wished she had gone now. ("I'm not sure that the Planetary Aspects would have lasted longer, but Adriel was caught off-guard. He's going to get demolished in this turn!")

"Are you ready, Savior?" The V2 pointed at Vortex's Twilight Golem. "God of Limited Vitality, attack his Golem now!" The giant demon howled and launched across the field, crashing through the crystal monster and then blowing past Vortex Savior with enough force to nearly throw him off his feet. "When God of Limited Vitality battles with a defense mode monster and that monster's defense points are lower than its attack, you take the difference in battle damage!"

Vortex Savior- 1000

V2- 4000

"It deals damage through defense?" Valor Savior's eyes widened. "There's nothing even remotely fair about that kind of power!"

"It's not a problem!" Vortex Savior pointed at one of his set cards. "I reveal Twilight Moment! This trap card activates after one of the enemy's attacks. This card restores my monsters and life points to how they were before the attack!" His Twilight Golem appeared in play once more.

Vortex Savior- 4000

V2- 4000

The V2 growled and pointed at the Golem. "Avatar of Limited Vitality, attack his monster now!" The combination of man and demon flew across the field and crashed through the crystal monster and then through Vortex Savior. "And like the monster it is born from, the Avatar of Limited Vitality deals damage through defense!"

Vortex Savior- 2500

V2- 4000

Fantasy Savior pulled Starlight's cape in front of her and shivered. "That's scary…"

"Soldier of Limited Vitality, attack his life points directly!" The V2 sneered as the grey warrior slammed its battle-axe through the Savior's body with enough force to leave a dent in the ground.

Vortex Savior- 500

V2- 4000

"Adri…" Starlight Savior's eyes widened as she noticed the look in her rival's eyes. "Never mind, you're ready."

"That's right, I am!" Vortex's other face-down card flipped up. "I reveal the trap card Afterglow! This trap card can only be activated during the end of a battle phase in which I took battle damage. I gain back half of all the damage I have taken from battle during this battle phase in life points!"

Vortex Savior- 3250

V2- 4000

"Hmmm, so you survived with a good number of life points remaining." The creature looked upon its monsters sadly. "There is a reason that my monsters are called of Limited Vitality. During the end phase of the turn they are summoned they destroy themselves and all cards on my field and hand."

"They do?" Vortex Savior smirked slightly. "I see, so that's why you're allowed to rush like that. Well then, are you ready to end your turn and leave it to me to take that opportunity to tear you apart?"

"You will not belittle their deaths, Savior!" The V2 slammed a card into its disk. "I activate the magic card Treasure of Apocalypse. This card allows me, during my next standby phase, to draw cards equal to the number of cards that were destroyed by the effect of one card that I select at this time. I choose God of Limited Vitality." A golden light surrounded the demon. "And then I play the magic card Explosion of Vitality. During my end phase for every of Limited Vitality monster on my field that is destroyed by the effect of a of Limited Vitality monster you take 1000 points of damage! I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn!" The God of Limited Vitality shuddered and exploded, shattering everything on the creature's field.

Vortex Savior- 250

V2- 7000

"Why did your life points increase?" The spiky-haired hero stared wide-eyed at the life point counter for a moment, and then he figured it out. "Your face-down card had to have been…"

"That's correct." The V2 held up the trap card it had set face-down. "My trap was Love of Destruction. When this trap card is destroyed by a mass destruction effect, for every card destroyed by that same card's effect I gain 1000 life points."

("Amazing,") thought Vortex Savior before looking at his hand. ("Every card that thing was holding allowed it to set up for the next turn.") "Draw!" He snapped the top card off of his deck and added it to his hand. "From my hand I activate the magic card Cost Down! By discarding one card from my hand I can lower the level of all monsters in my hand by two for the turn! Now I summon Nexus Glider!" (2300/2000) A gold-streaked black metal dragon appeared on his field in a blast of fire. "Attack his life points directly! Dark Zone Burst Stream!" An explosion of golden fire launched from the monster's jaws and engulfed the V2's field.

Vortex Savior- 250

V2- 4700

The V2 barely noticed the hit. "You are on your last legs and it's only three turns into the duel. Can you really say you're safe with that low power monster on your field?"

"From my hand I activate the equipment magic card Dark Armor." A Dark Crystal formed around the Nexus Glider's body. "With this card equipped to a dark monster on my field, that monster switches into defense mode and has its defense increased by 1000 points. End turn!" (2300/3000)

The V2 drew. "During my standby phase Treasure of Apocalypse lets me draw four cards." Adding four more cards to its hand, the electric creature looked upon Vortex's defense mode Nexus Glider with disdain. "Pitiful…"

"What did you say?" Eyes narrowed, the dark hero pointed at the V2. "Take a look at yourself first before saying that!"

"Shut your face!" The creature tossed a card onto its disk. "I special summon another God of Limited Vitality!" (5000/5000) Another grey-winged demon appeared in play with a blast of red fire surrounding it. "Also I special summon another Avatar of Limited Vitality!" A copy of its last hybrid demon-human appeared in play. (3500/3500)

Valor Savior frowned at the field situation. ("This is ridiculous, Zaytel is completely on the defensive and he has no cards in his hand. During this turn he will lose…") His eyes widened at Vortex Savior's stance. ("Wait a moment, he doesn't seem worried. It must be that Dark Armor's card effect. What could it be though?")

The V2 tossed a card down. "I summon Soldier of Limited Vitality!" (2000/2000) Another battle-axe grey warrior appeared on its field. "With this I will end you! God of Limited Vitality, attack Nexus Dragon!" The demon hurled a ball of red fire across the field and burned the crystal-encased monster into ash. "You lose."

"Not quite." Vortex Savior smirked and held up Dark Armor. "When the monster equipped with Dark Armor enters combat all battle damage to me is zero. Also, when Dark Armor and the equipped monster are sent to the graveyard all battle damage to me for the rest of the turn is zero."

Starlight smirked as well. ("I sense it now, that spark of his. It's the thing that puts Adriel above even me. The supreme pride and spirit of a dragon…")

The V2 inserted two cards into its disk. "I place two cards face-down. End turn." Its entire field exploded in a violent burst of red fire. "My first face-down trap was Love of Destruction, and the second was Love of Annihilation. First Love of Destruction lets me gain 4000 life points, as four other cards besides itself were destroyed by the effect of God of Limited Vitality."

Vortex Savior- 250

V2- 8700

"And then Love of Annihilation, during my next standby phase, lets me draw one card from my deck for every card besides itself destroyed by my God's effect." The creature nodded its head to Vortex. "Alright, it's your turn."

"He's got no cards in his hand," Fantasy Savior looked over at Starlight Savior and Valor. "Do you think…" Her eyes widened at the looks on their faces. They looked confident. "I guess so…"

Vortex Savior drew. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

The V2 drew. "The effect of Love of Annihilation lets me draw four extra cards!" Taking the last card it had drawn, the creature flipped it over. "I activate the magic card Pot of Avarice. First I shuffle my two Gods of Limited Vitality, Avatars of Limited of Vitality, and Soldier of Limited Vitality from my graveyard back into my deck and then I draw two cards." Fanning out its six card hand, a deep sigh escape its throat. "You are capable of escaping my wrath numerous times, but this time the duel will be mine. I summon another Soldier of Limited Vitality!" (2000/2000) The third grey-armored warrior appeared on the field.

"And then I destroy it to special summon Arc Blaster of Limited Vitality!" A large metallic grey slug with a giant red electric generator on its back appeared in play. (4000/2500) "Though this card cannot attack I can destroy it and all magic and trap cards on my field to deal you 2000 points of damage per sacrificed card." Three cards appeared in its magic and trap card zone. "I place three cards face-down and activate Arc Blaster's effect!"

"Reverse card open!" Vortex Savior's set card flipped up. "I activate the trap card Dark Zone Detour, which triggers when the opponent activates an effect that deals effect damage to me. That damage is negated and for every 2000 points I would take I may draw one card!"

The slug rumbled and lightning shot from its generator into the hero's trap card, right before it exploded in a blast of fire. The three set cards on the V2's field went with it.

"Also, for every 2000 points negated by my trap card I gain 1000 life points!" Vortex Savior smirked and drew three cards from his deck.

Vortex Savior- 3250

V2- 8700

"From my hand I activate the magic card Hell's Cradle!" The V2 looked down at its graveyard slot. "This card can only be activated after a card effect has destroyed four or more cards on my field through one effect. At this time I draw six card and your life points decrease by half!"

"What?" Vortex Savior gasped as his life point counter beeped and plummeted.

Vortex Savior- 1625

V2-8700

"Also at this time I trigger the effect of the three trap cards I sent to the graveyard!" The creature pulled one of the cards out of its graveyard and held it up. "Limited Torture can be activated at any time while it is in my graveyard after being destroyed by a card effect while face-down on the field. Once per game I may deal you 500 points of damage. All three of the cards I destroyed were Limited Tortures, so take your punishment!"

An explosion swallowed up the Savior, the fire from the blast stretching high into the sky. It swelled up larger and larger, the flames expanding to engulf the nearest trees. And then in one concussive blast it threw the other three Saviors backwards into the surrounding greenery.

Vortex Savior- 125

V2- 8700

The smoke cleared to reveal Adriel barely standing, a simple gold ring on his finger where the Infinity Heart had been. "Great…now's just the perfect time to lose my powers." He reached for his deck. "Regardless, I still am going to…"

"Who ever said my turn was done?" The V2 held up a magic card. "I activate Card Destruction!"

"Fine, have it your way." Both he and the creature discarded their hands into the graveyard and drew new hands.

"You continue to act like you can walk away from this duel the winner. Haven't you realized yet that it's still my first main phase?" The V2 tossed a card onto its disk. "I special summon God of Limited Vitality!" For a third time the giant demon god appeared on the field. (5000/5000) "Also I special summon Avatar of Limited Vitality!" (3500/3500) Its rush was set to strike. "This is the end. You have no cards on your field to protect yourself, and all it will take is one attack to obliterate you."

"……" Letting out a wordless sound of frustration, the half dragon demon glanced behind him. He was alone. ("Pilkington, Corben, and Chris…it looks like I can't win this duel. Sorry.") He closed his eyes and waited for that killer strike to come.

"God of Limited Vitality, attack his life points directly!" Red fire pooled around the demon's fist and it wound up for the finishing throw. "This will be the death toll for you, listen well Saviors! I will slaughter all of you, and then I'll kill all those you care about! This entire island will be a blood bath!" The V2 punched its fist forward, lightning crackling along the appendage. "Burning Fist of Limit!"

Adriel closed his eyes, preparing for the end.

The God of Limited Vitality threw the fireball…and then howled in surprise as a blast of overwhelmingly golden light appeared between its target and the attack. That light grew stronger and dissipated the fireball, burning the God of Limited Vitality to scraps of its former self.

"What?" The V2 stared at the golden ball of light that had appeared.

Adriel's eyes opened, and he stared at the ball as well. ("What? I was saved?") The glowing object, which was the size of a baseball, floated to his hand and waited patiently for him to take it. He grasped it, and a purple glow came from his ring as the Infinity Heart was restored.

Picking some twigs out of her hair, Starlight Savior fell out of a nearby bush. "What happened?" The golden glow washed over her and another zodiac symbol lit up on her chestplate. "Huh?"

Fantasy Savior dropped with a crash from a tree branch. "Ow!" Standing up, she gaped at the beautiful light that Adriel was holding in his hand. "How pretty…"

Valor Savior shoved the rock that had fallen on him out of the way and stood up just in time to watch his armor shatter. ("Impossible…") Just as quickly as the Infinity Duty on his ring had shattered though, it reformed looking much more finely cut and ornate. "What's going on?"

Adriel watched the ball of light slowly condense and flatten, and it took the shape of a card. Then he heard it. It was the sound of an angelic voice singing in his mind. ("Who are you? How are you doing this?") The card formed its picture and words. Its title and picture were so heavily foiled it was nearly blinding to look at it when it was reflecting light.

"Why aren't you dead?" The V2 roared angrily.

"Because," The half dragon demon held up the card. "The equipment magic card Seraph Scepter protected me." He flipped the card over to reveal a picture of a completely golden and ridiculously ornate scepter, bright light shining from it. "This card triggers from my deck when you declare a direct attack against me. This card is added to my hand and for the rest of the turn all battle damage is zero. Also, the monster which declared the attack against me is destroyed."

"Seraph…Scepter?" Starlight Savior looked down at the zodiac symbol glowing on her chest, and then at the card. "Wait, the shine's like the card I found when we were trapped! But the picture is different…."

"Regardless," Adriel folded his now four card hand up and inserted it into his back pocket. "Hey Corben, it looks like its showtime!"

"That it does," The Russian boy held up his hand. **"Emerge Dutiful Soul!"**

"**Emerge Void Soul!"** Adriel snapped his hand upwards and then both of them disappeared within their respective orbs.

_To be continued…_


	55. Lightning and Light

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 55: Lightning and Light

"_Why aren't you dead?" The V2 roared angrily._

"_Because," The half dragon demon held up the card. "The equipment magic card Seraph Scepter protected me." He flipped the card over to reveal a picture of a completely golden and ridiculously ornate scepter, bright light shining from it. "This card triggers from my deck when you declare a direct attack against me. This card is added to my hand and for the rest of the turn all battle damage is zero. Also, the monster which declared the attack against me is destroyed."_

"_Seraph…Scepter?" Starlight Savior looked down at the zodiac symbol glowing on her chest, and then at the card. "Wait, the shine's like the card I found when we were trapped! But the picture is different…."_

"_Regardless," Adriel folded his now four card hand up and inserted it into his back pocket. "Hey Corben, it looks like it's showtime!"_

"_That it does," The Russian boy held up his hand. **"Emerge Dutiful Soul!"**_

"_**Emerge Void Soul!"** Adriel snapped his hand upwards and then both of them disappeared within their respective orbs._

---------------------------------

Within his orb, Adriel floated quietly in a deep purple abyss. It slowly swallowed him up like a pool of water, returning to a still surface. Then from within that purple sea a single drop of black appeared, spreading like oil in water. The whole mess started to swirl and from within the center of that swirl an older version of Adriel rose up, a dark purple bodysuit covering his body with streamers of black fluid hanging from it. That black fluid pulled itself around his chest, arms and legs tightly, forming into armored segments. Off in the distance a loud roar could be heard and a giant black dragon made of fire dove in and swallowed up the spiky-haired hero. Its flame wreathed his shoulders, forming into a cape of shimmering black cloth.

-----------------------------------

Within his orb, Nikolai was surrounded by thousands of crisscrossing rays of dark green light. All at once those beams shot straight through him, creating an explosion of dark green light. From within the smoke created by that sudden violent action a long black-haired young man with sea-green eyes emerged, an aquamarine bodysuit covering his body. Snapping up his arms, he braced himself as another wave of dark green lasers slammed into his body, forming same-colored segments of armor around his body. Lightning crashed against his armor, sending dark green sparks everywhere. Those sparks fell to his feet and then shot up to gather around his back, spreading out to create a green cape that covered his shoulders.

----------------------------------------

Both of the orbs exploded at the same time, creating a beautiful mix of purple and dark green light that filled the air around them.

Cape blowing in the wind of the storm that followed the V2 around, Vortex Savior struck a pose. "The void of space cries because such an unnatural creature walks amongst this beautiful planet. In the name of this Miracle World, I will consume you in the void! I am Vortex Savior, hero of darkness!"

Valor Savior brushed back a lock of his hair. "Earth is not your plaything, and neither are the lives of the people that exist upon it. I am Valor Savior, hero of light."

Starlight and Fantasy both stared wide-eyed at Valor. ("Was that an intro speech?") Then they shrugged to each other and turned to look at Vortex Savior. "Go for it Adriel!"

Giving them a thumbs-up, the spiky-haired hero smirked. "Leave it to me." His lips curled up to reveal his fangs. "I feel like my good old draconic self again."

"That's nice and all, but it's still my turn." The V2 looked down at its hand. ("I cannot attack, so I'll have to set for another rush during the next turn.") "I set two cards face-down and activate Treasure of Apocalypse. End turn."

A golden aura surrounded the Avatar of Limited Vitality, which then exploded and took all of his cards with it. "One of my set cards was Love of Destruction, so I gain 2000 life points. Also during my standby phase I'll draw three cards thanks to Treasure of Apocalypse."

Vortex Savior- 125

V2- 10700

Vortex Savior looked down at his hand. ("I'm not holding any monsters.") He winced and was nearly blinded as a ray of stray sunlight reflected off the Seraph Scepter card, causing the over-foiled piece of cardboard to release a flicker of golden light that hit him right in the eye. ("That's ridiculously too bright and…") His eyes widened at the card's text. ("Wait a second, that's it!") "It's my turn, draw!"

Valor Savior crossed his arms across his chest. "Zaytel, let's see what you can do then."

"Gladly," the hero said. "I activate the field magic card Dark Zone!" All around them the field turned into an empty black void. "As long as this field magic card is in play all dark attribute monsters on the field gain 1000 attack points and have zero defense points. Also I'll activate the magic card Dark Concurrent."

Vortex Savior took a card from his hand and slid it into his graveyard. "I'll discard one card from my hand as its cost, and then Dark Concurrent special summons a dark attribute level six or lower monster from my deck to my field! Come out now, Lord of Dark Zone!" A caped and pale-faced man appeared on the field, his fine black robes blowing in the wind. (1900/1700) "Because of the effect of Dark Zone his power increases!" (2900/0)

"A useless gesture, all but my Soldier can defeat such a frilly loser." The V2 narrowed its eyes.

"Then take a peek at his special ability." The hero pointed at his monster. "By discarding one card from my hand I can special summon a dark attribute monster from my graveyard to my field!" He held up Seraph Scepter. "I'll toss this shiny thing, and special summon Nexus Glider!" The gold-streaked black metal dragon reappeared on his field. (2300/2000) "And with Dark Zone's powers backing it up…" (3300/0)

"You discarded the card that saved you?" The V2 scoffed. "That's some bizarre form of gratitude you've got, Savior."

"Who said it was staying in the graveyard?" Vortex held up the last card in his hand. "By discarding one card from my hand I can return Seraph Scepter from the graveyard to my hand. And at that time…" He held up the super-shiny card and his monsters were suddenly bathed in golden light. "The attack of all monsters on my field increase by 1000." (3900/0) (4300/0) "From my hand I play Seraph Scepter on my Lord!"

The Dark Zone disappeared as a single star of golden light appeared. That star stretched and formed into the same ornate scepter that was on the card. Every ray of light that came from the thing had warmth that went beyond simply heat. It was something pure that expressed an all-encompassing love for everything.

The V2 had to block its eyes with its arms to keep the blinding light out. "Damn you, turn that thing off!"

Fantasy huggled herself, smiling happily as shivers went up and down her spine. "Wow, it feels so nice." She bathed in the rays of light, feeling incredible.

Valor Savior flexed his hand a couple of times as the light washed over him. It was like it felt, a kind of refreshing dip in a source of power he couldn't begin to explain. ("It's incredible, but for the first time ever I feel at peace. I can't explain it though…") It reminded him of being in his mother's embrace when he was a child. "Does anyone else feel like we can win this? I don't mean this battle, I mean this war."

Starlight Savior smiled happily, the light bringing with it a feeling of relaxation. "Did you ever think we couldn't? Have you forgotten so quickly who we are, Nikolai?"

She snapped her cape back and struck her trademark pose, thumb motioning to her chest. "We're the Saviors! Starlight, Fantasy, Valor and Vortex…all four of us exist to battle away the threat the Blood Children represent. Even in sight of creatures like Rysel and his ilk, we will win!"

----------------------------

In the branch of a nearby tree, Captain Zeta looked upon the shimmering scepter of light with amazement. ("It's just like it…") He pulled something out of a pocket in his belt. It was a Duel Monsters card, and it was glowing with the same over-foiled picture that had been on the Seraph Scepter. ("So it's really true. It wasn't a myth I read about in those logs. There really is one…an Infinity Miracle.")

-------------------------------

Vortex Savior smiled slightly. "Pilkington's right. We are heroes, and as such it doesn't matter how powerful you are!" He pointed at the still-blinded V2. "Nexus Glider, Dark Zone Burst Stream!" The now completely golden dragon exhaled a blast of power that slammed into the creature with enough force to send it sliding back a few feet on the balls of its three-toed feet.

Vortex Savior- 125

V2- 6400

A low growl escaped the V2's mouth. "Don't be a fool; I cannot be defeated by such mild power! Even after you attack with that other monster, during the next turn I'll destroy you!"

Vortex's Lord of Dark Zone reached out and grasped the scepter, his body becoming engulfed in a golden light. "Lord of Dark Zone, attack now! Seraph Scepter adds the attack of all other monster's on my field to the attack of the monster it is equipped to!" (8200/0)

The V2's eyes widened right before it was swallowed up in a fireball of golden power. ("This cannot be…I cannot lose here…") A loud roar of anger escaped its throat as the blast overtook it.

Vortex Savior- 125

V2- 0

The field disappeared, and Vortex Savior smiled. "That's the end."

The V2 fell to its knees, smoke rising from its body. ("I lost.") Lifting one arm slightly, it watched the electricity there slowly fade. ("My powers, the only thing I have, are gone. Without them I have no reason for existing. My already limited life span has now become pointless.")

Starlight Savior stepped forward, the songblade in her hands. "And now it's time for me to finish him."

"Finish me…" The V2 stood up and turned, stumbling away slowly. "There is no reason to waste your power, Savior. I will die in only a couple of your hours, and now I am impotent. My abilities, strength, speed, all of it is gone. Let me wander off and die in peace…" Suddenly it felt a pulse in its heart. ("What?")

**_("How sad, little creature.")_** The voice was familiar, and only for its ears. **_("So you have lost to the Saviors, and now you wander off to peacefully die? No, no that is not how your life will end.")_**

The V2 collapsed to its knees, metallic eyes wide as pain spiked through its entire body. "No…what are you doing?"

**_("You will serve Lord Rysel until your last breath. Your powers will be restored, though it will cost you what's left of your precious time. Kill them, kill them all in the name of my love.")_** The voice faded.

The V2 felt its strength returning, as its life force began to fade. ("Even now I cannot escape. This is my fate, to spend my short life as a weapon.") Lightning flew down from the sky, illuminating its body. "Saviors, it seems that milady Amaeura doesn't wish for me to die without taking all of you with me." It turned its head, one orange eye looking at all of them. "I wish your penalty game would let me become useless to them, but apparently I still have power to use."

("It looks like I have no choice.") Starlight Savior lifted the pommel of the songblade to her mouth. ("Pisces, give it everything you've got!") She started to play…

"Impertinence will not be tolerated." The V2 motioned with one hand and a bolt of lightning fell from the sky, crashing into the heroine and throwing her through a nearby tree while shattering the crystal weapon at the same time. "If that if still the best you can do, then you're out of luck. My power is stronger than it was before. That is the strength of one such as myself when they're on the verge of dying horribly."

"I don't intend to cry for you!" Vortex Savior closed his eyes and felt out his new attack. ("There you are.") Eyes snapping open, he stabbed his hand into the ground. **"Doom Mire!"**

The V2 glanced down at its feet, where the ground turned into a black soup that shot up and swallowed it whole.

"Did you get him?" Fantasy Savior suddenly screamed as a trio of lightning bolts crashed into her back, hurling her forward and into the mire. The soup flowed around her and started to pull her now unconscious body in as well.

"Damn it!" Removing his hand from the ground, Vortex Savior watched as the V2 rose out of the dirt now that it was reverted to normal.

Holding Fantasy Savior by the throat with one hand, the V2 sneered at the two remaining heroes. "Do you think you can stop me?" Letting go of the female hero's throat, its fist snapped back and then before she could drop it back-handed her out of sight. "Neither of you has the power…"

Valor Savior braced himself and aimed his palm at the creature. **"Nova Cannon!"** A swollen ball of dark green light exploded from his palm and tore through the dirt, swallowing up the V2 and then hurling upwards into the sky. "He talked way too much…"

The dark green ball exploded near the cover of storm clouds, parting it and revealing the sky once more. It also revealed the V2 encased in an orb of lightning. "You're very clever, using the moment I tossed her aside to attack. However, I doubt you'll win if that attack was the best you could throw at me." The orb slowly lowered towards Duelist Academy Island again, while the cloud cover reformed above it.

Vortex Savior frowned as he watched the ball of lightning approach slowly. "What do you think? Even with out upgrades, it seems to me that we're still out of league against this thing."

"You'd be thinking correctly. Apparently we'll have to run and let that thing die, as it said it would." He turned to run. "Split up, it'll…" His eyes widened as all feeling left his body. ("Why can't I move?")

The V2's orb disappeared and it dropped to the ground, now about ten feet from the two. In one of its hands it held a pair of crackling ropes made of electricity that went from him to the two remaining Saviors, the anchor points their feet. "It's a complicated method so I won't bore you with details, but neither of you are leaving." The ropes surged to life with fresh power and both Saviors started screaming as they became swallowed up by the force that had at first simply stopped them from moving.

--------------------------

Captain Zeta gripped the nearest branch of the tree he was perched on harder, growling as he watched the creature cook the two heroes alive in their armor. ("There has to be something I can do. Leaping in there would be no good, and if I just stand here they'll die. What do I do?")

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"You are both rather lucky," The V2 said casually through their screams of pain. "I don't have the time to torture the two of you in a much more efficient manner, so I'll just have to do it rather sloppily. Sorry if I accidentally kill one of you." The lightning from the ropes grew stronger.

"Knock it off!" A blade made of dark blue crystal flew past the two Saviors and shattered itself against the V2's head.

"Oh, so it's you?" The creature released the rope and let the two unconscious heroes collapse off to both sides of him. "Starlight Savior, the leader of the Infinite Guardians here on planet Earth. The only one left."

Starlight Savior narrowed her eyes and leapt backwards into the tree cover. "Come and get me!"

"Oh?" The V2 licked its lipless maw. "An interesting proposal of cat and mouse, is it? Very well, but I hope you can make it entertaining for me!" Lightning swallowing up its form, the creature shot after the heroine.

Captain Zeta dropped down to the ground in front of the two fallen Saviors silently. ("What should I do?") He noticed something lying at his feet. ("The Seraph Scepter card?") Reaching down, he picked it up and frowned. ("This and my card must be the answer. There must be a power that can defeat whatever that thing is!")

_To be continued…_


	56. Time Needed

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. I only own the insanity.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 56: Time Needed; Time Spent

Chansen stood resolutely in front of the small metallic portal that led to Prince Rysel's private viewing room. He had been ordered not to move from this spot upon the Blood Prince came out.

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Inside his private viewing room, Rysel had made sure to put in the finest of amenities in place, including something that humans called a mini-bar. The small room was built around facing the large screen that was built into one of the walls, and that was where the Blood Prince was.

Rysel sat back in his seat and watched the clearing shown on his viewing screen intently. ("So, Amaeura decided to stick her nose where it wasn't wanted and powered up the V2 back to normal. And this time it's Ichigo alone against the experiment.") It was impossible for his friend to his win, and that was rather frustrating to him. ("This isn't what I envisioned when I thought about the possibility of beating the Saviors.")

It was too late to intervene though. "Ichigo…I hope you don't die."

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The strong wind created by the V2's lightning powers blew through Starlight Savior's hair, whipping the long dark blue mane across her face and forcing her to manually move it out of her eyes. ("This is as good a place as any to end this.")

Lightning crackling along its body, the V2 snickered at her from across the clearing. "Why bring me here? Is this the place you wished to be buried?"

"**Awaken Aries, Pisces, and Aquarius."** Holding her hand out, the heroine felt the songblade form in her grasp. ("It rests on my shoulders. I have to beat this guy.") Turning on one heel she charged towards the creature, the blade set to strike.

"So it's one last suicide strike?" The V2 pointed a single finger at her, lightning striking down from the sky towards Starlight Savior. "Good, I was getting tired of this pointless running around!"

"**Awaken Capricorn!"** The heroine disappeared and then appeared directly behind the creature. **"Celestial Songblade…"**

Snickering, the V2 turned and back-handed her full force. "Don't make me laugh. That sad attack won't work on me." It blinked in surprise at how easy that strike had connected. ("Wait a second, that hit wasn't solid…")

"…**Dance!"** Starlight Savior appeared behind it again, the crystal blade falling and slashing the monster's body hundreds of time at once.

Stumbling forward, the V2 felt numerous lines of light appear along its body. Those cuts started to burn as it felt itself falling apart. "Quit screwing around…" One by one those lines faded away.

"Che…stubborn aren't you?" Starlight Savior kicked forward and lifted the blade to begin the attack again. ("I will break this guy!") She swung…

Snapping its arm up, the creature sneered as it caught the weapon by the blade, pinching it between its three metallic fingers. "From the looks of it, you're finished. Without your sword…" Its eyes widened as it found a dark blue crystal crossbow pointed at its face.

"**Divine Star Crash!"** Starlight Savior watched the monster disappear within the point-blank blast of dark blue energy that came from the crossbow's point. Pulling tightly and kicked the creature's arm, she dropped the crossbow and tore her sword free. **"Celestial Songblade Dance!"** The sounds of a blade slicing flesh thousands of times could be heard from within the smoke cloud created by the sudden change in pressure around them both.

Through the whitish-grey smoke the faint glow of dark blue light could be seen. Then there was a loud crack noise followed half of the songblade shooting out of the cloud and embedding itself into a nearby tree trunk. "It's useless!" The V2 and the heroine both exploded out of the cloud at the same time, its lightning-covered fist punching into her stomach. "Don't you get it? That won't work!"

Skidding backwards until she was nearly rolled out of the clearing, Starlight Savior growled through the sound of her breath being blown out of her body by the strike of the V2. ("He's right. It's my strongest attack though.")

Suddenly she had a revelation as an image of the zodiac symbol that had been awakened by the Seraph Scepter appeared in mind. ("Sagittarius, wasn't it?") She made a quick run-through of its abilities in her head while watching the falling bolts of lightning that were headed towards her. ("You're an explosive blast? Perfect and I know just the combo for it too!") **"Awaken Capricorn!"**

The V2 saw the lightning crash down where the Savior had been and send dirt and burnt plant life flying through the air, but it knew better than to expect that to be the end. "So, where did you go? I can only assume you used your little teleportation power to get out of the way of that attack."

"**Awaken Sagittarius, Taurus, and Virgo!"** The sound came from everywhere at once, yelled loudly enough to make use of the echoes created in concealing where it had originally came from.

"That's a different combination than you used to summon that songblade thing. So, you intend to use a new technique to defeat me?" The V2 looked around the clearing while the wind created by its personal storms blew through its ears. "Do you hope to catch me off guard with this new trick? You won't get close enough to use it, I promise you that!"

A sudden whining noise told the monster it was wrong about the nature of the new attack. **"Galactic Sniper Shot!"** The loud click of a trigger being pulled came from nearby and suddenly the entire clearing became a replica of what a nuclear explosion was like, mushroom cloud and all.

From her hiding place Starlight Savior dropped the dark blue crystal bazooka that had been formed from her new combo. "Heh…I was already in range…" Then she collapsed face-down to the grass, eyes closing slowly.

The aftermath of the explosion started to clear, revealing small bolts of electricity crackling along the outer lining of the dust clouds that had been created. "I'll commend you on actually creating an attack that I felt." The V2 emerged from the cloud and stomped towards the fallen Savior. "But if you expect that level of power to beat something like me then I had better just put you out of your misery."

("I can't move.") Starlight Savior wanted to still fight, but she was completely out of energy. This didn't her legs from twitching though as she attempted to roll into a standing position. However it was all for naught, as her energy was currently in the negative thanks to reckless overuse of her body's ability to use the Infinity Mind's limitless energy. ("It looks like I lose then. Man, I thought I could have kept that effort up a little longer.")

Right before it reached her the V2 froze in its tracks and coughed up globs of black blood which splattered on the grass in front of it. ("I'm nearing my end.") Winding up its fist, the creature got ready to crush the heroine's skull. "Good-bye."

"_Hold it, foul creature!"_ A voice yelled out, the sound echoing across the clearing. _"You haven't won yet!"_

"And now there are more interruptions?" The V2 ignored it and drove its fist down. "I'll kill you regardless!"

"_Hey!"_ Cowl blowing in the wind behind him, Captain Zeta flipped in and slammed his boot into the creature's skull roughly, though the impact did little more than jar the V2's movements. "What did I just say? No killing the hero!"

The V2 tilted its head over to look at Captain Zeta. "I'm in no mood for your stupid antics, move!" It slammed a forward punch into the masked hero's gut roughly, watching the Captain bend around its strike.

Captain Zeta sneered slightly, his arms latching onto the creature's single limb when the blow hit. "That…hurt…but…" His eyes widened and he looked eye to eye with the creature. "Get an eyeful, jerk." His eyes flushed from scarlet to purple-blue, the irises becoming incredibly thin.

The V2 stared into those orbs, and then went slack.

Releasing the creature's arm, Captain Zeta dropped to his feet and scooped up Starlight Savior. ("That won't work for very long, but at least it bought us time!")

--------------------

Starlight Savior slowly opened her eyes and groaned. "I sure seem to be getting knocked out a lot today." She quickly took in that she was in some kind of cave. "Great, now where am I?"

Captain Zeta sighed as he heard another tree get vaporized outside. The masked hero was hiding near the entrance to the cave, peeking out occasionally to see that the V2 was doing the monster equivalent of clear-cutting the forest surrounding it in its attempt to find them. "I heard that thing was burning its life force to power itself, so if we just wait right here then it'll just die on its own."

"Yeah…" Starlight Savior sighed and tried to shake off the horribly burning headache she had. "How'd you get me away from it? Last thing I remember it was pretty intent on tearing my head off."

Shaking off the terrible headache he had, the masked hero inched away from the entrance to the cave. "Let's just say that I gave it a nice vision."

"_Starlight Savior!"_ The monster roared loudly. _"If you think I intend to just wander about trying to find you then you are dead wrong! Or maybe you've forgotten but we're near where all of those other humans live too? By no means are you my main target anymore!"_

"So much for the waiting until it burns itself out plan!" The heroine leapt to her feet and was about to head back outside when Captain Zeta's hand snapped out and grabbed hers. "Let me go, I have to stop him!"

"I'll deal with it." Standing up, the masked hero removed a couple of cards from his belt and offered them to her. "This is what you need to worry about for now."

"Huh?" Taking the two cards, her eyes widened at what they were. One of them was a very familiar over-foiled gold-text card, while the other was unfamiliar to her but it had the same kind of over-shininess. "Seraph's Scepter? And what's this other one? Crisis Call?" She looked at Captain Zeta curiously. "What am I supposed to do with these two?"

"Those cards…well, the scepter anyway, replenished the strength of you and your friends." He looked over at the cave entrance and licked his lips, the look of someone about to do something incredibly foolish in his eyes. "Use them to restore your strength. Once you're at full power head out and stop that thing. I'll buy you the time you need." Without waiting for her response, he ran outside at full speed.

----------------------------------------

The V2 could sense their prescense now. ("I can feel the humans just beyond this position. I will tear them to shreds, one by one.") It approached, knowing just a few dozen trees rested between it and releasing its rage on the humans who were going to be slaughtered.

"_Shining justice will prevail!"_ Captain Zeta flew in from a tree branch and slammed his heel down on the top of the creature's head.

"Shut up." Lightning exploded from the V2's body and sent him hurtling backwards into a tree. "I knew one of you would show up when I declared I was going after the humans." Turning to face the now-smoldering hero, it licked its maw again. "You're one of the more annoying ones, so I'll kill you first." Lightning exploded from its arm into the shape of a wrist-blade.

Captain Zeta grimaced and rolled out of the way to avoid the strike that parted the tree he had crashed against. Then he was a blur of movements as the V2 attacked with a flurry of blade swings. There was no thought in his mind; there was just a state of being as he managed to barely evade strike after strike.

Snarling in anger, the V2 stopped its charge and summoned down a blast of lightning that hit the masked hero square in the chest and sent him flying backwards into another tree. "You're skilled at narrowly avoiding hits, but if you haven't noticed your time is up." It sneered. "I will…" Eyes widened, the creature dropped to one knee and started coughing up another spray of black blood. ("My life force is nearly gone.") Stumbling to its feet, the creature snarled and prepared to call down another bolt of lightning.

"**Divine Star Crash!"**

The V2 glanced over at the source of the voice just in time to get engulfed by a blast of dark blue light. When the blast cleared it snarled. "You again? What does it take to get rid of you?"

Starlight Savior smiled weakly. "I'm not quite sure of that myself, but I'm sure not much more." Dropping the dark blue crystal crossbow formed by Taurus, she felt her legs almost give out on her right there. ("After sitting in that cave for a minute of staring at those cards it occurred to me that it was stupid to let Captain Zeta get killed.")

Said hero took a couple of shallow breaths to try and shake off the pain from the fact that he had just gotten electrocuted and then hit by lightning. ("Nope, it's not working. I…I'll just have to walk it off.") He tried to stand, and then he noticed that Starlight Savior was here. "What…"

"I won't let you fight this thing on your own." She sighed weakly, not out of exasperation but out of the fact that it was getting extremely hard to stand up. "Actually, I'm not sure what I can do though. I'm kind of in the negative when it comes to power."

"And that's why you'll die horribly…" The V2 charged up a ball of lightning in its hand. "My time is nearly gone, so this will be my last act. Die, Starlight Savior, and feel the darkness of oblivion."

--------------------------------

Rysel glanced at the watch he had gotten from one of his Earth spies. It wasn't really to check the time, but for some reason it felt right. "Cosmic Balance should be kicking in right about…now."

---------------------------------

Starlight Savior dropped to one knee, the mere pressure of such a powerful attack weakening her. ("It looks like this is where I really do get blown away. Sagittarius gave me a nice explosive attack, but it's got no effect on this guy.")

"Disappear forever, my hated…" The V2 growled and threw up its arms as a blast of golden light blinded it. "It's this thing again? Why does it show up just to interfere with me?"

Starlight Savior blinked as the Seraph Scepter formed before her, the ornate golden object floating in the air a few feet off the ground and releasing that warming light from before. "Are you here to help?"

"**_These young whippersnappers don't seem to be able to do anything. If a chump like that glow-stick is giving you problems then how do you expect to protect the whole universe?"_** The scepter released a golden pulse in line with the voice's speaking. **"Bah, it doesn't matter. I'm not here on your call, I'm here to speak with the one who knows me name."**

"Your name?" Starlight Savior had no idea what that was, meaning that apparently the golden object wasn't here for her.

"Infinity…Miracle…" Captain Zeta said weakly. "That is your name…"

"**_That is correct. You know who I am then…"_** The scepter floated over to the fallen masked hero. **_"You'll have to remind me of who you are though. I don't recall making any contact with a freaky masked human."_**

The V2 roared loudly, still unable to see because of the blindingly powerful light coming from the scepter.

"Yeah," Captain Zeta chuckled weakly, managing to sit up and smile tiredly as he pulled back his cowl to show off his green hair. Tugging his mask down around his neck, a smug grin crossed Masami's face. "It's been awhile since I last saw you. At that time I thought it was a dream, but now I'm sure of it Hey, can you go help Starlight Savior though? There's no time for recollections. That thing is too strong, we need you."

"**_I recognize you now, Masami Morioka."_** The scepter throbbed now, the light coming in sporadic bursts. **_"Yes, I will help Starlight Savior. I don't intend to share body-time with that stupid Infinity Mind though. He's a buffoon."_**

"I'm sick and tired of these interruptions!" Snapping up its hands, the V2 unleashed blast after blast of electrical energy. "I'll destroy you all!" It wasn't aiming anywhere in particular, but was instead hoping to hit one of them with a random shot.

Masami closed his eyes and remembered those words he heard so long ago during those childhood dreams. **"Spread your wings, Angel of Miracles!"** The Seraph Scepter unleashed its golden glow on him. Then it disappeared in a burst of light, swallowing up the masked hero as well and creating an orb of golden light in their place.

Starlight Savior stared at the orb in amazement. ("Captain Zeta was Masami? And the Infinity Miracle? Wait a second, that doesn't make any sense…") Then she was knocked unconscious by the overwhelming power that came from the orb's destruction.

("You came to me at that time because you were interested in my pain, and wanted to help me. I thanked you and then you disappeared, but told me that you were merely a legend and that I shouldn't remember your existence.") A pair of golden eyes opened slowly. ("Apparently that's not my fate.") Standing in Masami's place there was a new figure. "It looks like it's time for me to take charge of this fight. And like any good superhero, I arrive just in the nick of time too."

Trying to clear the spots from its eyes, the V2 squint-glared at the new arrival. "And who are you?"

"Me?" The speaker wore a golden bodysuit with armor segments of the same color, which went against the normal two-toned suits that other Saviors wore. "My name is unimportant compared to this fact." He grinned widely; face still partially hidden by the incredible golden light coming from his body. "I'm going to wipe you out in one shot!" Then a very familiar laughter came from the new Savior…that same maniacal laughter as Captain Zeta and Masami.

"So there's a new Savior now, so what?" The V2 charged up its lightning ball attack again. "I'll blast you into powder along with the other one!"

"I think not!" The light died down to allow sight of a golden-haired and golden-eyed young man holding the Seraph Scepter in his grasp, his rather effeminate face smirking. "In the name of this Miracle World, I will defeat you in one shot!"

He smiled confidently, a star of light coming from one of his teeth. "I am the ultimate guardian, born of miracles, puppies, rainbows, and other good stuff like that!" Snapping his hand up, he pointed at the creature. "This is my chance to repay the debt I owe Ichigo and the others for the fact that Captain Zeta was unable to help them. That identity is no more, for now I exist as the ultimate paragon of cosmic justice."

"How about a name then, loudmouth?"

The Savior held up his free hand and extended his index finger and thumb. "Sure, as a last request I'll tell you my name." His thumb fell against his hand like the hammer of a gun. "The name's Shining Savior, strongest of the Saviors, so be sure to tell your friends!"

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Rysel sighed and rested his head in a palm. "And there it is, the Cosmic Balance in action."

The Cosmic Balance was a theory established long ago by a group of intergalactic scientists. It theorized that whenever there was a power struggle between two forces and one side of that struggle brought out something incredibly powerful, the universe would grant an equal or greater power to the opposing side to even things out. ("This is why I disliked the idea of the creating the V2. It might be as powerful as me, but now we have the Miracle to deal with along with the four they already have.")

The Infinity Miracle, according to his sources, was the prototype version of the Infinity Mind created by the first of the self-deemed Infinites Caretakers. It was originally deemed only a legend, as even the current Infinites knew nothing of it since its creation dated back to before their generations has started to keep track of their records. ("The legend says it was deemed too powerful by the Infinites to be placed in the hand of one being and was sealed up and sent into deep space where it was never to be recovered. Plus they put a powerful lock on it, though I guess the word lock must have meant door, because from the looks of it the Infinity Miracle was never in need of being freed.")

And yet now it had arrived on the planet Earth to even the odds out in this battle. ("Let us simply hope that the other part of the Cosmic Balance theory applies here, or else our invasion of Earth will be impossible.") That was a given, because if the strength of the Infinity Miracle was what he thought it might be, then even the Marrow would be unable to block the Source's attack when it was harnessed to a worthy controller. "And apparently Masami-kun fits the bill….oh joy, I get to see father make his displeased face and blow up the nearest attendant."

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The V2 broke out of its stand-off with Shining Savior as it was forced to cough another glob of dark blood. "I…have no…time for…this!"

"Then let me cut to the chase!" The golden hero snapped the Seraph Scepter up and closed his eyes. Grasping the ornate item in one hand he twirled it over his head rapidly as golden light filled the area around the two of them. **"Golden Divine…"** Stopping the twirl of the scepter with both of his hands, Shining Savior held it over his head with his arms stretched to their full length. **"…Radiance!"** The center of the object released an explosion of bright rays of golden light, each one carrying the full power of the Infinity Miracle behind it.

The V2, still coughing up blood, threw up its arms to try and protect itself as the rays engulfed it. "This is merely light…I can…" Its eyes widened as it watched its arms melt away like they were ice exposed to heat. "This cannot be…it's only…light…"

For a few moments it was simply left to be covered in the light, and then a flurry of cannonball-shaped blasts of golden light slammed into its frame, leaving it bent over backwards with huge dents in its metallic body. **"Good…shot…"** One last ball of golden light, this one the size of the monster it was hitting, slammed into the V2 and melted what was left of the monster away.

Lowering the Seraph Scepter, Shining Savior grinned and gave the victory sign to no one in particular. "Victory is mine!" Crossing his arms in front of him in an X-shape, the new hero started laughing crazily. "Bwhahahahahaha!" Then he stopped and looked over at the unconscious Starlight Savior. "Awww, I didn't have an audience."

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"Wake up sleeping beauty." A hand snapped out and slapped Ichigo across the face a couple of times.

Eyes snapping open, the half demon hopped to his feet and glanced around in confusion. "Where'd the big scary thing go?" He looked at Masami, who was kneeling in front of him. "Hey Masami…what happened to the big scary thing?"

Chuckling, the green-haired boy stood up and readjusted his Ra Yellow uniform. "Oh, that thing?" He breathed on his fingernails and pretended to shine them, since he was lacking something more substantial. "I beat him."

Ichigo took a minute to process that information, and then the events of the battle came back to him. "Infinity….Miracle?" There were so many questions that needed to be answered. Who was Masami really? How did he know about the Infinity Miracle? Why is there an Infinity Miracle in the first place? "And why don't you smell like a demon anymore? You were Captain Zeta, and he was a demon!"

"Ichigo, do you really have the time to stand here and ask me silly questions?" He coughed meaningfully. "Or have you forgotten that Erika Amero's official duel is in twenty minutes?" When he noticed Ichigo start running in numerous circles around the small area they were standing he chuckled. "Here, your reward for winning the duel against Anarchy."

He removed his belt buckle, which was a ridiculously large band of golden metal. It clicked and folded to his touch, going from a lump of gold-colored metal parts to something reminiscent of a remote control…if they made remote controls with enough buttons to activate every electronic device on Duelist Academy Island.

Skidding to a stop Ichigo looked over Masami's shoulder the shiny object. "What's that?"

Pressing some of the four hundred-plus buttons on the remote, Masami watched the small screen in the middle of the device flicker with a few strange symbols. "Alright then," He turned and offered the remote to Ichigo. "Take this and point at Miss Amero. Press the green steel button at the very bottom of rows. It's clearly visible, triangular, and it has light shining through it." He pulled his arm back right before Ichigo could grab the device. "Repeat what I just said."

"Push the button with the light shining through it!" Ichigo hopped up and down impatiently. "Do you understand how angry Eri's going to be with me if she doesn't get changed back to normal before her duel?"

Sighing and knowing he was going to regret this immensely; Masami extended the remote and watched the half demon snatch it and disappear in a trail of dust. "I feel I have doomed us all…" Then he collapsed to his knees, sweat building up on his face. "I overdid it, and I had to use my trump card against that thing. I'm going to need to rest for a little while."

"You can rest," Nikolai said from behind the Ra Yellow.

"While we walk," Adriel continued, standing next to the Russian boy resolutely.

"And you explain what the heck all this is about," Chris finished, standing just as resolutely as the others.

Exhaling loudly, Masami stood up with his back to them and slipped up his glasses on. Pulling out his paper fan, he flipped it open and turned to look at them with an innocent expression on his face while fanning himself. "Whatever are you talking about? I just came by for a walk and had a nice chat with my good friend Ichigo. That's all."

All three of them glared at him, obviously not buying it.

"…..AH!" Masami pointed behind them. "What's what?"

None of them turned around.

Closing his fan and reinserting it into his coat, the boy removed his glasses and folded them up. "I see…" He stuffed them into his pocket and opened his scarlet. "So, I'm guessing the lot of you listened in on my conversation with Ichigo? Fine…." He threw the smoke bomb in his hand towards the ground. "Ninja vanish!" Then he disappeared in a burst of smoke.

Nikolai closed his eyes and sighed loudly. "Zaytel, if you please." A few seconds later he heard a scuffle from within the cloud, followed by someone falling to the dirt.

The smoke cleared to reveal Masami face-down in the dirt with his arm twisted behind his back by Adriel. "Well that was a waste of a perfectly smoke bomb. I hope you're happy!"

"Shut up and start talking," Nikolai shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking towards the Academy. "But do it while we're walking, I'd like to make sure that all of our problems have been resolved."

_To be continued…_


	57. Mixed Signals Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 57: Mixed Signals (Part 1)

The sounds of fine leather shoes on metal could be heard within the hull of the Marrow. It was a dangerous sound, because the speed of the steps gave a direct indication of the walker's current mood. No one was getting in the way of the walker, because he was going to the second-most dangerous person onboard.

Rysel was paying Lady Amaeura a visit, and he was not pleased.

---------------------------

The moment the portal opened a pair of shadowed female forms was leaping towards it with a pair of curved swords drawn.

"Chansen." Rysel felt the air at his side move and then watched the two female forms get launched against one of the walls of the chamber roughly. "Thank you. So Amaeura, do you intend to disrespect me by thinking your childish guards could block my approach? When the experiment mentioned your name it must have been obvious that I was coming to see you." This would be the first time Rysel ever sounded anything but calm. Now there was displeasure in his voice as well. "I do hope you are ready to pay for your foolishness."

From behind the crimson veil that was hanging halfway across the room a quiet giggle wafted forth. "My love, why does it matter to you if I used my powers to charge the V2 back to normal levels?"

"Because I had intended for it to fail," The Blood Prince folded his arms behind his back. "It was meant to be defeated while also reminding the Saviors they could not take me lightly. However now Cosmic Balance has taken effect and the Infinity Miracle is part of the equation. As long as that is on their side we cannot win, even if you and I personally went out to challenge the lot of them."

"You seem to forget that the Infinity Miracle was deemed too powerful not just because of the threat it posed if the user ever became corrupt, but also because of the strain it places on the user. This boy that had acquired it, while not entirely human, is far from strong enough to use it more than once a day at most. Even then, he can only maintain it for a few minutes at most. If he stretches his power past that he risks his life." A crimson glow came from behind the veil. "However, I feel that the real threat is approaching. We cannot forget that the…"

Rysel held up one of his hands to silence. "You're trying awfully hard to make me forget that your actions worked against my wishes, aren't you?"

"Rysel, you cannot expect me to have figured out that you've grown fond of one of the guardians. After all, I am not simply able to guess whatever you are thinking." She sounded just as displeased as him now.

"Watch your tongue!" Chansen stepped in front of Rysel, an angry grimace on his face. "Do not forget that Lord Rysel has shown extreme kindness by allowing you to live on board the Marrow."

"Thank you Chansen, but if you wouldn't mind I can handle things on my own." The Blood Prince turned away to face the portal, his voice calm again. "Oh yes, Amaeura dearest, what would you like for dinner this evening?"

"Anything is fine," She replied just as calmly. "See you then, my love."

Chansen growled under his breath and followed Rysel out; the door sliding closed with a loud his.

Amaeura sighed quietly; her shadowed form sitting kneeled amongst a large number of crimson-colored body pillows. "He's so cute when he's upset though. Oh well." She snapped her fingers. "Are you alright Silk, Lavender?"

A pair of kneeling shadowed forms appeared past her veil. "Yes Mistress," they said in unison.

"Good, because I'd like to know what my love sees in these Saviors." She laced her fingers together and smiled slyly. ("Ichigo Pilkington especially. I've never heard someone be called a friend by Rysel before until he mentioned you, so there must be something about you that is special.")

-----------------------------

_Time until Eri's duel: Ten minutes_

-----------------------------

The inside of the Obelisk Blue arena was brimming with activity as mob upon mob of students were getting heated up for what would be Erika Amero's first official exhibition match of the year. Even though she had not accepted the role of Kaiser, Eri was considered to be the absolute best in the school. Plus her father was the unofficial guardian of all of the girls' dorms, but that's another story.

None of this was what was on Eric's mind right now, as he stood with his back against the wall of the building and waited patiently for Ichigo to arrive. ("I could have picked a better place to stand than next to the road though,") he thought as a blush crept across his face. Thanks to demon hearing he had heard at least three dozen whispered comments shared between groups of female students about whom the moody new Osiris Red guy was…and that apparently he had a cute butt.

Then a sound like thunder could be heard in the distance, it was a rumbling noise like an incoming stampede.

"There he is." Turning to look at the approaching dust cloud, the wolf demon watched as Ichigo went into a baseball-style slide to stop.

Kicking off his now on fire shoes, Ichigo leapt to his feet and grinned widely. "I've got the answer to all your problems right here!" Then he held up something that looked like a universal remote. "This baby apparently can change you back, and all I've got to do is press the green triangle button!"

Sighing loudly, the demon closed his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest. "Hang on then." Pulling a two-way radio out of his pocket, he held it up to his mouth and pressed down on a button. "Ambience, if you could please bring the spare sets of clothes out now." Returning the device to his pocket, Eric nodded to Ichigo. "Alright, do it."

Holding the remote-thing out, Ichigo pressed the button…

---------------------------------------

Chris blinked as Masami suddenly shuddered. "What's wrong?"

"I just felt a great disturbance in the universe," The green-haired boy winced. "As if someone's pride had suddenly been silenced. And that was followed by someone else calling the perpetrator an idiot. I know this somehow…" He rubbed his chin.

Adriel already knew who the idiot was. And he could guess who the other would be. "So Masami, right?"

"That's Masami-sama to you," Masami announced. "Or have you guys not realized yet that I'm your new leader? After all, I'm the strongest Savior out of all of you."

"Shut up, we saw your little lightshow from eighty feet away." Nikolai glanced behind him at Masami. "So, you've had contact with this Infinity Miracle then?"

"Of course," Masami replied.

"When?"

"My childhood."

"I meant why too."

Masami stuck his tongue out and kept walking. "Sorry you've used up your questions for the day. Besides, what's with all the third degree about this Shining Savior stuff? Aren't you happy that I showed up and blew that freaky thing away in one attack?"

"Of course," Nikolai replied in frustration. "And I do not doubt that the Infinity Miracle is real considering it powered up Zaytel and myself. However, when you don't provide us with any background information about yourself I find it extremely hard to trust you when you dodge our questions as well."

"I'm not answering your questions about my past because I'd prefer to keep that kind of information a secret." Hopping over a fallen tree, Masami did a hand-stand when he landed. Moments later he remembered how exhausted he was and face-planted into the dirt. "Blast this lack of energy!"

From near the back of the group Griff sighed loudly. "I think I'd prefer Ichigo to be the leader of the group that is protecting the earth from these aliens, but that might just be my opinion as someone who knows Megame is a creep and a pervert." It was right then that he noticed that Anarchy had disappeared. ("I'm betting he did so because we're going to where Eri is, and if what Megame said meant anything then she's going to tear out that nut's spleen…if he's got one.")

Masami leapt to his feet and looked at Griff, his glasses askew now. "You keep calling me that, but name three things I've done since I got to this school that were perverted!"

Griff stopped in his tracks and frowned. "Damn, well let me think." A slight smile crossed his face. "Alright then, but you asked for it. One, you've got records of every single custom uniform at the school. That means you have the physical measurements for every girl and guy in the student body."

Masami snorted. "I am a master of the thread; do you expect me to create costumes that no one can wear? It would be a waste of my skills."

"Fine, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt on that one." Griff cracked his knuckles. "How about all those pictures you have of the girls' dorms?"

"Check your facts, Mohistava." Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the boy smirked. "While it's true that I have pictures of the girls' dorm, I also have shots of the boys' dorm. I'm part of the committee to determine whether the dorms are up with local fashion standards."

"You mean The Duelist Academy Fashion Club?" Chris couldn't believe it. "But…but you're a first year. Don't you have to be at least a third year to be able to apply? Didn't the president of the club object?"

"Psh," Masami removed his membership card from his pocket. "I'm running to change that rule. The only reason I got in was because they realized after witnessing my myriad of god-like feats that my understanding and grasp of fashion could not be contested. Even the president realized they couldn't let me go."

"This coming from the guy whose hair is dyed green…" Adriel muttered.

Griff cracked the knuckles on his other hand. "Alright then, you asked for it. Here's my without a doubt, cannot fail, one hundred percent proof that you're a pervert. At the beginning of the year you were the one who sold a bunch of pictures that were taken of the inside of the girl's bath. Explain that away, Megame."

Masami removed his glasses and looked at Griff inquisitively. "I'll admit that I was given photos to sell, but I didn't look at any of them. They were marked as architecture shots of the girls' bath, and since I didn't have any reason to care about such a thing I put them up to be sold without looking at them. You know for a fact that I control the market of any and all artistic sales which happen through the student body. While it isn't exactly a very moral business, it doesn't classify me as a pervert if I handle materials such as this. Now it's my turn for a question. How do you know what those pictures really were?"

Griff froze. "Well….uh….I…." Then he was silenced as Chris angrily struck him over the head with a hunk of wood.

Masami put his glasses back on. "When put in the hot-seat you need to answer quickly Mohistava. Remember that next time before you challenge me to a battle of words." He began walking towards the Obelisk Blue arena with the others.

Nikolai and Adriel shrugged to each other. They weren't sure whether they should have been impressed or angry at Masami's arrogance.

-------------------------

_Several minutes before this, at the same time as Masami's disturbance…_

-------------------------

There was a bright flash of rainbow light that left Eric blinded….and unchanged. ("Well I didn't feel anything when it happened before though.") He opened his eyes slowly, and then reflexively face-palmed. "Oh for the love of Fenrir!"

Ichigo blinked a couple of times, and then looked down at her now female body. "Wait…wha…" A few locks of brown hair fell in her eye as a memory came back to her.

"_Take this and point at Miss Amero. Press the green steel button at the very bottom of rows."_

The half demon stared at the fact that the button in question was located at the top row of buttons. "…….."

"Idiot." Eric face-palmed again, and he started to entertain thoughts that Ichigo was doing this on purpose. "You shot yourself with it. Do you know there's a term for this, Ichigo? It's called shooting yourself in the foot, and in this case we can take the term literally." Snapping his vision up, he noticed that the half demon was frantically pressing buttons on the remote.

"NO!" Lunging forward he grabbed the device out of her hand. "Are you crazy?"

"Hey!" Ichigo yelled. "Give it back; I need to change back to normal!" Legs coiling beneath her, she lunged for the remote. However, Eric had already used the one method of deterrent that she currently couldn't get past.

He held the remote up at full arm's length above his head, musing on absolutely funny it was to watch Ichigo mindlessly hop and grasp for something that couldn't be reached. "I can only assume, since you shot yourself, that you have no idea how this thing works. So why would you go pressing buttons on it?"

"I don't know, but obviously using it again at its current settings would have done nothing!" Ichigo tackled the wolf demon and scrambled for the remote. "Now give it!"

Off to the side, Ambience looked like she was about to say something. Then she closed her mouth as she watched Eric subdue Ichigo. ("I'll need to remember to ask Erian why these beings always have to end things so violently.")

Pinning the half demon under one of his knees, Eric looked at the remote's little screen and the markings on the buttons. "Right, in a language I don't understand. Hey Ambience?"

"Yes?" The Traveler walked up. "Is something the matter?"

"Can you read this for me please? There should be something here marked female, or girl, or something." Handing the remote to Ambience, he removed his knee from Ichigo's back and stood up. "As for you, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Ichigo didn't move. She just pressed her face deeper into the grass.

"Huh?" Kneeling down, Eric nudged her a bit. "Hey, you okay? Come on, I know you're resilient enough to take a knee to the back without losing consciousness." There was still no reaction. "Come on, say something already!"

"I'm sorry…" Ichigo muttered, voice muffled by the fact she was currently tasting grass while speaking. "It's been a long day, and it all started with problems arising because of me. It's always my fault this stuff happens, and then if I let my guard down for one minute…tell myself that finally everything will be alright…I make an idiot of myself. I don't like doing these things because you lose respect for me. If I'm not Ichigo Pilkington the idiot, I'm Ichigo Pilkington the protector. Ichigo Pilkington the boyfriend tries to exist but who has time for that when the world needs saving, right?" Muffled sniffling could be heard now.

Eric rubbed the back of his head nervously, unsure what to say in this situation. The normal reaction of just brushing it off as Ichigo whining didn't seem to cut it here. "You're genuinely upset about this, aren't you?" He looked over at Ambience nervously. "Hey, please tell me you've found the button."

"Um, I can't read this. It's written in a language I don't understand." The Traveler held out the remote meekly. "I'm sorry."

Sighing, Eric took the remote. He looked between it and Ichigo. ("Argh, there's no time for this!") Taking one very deep breath, he dropped the remote to the grass and glanced back at Ambience. "Hey, can you please tell Resshin to go threaten people or something? I need a little more time."

Nodding, the Traveler quickly became scarce.

Eric took another very deep breath. ("Okay, let's get this in the open and beat it dead now. Though I'd prefer to do this after my match, I'd rather lose ranks than lose Ichigo.") "You're an emotional wreck, aren't you?"

Ichigo's head nodded slowly, the sniffling continuing.

Lying down in the grass next to the half demon, Eric chuckled light-heartedly. "Honestly I'm hoping to get you to snap out of it by making you realize how silly you're acting, but the more I think about it the more I'm figuring out that you really cannot take this anymore. You're stressing yourself in too many directions at once, trying to be Starlight Savior on one hand, trying to be Ichigo Pilkington on the other."

"I can…handle it…" Ichigo sniffled. "After all, I'm the guy who can deal with anything destiny throws my way."

"And there's your problem," he said, running a hand through her hair. "You can't be a hero twenty-four seven, Ichigo. It's not possible. And yet here you try anyway, just because you want to be Mr. Knight in Shining Armor for me, along with the rest of the world. Well don't forget that you're not alone in your battle. And by no means do you have to be a superhero in the face of it either. It's not like the rest of us fell into these situations unprepared for the consequences."

"Yeah," Ichigo slowly lifted up her head and rested her chin on the grass, wiping some tears from her eyes. "I can't just lay down my instincts though. There's something I always have to protect…and that something is you. Yet here I am, nearly collapsing into tears because of a mix of guilt, frustration, confusion, and some other weird emotion I can't describe."

"I don't quite get the confusion part, but I'm guessing the unknown would be your feeling to protect me?"

"No…" She sniffled once more and sat up on her knees. "Sheesh, what am I doing? Come on Eri, you've got a duel to win right?"

"…..Yeah." Feeling like he had just been on the verge of getting somewhere, the wolf demon picked up the remote. "Ichigo, I'd like to make you a little wager first." Smirking at the half demon's look of confusion, he leaned in and started whispering something.

------------------

_Several minutes later…_

-------------------

The crowds were growing a little restless, as Erika has yet to show up. The match should have started already.

In the dueling ring stood an Obelisk Blue student, his short red hair and brown eyes created a strange mix for anyone looking at his face. He was Nathaniel Guy, the twentieth-ranked duelist in all of Duelist Academy. This duel would decide whether he jumped all the way to number one, or whether he'd lose all of his hard work. ("I've put too much effort into this to lose here. I will defeat Erika Amero…if she decides to show up.") It didn't matter too much to him, as if she didn't show that would mean that she would lose the duel automatically. "So what's the deal? Is she coming out or not?"

"Hold your horses, Guy!" A black and blue blur came charging in and slid to a skidding stop right before it could crash into the dueling ring.

"There you are, I was wondering if you had lost your nerve too…" Nathaniel watched as the raven-haired princess of Duelist Academy leapt into the ring. Then he narrowed his eyes at her. "Wait a second, something seems wrong here."

Readjusting her Obelisk Blue uniform, the demoness smirked at him. "Perhaps you just perceive things differently now that you stand in the prescense of a true duelist?" Her duel disk activated. "Let's get this battle started!"

Activating his duel disk, Nathaniel suddenly noticed the difference. Eri's ears looked different. ("Weird, it's not that I remember them very well but weren't they canine? Those seem more feline…")

Shrugging it off as unimportant, he pointed at her. "Erika Amero, this is the duel that will determine the fate of Duelist Academy's future! If I win then I will become number one and will declare myself Kaiser, for as we are now we lack a leadership figure. This is unacceptable and it must be fixed. So, are you ready to duel for that reason?"

"I guess so." She shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't give much of a care about all that silly Duelist Academy future stuff." Then she sneered enough to reveal her fangs. "However, in this duel the Princess has to win. A different kind of future depends heavily upon my success, and therefore I cannot be defeated! Sorry Guy, but when I've got a purpose backing me up I'm absolutely invincible!"

"Duel!" They both yelled, drawing their opened hands.

Nathaniel- 4000

Eri- 4000

_To be continued…_


	58. Mixed Signals Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 58: Mixed Signals (Part 2)

"_Hold your horses, Guy!" A black and blue blur came charging in and slid to a skidding stop right before it could crash into the dueling ring._

"_There you are, I was wondering if you had lost your nerve too…" Nathaniel watched as the raven-haired princess of Duelist Academy leapt into the ring. Then he narrowed his eyes at her. "Wait a second, something seems wrong here."_

_Readjusting her Obelisk Blue uniform, the demoness smirked at him. "Perhaps you just perceive things differently now that you stand in the prescense of a true duelist?" Her duel disk activated. "Let's get this battle started!"_

_Activating his duel disk, Nathaniel suddenly noticed the difference. Eri's ears looked different. ("Weird, it's not that I remember them very well but weren't they canine? Those seem more feline…") _

_Shrugging it off as unimportant, he pointed at her. "Erika Amero, this is the duel that will determine the fate of Duelist Academy's future! If I win then I will become number one and will declare myself Kaiser, for as we are now we lack a leadership figure. This is unacceptable and it must be fixed. So, are you ready to duel for that reason?"_

"_I guess so." She shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't give much of a care about all that silly Duelist Academy future stuff." Then she sneered enough to reveal her fangs. "However, in this duel the Princess has to win. A different kind of future depends heavily upon my success, and therefore I cannot be defeated! Sorry Guy, but when I've got a purpose backing me up I'm absolutely invincible!"_

"_Duel!" They both yelled, drawing their opened hands._

_Nathaniel- 4000_

_Eri- 4000_

"Draw!" Nathaniel glanced at the look on Eri's face. It was one of total confidence. ("She thinks that she'll just brush me aside without any problems? I think not!") "I summon Assault Core in attack mode!" (1300/1300) A giant spaceship appeared on his field. "While this card is face-up on the field it counts as a B.E.S. card. I place two cards face-down and end my turn." A pair of cards appeared behind the giant ship that hovered over his field.

Eri continued to smile confidently. ("I have to win this duel. If I want to go make any progress with Ichigo, I have to win! I…have…to…")

"_Hey!" Ichigo yelled. "Give it back; I need to change back to normal!" Legs coiling beneath her, she lunged for the remote. However, Eric had already used the one method of deterrent that she currently couldn't get past._

_He held the remote up at full arm's length above his head, musing on absolutely funny it was to watch Ichigo mindlessly hop and grasp for something that couldn't be reached. "I can only assume, since you shot yourself, that you have no idea how this thing works. So why would you go pressing buttons on it?"_

(…Ichigo did look cute when…")

Nathaniel blinked as suddenly Eri turned bright red in the face. "Huh? Are you taking your turn or what?"

"Y…yeah," The demoness drew. "I activate the field magic card Magician's Playground." All around them giant forms of training areas exploded into existence in the dueling field. "While this field magic card is in play all Apprentice named monsters on my field gain 400 attack points during my standby phase. Also, I summon Apprentice Red Riding Hood in attack mode!" A little blond-haired girl in a red dress appeared on her field. (300/400)

"Also I place two cards face-down and at the end phase of my turn I flip a coin." A giant golden coin appeared in the sky and dropped to the ground in front of her, revealing a head. (600/400) "End turn."

Nathaniel drew. "I activate the magic card Resource Return, which lets me shuffle itself and one card from my hand into my deck to draw two cards." Sliding a card from his hand and the magic card into his deck, the Obelisk Blue let the duel disk auto-shuffle the stack and then drew two new cards from his deck. "Assault Core, attack Apprentice Red Riding Hood with Space Blaster!" His ship released a blast of red energy that hurtled towards the demoness' monster.

"Heh, I was waiting for…" Eri nearly face-fell as she realized the trap she had intended to use was sitting in her hand. "D'oh!" Her monster screamed right before she was obliterated by the blast.

Nathaniel- 4000

Eri- 3300

As the smoke from the aftermath of her monster's destruction cleared, the demoness shook her head out wildly. ("What in the nine hells was that train of thought?")

"End turn." Nathaniel crossed his arms across his chest. "What's the matter? You seem distracted."

"No I am not having weird thoughts!" She snapped at him.

"……..Ummmm, right." Nathaniel rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Listen, are you feeling alright?"

"Let's just pretend that I said nothing, alright?" Covering her face with a hand, Eri let out a deep sigh and tried to clear her head. ("What brought that thought process out anyway?") She drew. "Reverse card open! Magical Training revives one Apprentice named monster from my graveyard that was destroyed as a result of battle!" Apprentice Red Riding Hood returned to play. "And then during my standby phase Magician's Playground powers up Apprentice Red Riding Hood by 400 attack points!" (700/400) "Also I play the equipment magic card School Textbook, powering up the attack of an equipped Apprentice monster by 1200 points!" (1900/400) "Battle! Magical Big Cat!"

"Magical…what?" Nathaniel nearly jumped out of his skin as a giant cat statue wearing a red hood fell on his spaceship and shattered it. "What kind of crazy attack is that?"

Nathaniel- 3400

Eri- 3300

"Reverse card open!" Nathaniel's face-down card flipped up. "Alert allows me to activate one face-down continuous magic card on my field! Go Boss Rush!" His other set card flipped up. "As long as this continuous magic card remains face-up on my field I can special summon one B.E.S. or Big Core named card from my deck to the field from my deck when a B.E.S. or Big Core named card on my field is destroyed. This'll happen during the end phase, so I suggest you take advantage of the small bonus you get from knowing its coming."

Eri looked down at the two cards in her hand. ("Let's see, if I set this face-down then I'll be ready for whatever he throws at me.") "I place one card face-down on my field and end…" Another image of the female Ichigo from before flashed in her thoughts. "…GAH!"

Slapping the side of her head roughly, Eri pointed up above her. "Hurry up and activate Apprentice Red Riding Hood's effect!" (3800/400) "Good, at least luck is on my side in this duel. End turn."

Nathaniel pointed at his field, and a crystal-covered spaceship appeared in play. "From my deck I special summon B.E.S. Crystal Core in attack mode!" (2100/1800) "Draw!" He smiled coldly. "From my hand I activate the field magic card Space Station!" The dueling ring changed from the Magician's Playground to a giant war base floating in space. "As long as this card remains in play I may, once during my standby phase, add one counter to a B.E.S. or Big Core card in play. Also, whenever such a monster is special summoned you lose 200 life points!"

Eri wasn't really listening. ("Why can't I stop thinking about the girl Ichigo? I must have hit my head or something…")

Nathaniel motioned to his Crystal Core. "First the effect of my monster can once per turn switch the mode of a monster on your field into defense mode." The little girl on Eri's field dropped into defense mode. "And then from my hand I activate these two cards! They're called Orbital Laser Burst, and they can only activate when Space Station is in play. I can destroy one magic or trap card in play!"

Eri was brought back to the duel as her two face-down cards were slashed to ribbons by lasers. "Oh right, you're still here."

A vein bulging out of his forehead, Nathaniel pointed at Apprentice Red Riding Hood. "Crystal Core attacks with Armed Laser!" One of the spaceship's tentacles fired a laser that shattered the little girl, and then the spaceship itself shattered. "When a counter-less B.E.S. monster battles it is destroyed after damage calculation. I end my turn." A spaceship that was a metal ring focused around a glowing ball of blue light appeared on his field. "From my deck I special summon Big Core, and when that happens you know what my field magic card does, right?" (2300/1100)

Nathaniel- 3400

Eri- 3100

Eri looked down at her deck. ("I need to stop thinking so much about this…") An image of male Ichigo grinning at her appeared in her mind for a moment. ("…My brain has apparently performed a mutiny.")

-----------------------------

Masami collapsed into a seat and tried to compose himself without falling over from exhaustion. "I'm seriously considering getting back at the lot of you for making me walk all that way. It wasn't necessary, was it? You knew I was tired."

"Be quiet and watch the duel, Megame." Griff sat down in another seat and accidentally bumped into somebody. "Sorry…Ichigo?" He gaped at the brown-haired girl for a few seconds, and then realized there was a familiar pair of wolf ears on her head. "Yup, Ichigo. So, any particular reason you look like this or are you just this way because you're bored."

"Shut up Griff," she muttered quietly, looking thoroughly depressed. "Oh yeah, and hand this to Masami please."

------------------------

Eri drew. ("I can't win as long as my brain is doing this. I'll have to play this next turn with caution.") "From my hand I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." Adding two cards to her hand, her eyes widened. ("This card…") "Let me show you another aspect of my childhood. From my hand I activate the field magic card Time Period; Medieval Kingdom!"

Nathaniel gasped as his Space Station card was destroyed, and suddenly the two of them were standing on a cliff surrounded by expansive forests. In the distance a pair of giant castles could seen. "When this field magic card comes into play I can special summon one level four or lower monster from my deck to the field. My choice is Time Traveler-Frog Knight!" (800/800) A humanoid frog in traveler's clothing appeared on her field. "When this monster is summoned I can add one equipment magic card from my deck to my hand." She caught a card spat out of her deck and slapped it down into her disk. "Go equipment magic card!"

The lights in the stadium dimmed, except for a single spotlight that held over the middle of the field. Embedded in a rock there was a large glittering broadsword. The Frog Knight walked up to it slowly, and kneeled before the weapon. It suddenly leapt forward and pulled the blade free from the stone, a pillar of light exploding from the drawn sword's blade. (2800/800)

Eri smirked. "The equipment magic card Legendary Masamune can only be equipped to Time Traveler-Frog Knight. When equipped its power increases by 2000 points. Battle!"

Nathaniel gasped as the amphibian monster snapped out its tongue and latched onto one of the cannons of his Big Core, using that as a swinging point to launch up and slash the spaceship in half in one cut. "R…Regardless, Big Core was meant to be destroyed. Now it triggers Boss Rush!"

Nathaniel- 2900

Eri- 3100

The demoness narrowed her eyes like a predator stalking its prey and smiled. "That's fine with me. If you'll notice, you're running out of options. I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

--------------------------

Masami gaped at his remote device for a few silent moments before looking past Griff at Ichigo. "Well obviously you didn't wind up using it on yourself while it was at these settings."

Ichigo didn't reply, looking down at the field sadly. "Yeah, Eri used it on herself."

"She did?" Masami face-palmed. "Oh good, as long as it's not something serious like the person in question involving themselves in a duel while under these conditions."

"What is that thing anyway?" Griff asked.

"To save you the trouble of having to learn anything about genetics, let's just say that this thing can change anybody it's used on by changing their DNA." Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Masami used that same motion to rub his forehead worriedly. "Of course, it looks like a monkey with an axe to grind with technology went to work on this thing's controls. Therefore I'll assume that one of you panicked and started hitting buttons, right?" Even though he got no response he knew that was it. ("This is ten levels of ridiculous. Let's see, it's like …") He fiddled with the buttons and watched the screen flicker through a few options.

"Wait a second," Griff said. "What did you mean concerning Eri and whatever happened to her?"

"It's complex. There are a lot of commands here that cause a really weird mix. All I'm saying is that I'm sure Ms. Amero is going to be acting very strange out there." Masami tinkered with the buttons some more, trying to figure out how to duplicate the effects Ichigo stumbled across.

----------------------------

Nathaniel pointed at his field as a square-bodied spaceship appeared. "My choice for Boss Rush is B.E.S. Tetran!" (1800/2300) "Draw!" He held up a card. "From my hand I activate the magic card Shield Recovery, returning three counters to my empty Tetran." A trio of metallic shields appeared between the machine's weapons. "Now I'll activate Tetran's special effect. By removing one counter from this card I can destroy that annoying sword!"

Eri frowned as the Frog Knight's Masamune shattered. "Even though that card was destroyed the special ability of it triggers now. When that card is destroyed by the effect of a card controlled by my opponent I can draw two cards!" Sliding two cards off of her deck, the demoness smiled to Nathaniel. "Give it up."

"Pay attention to the field before saying things like that. Go Tetran, attack that little green freak! Armed Pressure!" One of his spaceship's tentacles snapped down and crushed Eri's monster, while at the same time one of the two remaining shields broke.

Nathaniel- 2900

Eri- 2100

Eri drew. "Alright, now it's time to…" She had another Ichigo image flash. "…scrub my brain out with bleach, but that comes later. From my hand I summon Time Traveler-Great Creator!" (1200/1000) A girl wearing a weird helmet with all kinds of gadgets attached to it appeared in play on her field. "When this card is summoned I may add one machine type monster card from my deck to my hand." Pulling a card out of her deck, she pointed at her set card. "I reveal Team Effort. This card lets me special summon a monster from my hand that has the same name type as a monster on my field!"

An old robot appeared on her field, its hulky body making a few loud creaking noises as it came to life. "Time Traveler-Battle Robo (1800/1500) is ready for action. When this monster is summoned I can draw two cards." Adding two cards to her hand, she flipped one of her other hand cards up. "And from my hand I activate the continuous magic card Combination Force. This card allows two same-named monsters on my field to forfeit their attacks to combine their power into one massive strike. Attack Tetran now!" (3000) Beams of red light shot from the Battle Robo's eyes and hit the spaceship, shattering its last shield.

Nathaniel- 1700

Eri- 2100

"I place two cards face-down on my field and end my turn." Eri smirked at Nathaniel. "Come on, you can do better than that."

"Shut up!" Nathaniel drew and snapped up the card. "Graceful Charity lets me draw three cards and discard two." Adding three cards to his hand, he smirked and tossed two of them into the graveyard slot. "And now from my hand I discard Shield Bit, (100/500) which adds one shield counter to a monster I have in play." A new shield appeared on Tetran's body. "And now I'll remove that counter to blast your set card!"

The demoness glanced at the card set on her field that exploded. ("Not a big deal, I can easily work around…") Another Ichigo image flash hit her. ("Go away!")

Nathaniel noticed that Eri was distracted again. ("Now's my chance.") "Tetran, attack that machine! Armed Pressure!" The spaceship's tentacle snaked through the air to bash the robot's body apart.

Clutching the side of her head with one hand, Eri motioned to her set card with the other. "Go Era Leap! I negate your attack and send one Time Period field magic card from my field to the graveyard." The pristine cliffs disappeared, replaced by a black sky and a ruined world. "From my deck another Time Period can be activated. My choice is Time Period; Dark Future."

Frowning, Nathaniel inserted two cards from his hand into his disk. "I place two cards face-down on my field and end my turn."

"Draw!" Eri pointed at her field, where a pair of junky robots appeared in crouching positions. "During each of my standby phases Dark Future special summons two Junk Robot Tokens to my field in defense mode." (1000/1000)x2

The demoness pointed at Great Creator, who started glowing. "The effect of Great Creator lets me sacrifice machine type monsters and continuous magic or trap cards on my field." Her two tokens exploded. "For each one sacrificed I can draw one card!" Adding two cards to her hand, she pointed at Tetran. "Go Combo Attack!" (3000) The Robo released another blast of red energy that slammed into the spaceship and destroyed it.

Nathaniel- 500

Eri- 2100

Nathaniel clenched one of his fists tightly. ("She's not even paying me her complete attention and beating me. Is this how powerful the number one of Duelist Academy really is?")

Eri slid a card into her disk. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn. Go ahead and do your worst."

"At this time B.E.S. Covered Core is special summoned from my deck to the field!" (2500/800) Nathaniel drew while a giant spaceship with a metallic cover over its body appeared in the air above him.

----------------------------

Adriel dropped into a seat in the row behind Griff, Masami, and Ichigo. "I'm just so glad you left it in our hands to fill in Erian and the other Travelers about what happened."

Chris plopped down and sighed in exhaustion. "I feel like going to sleep."

Nikolai sat down as well, though he looked absolutely fine.

Griff sighed at Ichigo. "Come on, stop being depressed. I mean look at how well Eri is doing in this duel. At this rate she'll win!"

"Yeah, that's the problem." Ichigo muttered under her breath. "I don't want her to win this duel."

_To be continued…_

Author's Note: So, what's the bet?


	59. Mixed Signals Part 3

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 59: Mixed Signals (Part 3)

_Adriel dropped into a seat in the row behind Griff, Masami, and Ichigo. "I'm just so glad you left it in our hands to fill in Erian and the other Travelers about what happened."_

_Chris plopped down and sighed in exhaustion. "I feel like going to sleep."_

_Nikolai sat down as well, though he looked absolutely fine._

_Griff sighed at Ichigo. "Come on, stop being depressed. I mean look at how well Eri is doing in this duel. At this rate she'll win!"_

"_Yeah, that's the problem." Ichigo muttered under her breath. "I don't want her to win this duel."_

"Say what?" Adriel leaned over the row so he could see Ichigo's face. Then he realized that his rival was a girl again, and withdrew. "Never mind, I refuse to talk with you when you're like that."

Chris took his place, draping herself over Ichigo. "What's the matter Ichigo-chan?"

"I can't tell you." Ichigo sighed again. "Let's just say that if Eri wins then things will change a bit."

------------------------------------

"_At this time B.E.S. Covered Core is special summoned from my deck to the field!" (2500/800) Nathaniel drew while a giant spaceship with a metallic cover over its body appeared in the air above him._

Eri looked up at the ship with a dark smile on her face. "You don't actually expect that thing to be able to hurt me, do you? Considering the life points and the fact that I've got the advantage, I'll be able to take you out in the next couple of turns."

Nathaniel looked at the card he had drawn. "Is that so?" He flipped it over. "I activate the magic card Overload Fusion. With this card's effect I can remove fusion material monsters from my graveyard and field to special summon a dark attribute machine type fusion monster. From my graveyard I remove Big Core, B.E.S. Crystal Core, and B.E.S. Tetran from the game!" The three named cards left his graveyard. "And from my field I remove B.E.S. Covered Core!" Up above him the spaceship disappeared in a burst of light.

("A four-way fusion between the Core monsters?") The demoness wracked her brain for what it could be, but nothing was coming up.

"Come out now, B.E.S. Command Core!" Nathaniel pointed above him as a giant cylindrical ship appeared in the sky. (0/0)

"Zero attack points?" Eri blinked at the other Obelisk Blue student. "Then how do you expect to use it against me?"

"When Command Core is fusion summoned I may special summon as many B.E.S. and Big Core named monsters from my removed from play pile to the field!" Nathaniel pointed into the air above him. "Appear now Big Core, B.E.S. Crystal Core, B.E.S. Tetran, and B.E.S. Covered Core!" One by one the boss monsters appeared, filling the air with a swarm of firepower. (2300/1100) (2100/1800) (1800/2300) (2500/800) "When these monsters are summoned in this way Command Core adds three counters to all of them!"

"What?" Eri gasped as the shields reappeared on the four machines. ("This isn't good…if all of those things attack then I'm finished.")

Nathaniel smirked and pointed at Eri. "Now then, I'll activate Tetran's effect on your set card!" The face-down card on Eri's field shattered. "Go B.E.S. Covered Core, attack Battle Robo! Armed Slam!" The armored spaceship flew downwards and crashed through Eri's monster, shattering it easily. "At this time a coin is flipped. Depending on whether it is heads or tails will determine whether one of its counters will be removed." One part of the spaceship's shield shattered. "It looks like it was tails. Oh well."

Nathaniel- 500

Eri- 1400

--------------------------

Adriel glanced down the forward row at Ichigo. "Happy now, she loses."

Masami shook his head. "No. Command Core prevents the controller from attacking the opponent directly. That is the downside to the fact that during each of his standby phases Nathaniel's Command Core will revive any Big Core or B.E.S. monster that was destroyed on his field, including itself. Eri is safe for the turn."

Ichigo sighed and sank lower into her seat. "I don't want Eri to win, but I'll feel really bad if she loses. I can't win this situation either way."

----------------------------

Nathaniel pointed at the Great Creator. "Go Big Core, Armed Cannon!" The giant ring spaceship spat out a pair of energy blasts that shattered Eri's monster.

Nathaneil- 500

Eri- 300

The Obelisk Blue boy smirked at her coldly. "As long as Command Core remains face-up on my field all monsters on my field cannot attack you directly. Thank your lucky stars I'm ending my turn here."

Eri bit her lower lip. ("I might be finished here.") She drew and a pair of Junk Robot Tokens appeared on her field. (1000/1000)x2

Nathaniel smirked and pointed at one of his set cards. "Reverse card open! I reveal the continuous trap card Warp Generator. Once during each of your standby phases it special summons Open Defense Token to your field for every B.E.S. and Big Core named monster I have in play!" A trio of metallic rings appeared on Eri's field. (0/0)x3 "And of course these tokens are in attack mode. Therefore you're finished during my next turn."

The demoness sucked in her breath and looked at the card she had drawn. "I might just have been finished."

Nathaniel blinked at her. "What do you mean by might?"

She smiled slowly. "Thank you for giving me the win." The demoness snapped up one of her hand cards. "I activate the field magic card Time Period; Age of Ice and Magic!" The dark futuristic setting they stood in disappeared and suddenly the two of them were standing on the platform of a floating city in the sky. "Once per turn I may draw three cards and discard two." She did so. "The cards I discarded were Apprentice Young Magician and Apprentice Black Riding Hood, just in case you were wondering."

"I wasn't," Nathaniel replied.

"Oh well." The demoness pointed at the two Junk Robot Tokens on her field. "Once per turn I may sacrifice two monsters on my field to add one magic card from my deck to my hand!" She watched the two tokens disappear and then removed a card from her deck.

("It doesn't matter what she does, my monsters are invincible.") Nathaniel pointed at his set card. "At this time I'll reveal Boss Bonus. For every B.E.S. or Big Core named monster on my field I gain 1000 life points."

Nathaneil- 5500

Eri- 300

Eri smirked at him. "That doesn't matter. The last effect of Age of Ice and Magic lets me return one magic or trap card on my field to my hand once per turn." Her Combination Force card disappeared back into her hand. "And now the stage is set."

"What are you talking about? There's no way you can win in this turn! And you can't sacrifice the Open Defense Tokens for a tribute summon, so don't even bother!" Nathaniel yelled at her.

Eri giggled and winked at him. "You just continue to be a little well of important information today. I didn't know that, and I would have just made a pretty big mistake otherwise."

Nathaniel face-fell. ("Me and my big mouth…")

"From my hand I activate the field magic card Time Period; End of Time!" All around them the floating cityscape disappeared and was replaced by a single platform floating in an empty void. "When this field magic card is played I may send it to my graveyard to activate one other Time Period field magic card from my graveyard instead!"

They were standing back on the dueling ring for a moment, and then they were atop a cliff overlooking a pair of kingdoms, one light and one dark. "The field magic card Time Period; Mediaeval Era will do! When this card comes into play I can special summon a level four or lower monster from my deck to the field!"

---------------------------

"I have never seen so many field magic cards activated in one duel before." Griff crossed his legs. "What's even more amazing is that all but one of them has come from Eri."

Masami smiled, his eyes obscured by the glare from his glasses. ("Oh trust me Mohistava, this is part of the Chrono Trigger series she's running. It relies heavily on field magic cards…")

----------------------------

The demoness tossed a card down onto her disk. "I special summon Time Traveler-Silent Samurai!" (1600/800) A spiky red-haired young man with a katana hanging at his side appeared on her field.

"Now I'll use the second effect of Medieval Kingdom." She held up Combination Force, which faded out of her hand. "Once per turn I may discard a magic card from my hand to special summon a monster from my hand. I must still sacrifice monsters to summon that monster if it is high level."

"Then you're out of luck, because like I said before you can't use the Open Defense Tokens as sacrifices for a tribute summon!"

Eri snickered. "Who ever said that summon was a tribute summon? I told you, didn't I? It's a special summon." The three metallic rings on her field disappeared. "It's Showtime! I special summon Magical Princess Holy Up from my hand to the field!" The magical princess, toy bow and all appeared on the field in a burst of white light. (1900/1300)

"When Magical Princess Holy Up has three monsters offered for her summon I may add Wing Kris or Bird Shield from my deck to my hand." She held up the equipment magic card and slid it into her disk. "And then I activate the Wing Kris, powering up Holy Up by 1000 points!" A pink and gold short sword appeared in the princess' hands. (2900/1300)

"For every Apprentice named in my graveyard Holy Up gains 300 attack points." (3800/1300)

Eri held up another card. "I activate Gift of the Martyr, offering Silent Samurai to power up Holy Up by his attack." Her level four warrior disappeared and the Magical Princess started to glow brighter. (5400/1300)

Nathaniel sneered at her. ("Little does she know that when she attacks Command Core I can pool all the attack points of the rest of my B.E.S. and Big Core monsters in play to it. When I do, she'll be beaten.")

The demoness closed her eyes and sighed. "Hey Guy, you do understand I know you left your Command Core in attack mode for a reason, right?" When he gaped she winked at him. "I'm the Princess of Duelist Academy for a reason. From my hand, I activate the quickplay magic card Dimension Cutter. I select one monster on my field, and during this turn every monster she overcomes in combat is removed from the game."

"What?" Nathaniel looked at all of his other monsters besides Command Core in fear. ("If she attacks any of the other B.E.S. then she'll remove it and I won't be able to recover it!")

The demoness watched the cliff around them disappear. "From my hand I activate the field magic card Time Period; Light Future!" A much brighter futuristic setting appeared around them. "Once per turn I may special summon a Time Traveler monster that was destroyed as a result of battle from my graveyard to the field!"

Battle Robo appeared in play, its metallic gears squealing as life came into its eyes. "When Battle Robo is special summoned I may draw two cards!" (1800/1500)

Snatching one of her three remaining hand cards, Eri slid it into her graveyard slot and watched Gift of the Martyr get spat out moments later. "Light Future lets me discard a magic card from my hand to activate the effect of a magic card from my graveyard. My choice is Gift of the Martyr, which is then removed from the game!" The demoness watched her Battle Robo explode and her Magical Princess get even stronger. (7200/1300)

("Wait a second,") Nathaniel thought to himself. ("Why is she pumping up her monster if she'll just attack a different…") Then he remembered what Wing Kris was supposed to do. ("She has to attack all monsters on my field, including my Command Core. It'll be a draw because the damage will be calculated at the same time!") He smirked at her. "Come on number one, let's finish it!"

"Sure!" Eri slammed a card into her disk. "I place one card face-down and attack! Wing Kris; Burning Flash!" Magical Princess Holy Up snapped her short sword back and then forward, releasing five burning crescents of pink fire that hurtled towards all of Nathaniel's monsters.

The other Obelisk Blue smirked at her. "At this time Command Core powers itself up by the attack of all B.E.S. and Big Core named monsters in play!" (8700/0)

A series of loud gasps came from the stands. It was going to result in a draw between the two of them.

"It looks like I'm your equal, Erika Amero," Nathaniel smirked at the demoness. "You cannot deny that!"

Eri crossed her arms across her chest….and then fell over in a burst of roaring laughter. "Oh…you…me…equals?" She could barely draw in breath because of how hard she was laughing.

"Have you lost it?" Nathaniel watched the crescents hurtle in towards his five spaceships. "Counter-attack, Command Core!"

Eri's laughter stopped instantly and she leapt to her feet. "I thought I told you, but apparently you weren't listening. I'm the freaking Princess of this academy, and you've got a long way to go from the top! From my hand I activate the quickplay magic card Time Jump!" The air around them started to warp and twist rapidly. "Time leaps forward three turns!"

"That's ridiculous, it won't accomplish…" Nathaniel's eyes widened as he looked at Holy Up's attack points. (8700/1300) "That's impossible!"

Eri grinned, motioning to her graveyard and the card that slid out of it. Grasping it gently with her fingers she held it up for him to see. "From my graveyard End of Time increases the attack of one monster on my field by 500 points for every turn that passes."

The stands erupted in amazed chatter. This meant that Eri would be able to win after all.

Nathaniel suddenly threw back his head and started laughing wildly. "It took long enough to make you use up all of your tricks before I revealed this last effect of my Command Core!" He pointed at the cylindrical ship. "By sending one magic or trap card from my field to the graveyard I can force you to target my Command Core with your first attack! Therefore…" His Boss Rush card disappeared. "Your Magical Princess will die when she slams into my unable to be destroyed as a result of battle Command Core! Erika Amero, it took the entire duel but I finally lured you into that false sense of security. There are no tricks, and no back-up plans you can use now!"

The stands grew silent in awe of Nathaniel now. This was the mark of someone who must have spent weeks planning his deck to take on the current number one's. He would make an excellent Kaiser.

Eri placed a hand on her hip and lifted up an eyebrow. "You're telling me you spent this whole duel setting up just for this kind of clash?"

"That's right!" Nathaniel continued to smirk triumphantly. "I've calculated how all of the top-level duelists finish their battles, and it tends to be with an overwhelming show of force. Therefore all I had to do was make sure to lure you into putting all of your power forward before the strike!" His laughter carried across the arena. "I have won!"

"Che, yeah right." Eri pointed at her set card. "Or did you forget something?"

"Don't be stupid!" Nathaniel pointed at her set card as well. "You can't use traps or quickplay magic cards during the turn you set them face-down! Stop grasping at straws and accept fate, Princess!"

Eri glared at him coldly before flipping the other Obelisk Blue the bird. "Time Jump says it's no longer the turn I set it, so how about you accept fate instead?" Her face-down card flipped up and a pink and gold bracelet appeared on Holy Up. "Bird Shield makes Holy Up unable to be destroyed as a result of battle!"

"What?" Nathaniel watched the first crescent clash harmlessly with his Command Core, and then it disappeared as Dimension Cutter removed it from the game. "That means…"

"Remember who I am before you talk insolently to me again!" The demoness showed off one of her fangs in a royal sneer. From behind her a feline tail could be seen waving back and forth rapidly. "I am the girl who carries the name of Kaiser! Erika Amero, Princess of Duelist Academy!"

The other four crescents slammed into Nathaniel's B.E.S. monsters and he was thrown out of the dueling ring by the powerful backlash.

Nathaniel- 0

Eri- 300

The field cleared and Eri turned to look at the stands, where all of the students there were staring in silent awe at her. "Well? Anybody else got a problem with me accepting the title of Kaiser?" When they broke into cheers and applause she smirked. "I didn't think so."

----------------------------

("So the new Kaiser is Erika Amero? This means that she's going to take advantage of everything offered by such a position. This includes the Duelist Academy Fashion Club developing her official uniform for meets, plus I've got an excuse to hang out with one of the cutest girls in school. While it's true that she's Ichigo's girlfriend, that doesn't instantly make it evil for me to want to interact with her.") Masami broke into a wide grin. "This will be the best school year ever! I love it!" Someone tugged on his jacket, bringing his attention back to the here and now. "Yes?"

Ichigo sighed and rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Masami, I need to talk to you in private about something."

------------------------------

_Four minutes later in a nearby locker room…_

------------------------------

Ichigo exhaled loudly and adjusted his uniform now that it fit properly. "Alright, let's hope there won't be any other insanity happening today. Now then, Masami, I've got to talk to you about my bet with Eri."

The two of them were sitting across from each other on a pair of benches between rows of lockers. Brushing back his hair, Masami lowered his glasses so he could look the half demon eye to eye. "What's your deal got to do with me?"

"Well," Ichigo rubbed the back of his nervously. "Eri wants to learn whatever language you wrote on that remote. Plus she wants to be able to access it any time she wants."

"…." Masami groaned and pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Ichigo, why would you accept a deal like that? It wasn't your place to…"

"I know!" Rubbing the sides of his head rapidly, the half demon looked very distressed. "You have to understand though; I'm just supposed to convince you to do this. So please Masami, I'm begging you!" He dropped to his knees in front of the Ra Yellow; hands clasped in front of him and puppy eyes on full force.

Rolling his eyes, Masami crossed his legs quietly. "I know that I'm going to regret doing this for you. Why does she want to know how to use Masami-sama's GAD anyway?"

"GAD?" Ichigo stared at the other boy for a couple of seconds. "Weren't we talking about…"

"GAD stands for Genetic Adjustment Device, and it's an acronym I can stand. Now answer the question."

Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know for sure. She kept making weird references to making her own entertainment with it." A slight shudder ran down his spine. "And I'm very scared by that idea. Who knows what she could do? Her idea of fun might be torturing small rodents, or…or…"

"Ichigo, if you want me to actually show her how to use the GAD then I suggest you stop yourself before you make me change my mind." Standing up, the self-declared genius motioned to the exit. "Shall we go then?" As they both approached the double doors, he rubbed his chin as something occurred to him. "What could she possibly offer for you that would make you accept that bet?"

"Well, it's kind of hard to turn down what she offered…" Ichigo pushed the doors open, stepping out into sunlight…and immediately getting floored as a blur of black and blue came flying out of nowhere and pounced him. "AH!"

"Ichigo!" Masami leapt out the doors ready to assist his friend with whatever Vengeance had decided to sneak attack them. When he saw who the actual culprit was though, he sighed in exasperation. "How does your heart not explode from stuff like this Ichigo?"

Trapped under a happily purring Eri, the half demon blushed red while trapped on his back. "I'm used to it."

_To be continued…_


	60. Mystery One

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 60: Attack of the Mysteries; Mystery One

"Good morning Duel Academy!" Ichigo took in a deep breath of fresh air. It was Monday morning and he felt absolutely great. "Come on Erian, wake up already!" He walked away from the second floor balcony and into his room. "Class is in an hour, so come on!"

Erian's covers shifted and he groaned loudly. "Ichigo, can't you let me sleep in a little more?"

"Not a chance!" The half demon walked over to their window and threw the curtains covering it away, filling the room with sunlight. "You can't waste time looking tired; we've got work to do! School and fun await us today, and now that we've got Masami on our side we won't have to worry about any of the Vengeances anymore!" He slid the glass out of the way and let the smells of nature flow into the room. "Can't you just taste it? It's like Mother Nature is asking us to come out and play!"

"Tell her I'm busy sleeping, whoever she is." The Traveler's covers flattened out as he rolled away from the edge of the bunk.

"Oh come on Erian, you can't be that relaxed about…" Ichigo's ears perked up and he turned just in time to get blinded by a blast of rainbow light. "What the…"

Erian heard a momentary scuffle followed by a yell of surprise by Ichigo and the rustle of leaves. "Ichigo?" Poking his head out of his covers, the Traveler saw that Eri was standing in the room, and Ichigo was not. "Ummm, good morning?"

"Good morning," the demoness said cheerfully. "You're still in bed, Erian? It's a school day, so you'd better not waste too much time."

"Ummm, where's Ichigo?" Erian heard a scrabbling noise from right outside the window, followed by the sound of heavy panicked breathing. "Ichigo, are you okay?"

The tree about five feet from the window shook a little bit. "I'd be a thousand times better if people didn't shove me out of windows first thing in the morning, nyao!"

Eri leaned over the edge of the windowsill and looked down at a slightly lower branch on the tree. "You're fine, you big baby. I just wanted to show you that I figured out how to use the GAD properly."

"Then why'd you shove me out the freakin' window instead of just telling me like normal people do?" Ichigo's head emerged from the leaves, revealing his hair had been changed to be a strawberry red color and the ears on his head had been changed to those of a feline, and growled at her.

"That would be a reflex test." She brushed off his anger casually and explained. "You aren't trained to react to a fall, so as a wolf demon you'd just wind up eating dirt. However as a cat demon your reflexes would kick in and you'd instinctively save yourself by directing yourself to the nearest thing you could claw onto."

"Then why's my hair red, nyao?" Ichigo stopped and scratched the top of his head. If he could look inquisitively at himself he would have. "Did I just say nyao?"

The demoness pulled down one of her eyelids with a finger and stuck her tongue out at him. "It's red because I think you're cute with red hair, care to argue? As for the weird speech thing, I dunno. It's cute too though, so you can stick with it for a little while."

"Can't I go one day without getting transformed, nyao?" He sprang from the tree branch up to the window, perching perfectly balanced on the sill. "And why a cat demon? Why change me at all, actually?"

"Stop shouting," She cleaned one of her wolf ears with a hand, as if ignoring him. After a few moments she looked him right in the eye and smiled sweetly. "Are you calm?" He nodded slowly, still looking upset. "Then I'll answer your questions. One, you might or you might not get away with no transformations if I feel like it. Two, I chose cat demon because the GAD can only copy genetic forms it has on memory, and so far Masami only has cat demon and our hybrid DNA. So it was either that or human, and human Ichigo is so frail and accidentally breakable."

A shiver ran down Ichigo's back at the last sentence. "Remind me never to Soul Split around you."

"Noted." The demoness grinned. "As for the third question, I changed you because…" She leaned in close and kissed him, holding it for a couple of minutes. Withdrawing her head, she smiled triumphantly as a now mentally overloaded Ichigo slowly leaned backwards and fell out of the window. "…I didn't want you to hurt yourself today. See you later, _Neko Ichigo-chan_." Waving to Erian, she took her leave back out the way she came from.

Erian hopped out of bed and looked out the window to see Ichigo sitting back in the branch he had landed on before, a goofy smile on his face and a brush across his face. "Oh, I get it." Pulling himself back inside, he got ready for class.

---------------------------

_One hour and ten minutes later…_

---------------------------

Griff got his notebook out and sat down in front of his desk, getting ready for class. ("Ahhh, another Monday and I find myself wishing it was the weekend again already. Why do I have to take a stinking deck theme class anyway? I already have a deck theme and most of the cards for it.") He caught someone sitting down next to him out of the corner of his eye. "Any reason you're sitting next to me, Megame?"

Masami kicked his feet up onto his part of the desk and shrugged nonchalantly. "It was you or Anarchy, and I don't feel like watching him mope about how he lost to Ichigo. So, how's your deck going to fare in this class?"

"Psh, what kind of a stupid question is that?" The Egyptian boy pulled his deck out of his pocket and put it down on the table in front of him. "The Dark Scorpion Burglars are professionals, and this is professional-level deck. I'm more than ready to take on any trial this class can throw at me."

"Is that so?" Masami picked up the deck and fanned it out, looking at the each of the five Dark Scorpions one after another. "Hmm, I'll admit that they're pretty impressive. Well, when you can get them all out at once." Reversing his fanning-out motion, the green-haired boy placed the deck back on the table and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "However, that's five specific monsters you have to get out. Dark Scorpion Combination took down Anarchy, but that was Ichigo and his skill is something truly special. If you keep running the Dark Scorpions like you have been, you'll find yourself defeated very quickly."

Griff glared at the other Ra Yellow. "What are you talking about? Are you telling me there's another way to run the Dark Scorpions besides as a team?"

"Of course there is." Masami shrugged off the continued glare. "Fine, I won't help you then. Good luck today, you'll need it."

While more students filed into the classroom, a voice came on over the speakers above. _"Would Griff Mohistava please come to the Principal's Office? Repeat, Griff Mohistava, please come to the Principal's Office."_

"Oh come on, right before class starts?" Sighing loudly, Griff put his deck back into his pocket and packed up his book-bag. "I guess I'll see you later, Megame."

"Yeah…" Masami watched Griff go with a worried look on his face. ("Good luck. I've got a feeling we're being watched, and that someone is going to be challenging us soon.")

------------------------------------------

Griff walked towards the large faculty building with his hands in his pockets, muttering angrily about stupid Masami and him saying that he didn't run his own deck type very well. ("I'd like to see just how well a deck like that creep's deck would do against the Dark Scorpions. They'd destroy him.")

"Yo," a voice off to his side said casually.

Griff slid backwards and dodged a knife swing that would have slashed his eye out. Though he looked surprised, he quickly recovered his balance and dodged another slash. All he could see of his assailant was billowing black robes, and it was rather disturbing as it reminded him of last year and the supernatural terrors that showed up then. ("Either it's an assassin or somebody who's preying on people walking by. Either way, I've got to disable them.")

Suddenly the assault stopped, and the attacker, a male figure dressed from head to toe in black robes with white question marks on it, returned the dagger to its hidden sheath. "Good, you pass the first test. Now then…" He held up a revealed tan arm, the duel disk on it activating. "Shall we move onto the other test?"

"Test?" Griff gasped as the air around them grew hazy. "A darkness game?"

"That's right," the figure said. "The name's Mystery One, and I'm here to challenge you to a darkness game. If you lose, then you'll wind up dead. Got it?"

"Man, why did it have to happen today?" Griff tossed his book-bag aside after removing his duel disk from it. Strapping the device to his arm and activating it he also removed his deck from his pocket. "Duel!" Slamming the stack of cards into place, he drew his opening hand at the same time as Mystery One.

Griff- 4000

Mystery One- 4000

"I'll begin, draw!" Fanning out his hand, the Egyptian boy smiled at one of the cards. ("Alright Chick, you're up!") "I summon Dark Scorpion; Chick the Yellow in defense mode!" (1000/1000) A blond spiky-haired boy in the garb of the Dark Scorpion bandits appeared on his field in a crouching position. "Also, I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Mystery One looked at Chick the Yellow, hesitating.

"What's the matter?"

"Not a damn thing! It's my turn, draw!" The robed man threw a card onto his disk. "I summon Pharaoh's Spearman!" A man with a golden tutan mask over his head appeared on the field, brandishing a golden spear ferociously. (1500/1000) "Battle!" The royal guard leapt forward and stabbed the spear through Chick, shattering him. "When Pharaoh's Spearman battles with a defense mode monster and his attack is higher than the monster's defense, the difference is dealt in battle damage to your life points!"

Griff- 3500

Mystery One- 4000

Griff shuddered as pain spiked through his body. "Not bad…" His face-down card flipped up. "I reveal Burglar Redux! This trap card triggers when a Dark Scorpion type monster is destroyed as a result of battle!" Chick reappeared on the field in attack mode. "It revives the destroyed monster in the mode of my choice!" (1000/1000)

Mystery One inserted a card into his deck. "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

"Draw!" Griff looked at his hand and nodded. "From my hand I summon Don Zaloog!" (1400/1500) The white-haired leader of the Dark Scorpion Burglars appeared on the field. "And then I equip him with Double Revolver, powering up his attack by 500 points!" (1900/1500) "Don Zaloog, attack Pharaoh's Spearman now! Double Revolver!" Don snapped up his pistols and opened fire, the spray of bullets tearing the guard down easily.

Griff- 3500

Mystery One- 3600

"At this time the effect of Double Revolver triggers both of Don Zaloog's effects!" Griff pointed at the robed man. "From your hand a random card will be discarded, and the top two cards of your deck are discarded to the graveyard as well!"

"Is that so?" The man said quietly. "Reverse card open, Treasure Room Trap." His face-down card flipped up to reveal a group of soldiers hiding inside a room filled to the ceiling with treasure. "This trap card triggers when the opponent targets my hand or deck with an effect. That card effect is negated and the card in question destroyed!"

"What?" Griff threw up his arms right before Don Zaloog exploded in a burst of fire. "Don!"

Mystery One sighed to himself. "Such is the life of a bandit, fraught with perils."

"Shut up!" Griff punched towards the robed figure. "Chick the Yellow attacks you directly!" The other Dark Scorpion bandit leapt across the field and slammed Mystery One on the back with a huge hammer.

Griff- 3500

Mystery One- 2600

"At this time I look at the top card of your deck and decide whether to place it on the bottom or top." Griff watched the card appear as a hologram in front of his face. ("It's a high level monster he can't summon during his next turn.") "I'll leave it on top of your deck. End turn."

Mystery One drew. "From my hand I discard Pharaoh's Attendant (300/300) to lower the level of one Pharaoh's named card in my hand by two."

"Awww…." Griff rubbed the back of his head. ("I didn't know he had that card in his hand.")

"I summon Pharaoh's Elite Guard!" (2200/1300) A gold tutan-masked man holding a pair of curved swords appeared on Mystery One's field. "Also I activate the field magic card Pharaoh's Palace from my hand!" All around them giant walls rose into place as they were now standing in the sandy courtyard of a royal Egyptian palace. "While this card is in play all Pharaoh's named cards gain 300 attack and defense points." (2500/1600) "Pharaoh's Elite Guard, slash down Chick!"

Griff braced himself as the warrior leapt across the field and chopped the other Dark Scorpion in half.

Griff- 2000

Mystery One- 2700

Mystery One pointed at Griff. "The effect of Elite Guard is that when it destroys a monster as a result of battle you have to discard one card from your hand. So hurry up and toss a card."

Wincing, Griff plucked one of the three remaining cards in his hand free. ("Sorry Gorg…") Inserting the card into his graveyard slot, he glared at the robed man. "Happy?"

"Not really," Mystery One muttered angrily. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Griff drew. "Here I go…" The card he drew appeared in the air above his head as a hologram. "Huh?"

"While Pharaoh's Palace is in play I may see the card you draw during your draw phase." Mystery One crossed his arms across his chest. "Go ahead and use that Pot of Greed."

"Fine, I think I will!" Sliding the magic card into his graveyard, Griff drew two cards. "I summon Dark Scorpion-Meanae the Thorn in defense mode." The female Dark Scorpion bandit appeared on his field in a crouching position. "I also place one card face-down. End turn."

Mystery One drew. "Reverse card open." His face-down card flipped up and his Pharaoh's Spearman reappeared in play. (1800/1300) "Call of the Haunted revives one monster from my graveyard." He then placed a monster face-down on his disk. "I set one monster face-down on my field and then I activate the magic card Pharaoh's Sacred Descent. This card lets me sacrifice three Pharaoh's named monsters on the field to special summon Pharaoh's Incarnate; Divine Leader of Egypt from my deck to the field!" An explosion of light filled the sky as massive white-robed man wearing a golden headdress appeared on his field. (2500/2000)

"The Divine Leader of Egypt, huh?" Griff sneered and pointed at his set card. "Let's drop him out of sight then! Reverse card open!"

"It's useless…" Mystery One's monster released a white light from his eyes.

Griff's Bottomless Trap Hole card flipped up, but then exploded. "It can't be affected by traps?"

"That's correct. Magic and trap effects mean nothing to the Divine Leader of Egypt." Mystery One pointed at Griff's hand. "Now reveal your secrets to me!" Two holograms appeared in the air above the Egyptian Boy's head. (Warrior Returning Alive, Pot of Avarice) "While Divine Ruler of Egypt is in play along with Pharaoh's Palace I can once per turn see all cards in your hand! Now attack!" A burst of light came from the Ruler's eyes that washed over Meanae and shattered her. "At this time I declare one card name and if that card is in your hand it is discarded! Toss out that Pot of Avarice!"

Griff growled and slid the card from his hand into the graveyard.

Mystery One sighed loudly. "You're pitiful. Is this all the power your Dark Scorpions really have?"

Eyes narrowed, Griff drew. "I'll show you…" The card was one he had never seen before. ("When did this card get into my deck? Wait, damn it Megame!") His eyes scanned over its text and he smiled widely, despite his frustration at the fact that he missed the creep's sleight of hand. "From my hand I activate the field magic card Legendary Scorpion Hall!" The palace around them shattered and crumbled, replaced by a giant room fill with murals of the Dark Scorpions many accomplishments.

"Legendary Scorpion Hall?" Mystery One looked around the room in amazement. ("This place…he has it?") (Divine Ruler of Egypt: 2200/1700)

Griff snapped up Warrior Returning Alive. "Return to me, Meanae!" The female Dark Scorpion bandit appeared on his field. (1000/1800) "Once per turn Legendary Scorpion Hall lets me send one Dark Scorpion monster to my graveyard to special summon one Legendary Dark Scorpion from my deck to the field!"

"Come out now, Legendary Dark Scorpion-Meanae; Mistress of Whips!" Meanae reappeared on the field, not looking different. (2000/1800) "Also, once per turn I may draw one card if there is a Legendary Dark Scorpion on my field."

He pulled the top card off of his deck and smiled. "It's the equipment magic card Thorn Whip! I equip it to Meanae; Mistress of Whips and power her up by 500 points!" (2500/1800) "Meanae, show him that Egypt's best are the Dark Scorpions and no other! Whip of Legendary Pain!" The female thief launched across the field and slashed her weapon through the body of the Divine Ruler, shattering him.

Griff- 2000

Mystery One- 2400

Bracing himself against the backlash, Mystery One spoke calmly now. "Well then, select which of her effects to activate. Will you special summon a Dark Scorpion from your graveyard or your graveyard?"

"How did you…" Griff shook the sudden confusion off and removed a card from his deck and then his graveyard. "I don't have to make that choice! Thorn Whip allows me to activate both effects when I deal you life point damage! Come out now, Cliff the Trap Remover and Dark Scorpion-Gorg the Strong!" (1200/1000) (1800/1500) A brown-haired man holding a pair of daggers and a bald giant of a man appeared on his field. "Direct attack!"

Mystery One braced himself as the two Dark Scorpions slashed and then slammed him with their respective attacks.

Griff- 2000

Mystery One- 0

The haze around the two duelists faded, and Mystery One brushed himself off casually. "Well that was a bit of a surprise. Good job, you pass the test." The ground at his feet exploded upwards in a torrent of dust as he disappeared.

"…….What in the name of the Nile was that about?" Griff looked down at the Legendary Dark Scorpion card on his disk. "Damn it Megame, now I owe you…."

------------------------------------

"So you tested him and he passed?" The voice spoke in shadows. It was one of cold planning and even colder temperament.

Mystery One nodded and tossed his hood back, revealing a tanned face with blond hair and a eye-patch. "Yeah, though I wished you had let me face him with my deck. I didn't expect to be hired to duel a kid that had the Dark Scorpions as well."

"That is why I hired you to duel him, not demolish him, Mister Selket." The shadowed form spoke calmly. "I wanted your honest opinion about whether or not his Dark Scorpion deck was up to par with yours."

"Not even close."

"I'd think so, considering your skill level. However, I have to ask if you think he's ready for the DMWC."

Nick Selket sneered slightly. "You're thinking of…"

"Please do not jump to conclusions." The form could be heard taking a sip of something. "However, I wanted an honest evaluation of the skills of certain duelists at the academy. You've already been paid however, so please see yourself out."

"Whatever you say…" Selket walked towards the door to the small office and slowly opened it. ("Griff Mohistava, you're on your way to the true power of the Dark Scorpions. However, I wonder who his other potentials are.")

_To be continued…_


	61. Mysteries Two through Five

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 61: Mysteries Two, Three, Four and Five

Arms across her chest, Teruha walked towards the Principal's office slowly. ("Why'd I get called out of class? What does the Principal need me for anyway?") As she walked along the dirt road towards the building, she noticed that there was something on the ground in front of her. "What's this?"

A rock attached to a rope flew in and slammed into the Osiris Red girl, sending her crashing into a nearby tree. "Psh," A voice from up in the trees said. "That was pitiful."

"What was pitiful?" Teruha replied, standing up and brushing herself off. She didn't look hurt at all by the impact.

("How did she not get hurt by that?") A black-robed male form dropped out of the trees and landed in front of her. "Apparently you pass the first test, girl."

"Test? What class is this for again?" Teruha noticed the air around her was getting hazy. "And what is this?"

"A darkness game," said the robed man. "My name is Mystery Two, and if you lose in this duel against me you will die." The duel disk around his arm activated and he leapt back a few paces to put some distance between them. "Well, are you ready?"

"For a duel?" Teruha shrugged and removed her duel disk from her bag. "Sure." Slamming her deck into place, her expression changed to that confident smile. "Let's do it!"

"Duel!" They both yelled, drawing their opening hands.

Mystery Two- 4000

Teruha- 4000

"I begin, draw!" Mystery Two opened his field magic card slot. "From my hand I activate the field magic card Duelist Kingdom!" Behind him a giant castle appeared in place of the trees. "While this field magic card is in play we may both summon normal monsters from our hand without tribute. Therefore I'll summon my Metal Armored Bug in attack mode without sacrifice." A giant floating bug covered in steel plating appeared on his field. (2800/1500) "Also I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn. Come on girl, you'll fold before my powerful rush of strong monsters."

"Strong monsters?" Teruha drew. "I'll show you strong monsters. From my hand I activate the magic card Foolish Burial." She removed her deck from its slot and fanned it out in front of her face. "I select one monster from my deck and send it to my graveyard. My choice is Ultimate Tyranno." Another card from her hand was snapped up and slid into her duel disk. "I activate the equipment magic card Premature Burial. At the cost of 800 life points I special summon from one monster from my graveyard and equip it with this card!" A giant spike-bodied monster appeared on her field in an explosion of dust. "I revive Ultimate Tyranno in attack mode!" (3000/2200)

Mystery Two- 4000

Teruha- 3200

Teruha pointed at the Metal Armored Bug. "Go Ultimate Tyranno, crush that thing!" Her monster roared loudly and charged, easily plowing through the insect monster.

Mystery Two- 3800

Teruha- 3200

Mystery Two braced himself against the backlash and tilted his head up so he could see her past his hood. ("Impressive, this girl's deck runs powerful monsters.")

"I place three cards face-down on my field and end my turn." Teruha smirked at the robed man. "I don't know what you were doing before, but so far I can't think of any normal monster that is stronger than my Ultimate Tyranno."

"That's true, there is no normal monster stronger than 3000." Mystery Two drew and held up Pot of Greed. "I'll draw two cards first." His hidden mouth grew a cold smile. "I summon Summoned Skull without tribute." A bone and muscle-bodied demon appeared on his field. (2500/1200)

"It's close, but not strong enough." Teruha motioned up at her Ultimate Tyranno. "This guy's one of my best for a reason."

"I'm betting it is," Mystery Two said spitefully. "That's why I will enjoy crushing it beneath my heel! Reverse card open!" His face-down card flipped up. "Ultimate Offering is a continuous trap that allows either of us to pay 500 life points to normal summon an extra monster from our hand to the field." A purple glow enveloped his body. "I pay 500 life points to normal summon Curse of Dragon from my hand without tribute!" An insectoid dragon appeared on his field alongside his demon. (2000/1500) (M2LP: 3300)

("He's paying his life points to summon a swarm of monsters?") Teruha frowned angrily. ("This isn't good, if any of the cards in his hand…")

"You seem lost in thought, but I'll have to bring you back to the duel while I summon some monsters." (M2LP: 2800) Another Metal Armored Bug appeared on the field. (2800/1500) "And once more, this time to bring out another Summoned Skull." A second bone and muscle demon appeared in play. (2500/1200) (M2LP: 2300) "And one last time for the kill, with my choice being Vorse Raider!" A beast-warrior holding a curved double-handed sword appeared on his field. (1900/1200) (M2LP: 1800)

("He's got five monsters in play now!") Teruha took a slight comfort in the fact that her Ultimate Tyranno was still the strongest though. ("He must not know that Ultimate Tyranno attacks all monsters on the opponent's field at the beginning of the battle phase. That means I'll run him down during my next turn.")

"From my hand I activate the equipment magic card Combination of Normal Guys." Mystery Two smirked as his Metal Armored Bug started glowing. "The equipped monster gains 500 attack points for every normal monster in play." (5300/1500) "Battle!" The metallic monster closed its plating around itself and slammed into the dinosaur on Teruha's field, shattering it instantly. "Now you're defenseless!"

Mystery Two- 1800

Teruha- 900

"Reverse card open!" One of Teruha's three set cards flipped up and the ground started to shake. "Clash of Titans is a trap that triggers when two monsters with 2500 or more attack points battle. After damage calculation all monsters on the field switch to defense mode and one magic or trap in play is destroyed!"

Mystery Two gasped as all five of his monsters dropped into defense position, while at the same time his Combination of Normal Guys card shattered. "Then I guess I have no choice but to end my turn."

Teruha glanced down at her deck. ("I can defeat his monsters with my set cards, but can I win in this turn?") She drew. "Yes I can. Reverse card open, Fossil Excavation!" Her now face-up card depicted a group of strange-colored humanoid digging up a dinosaur skeleton. "By discarding one card from my hand I can revive one dinosaur type monster from my graveyard to my field, though its effect is sealed!" Ultimate Tyranno reappeared, roaring loudly. (3000/2200)

"So you managed to revive your weakling dinosaur huh?" Mystery Two scoffed at her. "I have five monsters in defense mode though, so I've got time to draw a card that will power my monsters up enough to beat you!"

"You don't have time," Teruha said, her other face-down card flipping up. "I activate the trap card Dino Charge! This trap card allows one Dinosaur monster on my field to attack all monsters on your field during this turn, though I cannot attack with any other monsters. Also from my hand I play the equipment magic card King Fangs!" Her Ultimate Tyranno's jaws widened as its already ferocious set of teeth grew in size. "This card increases the attack of one dinosaur in play by 1000 points. Also when that monster destroys a monster on your field you take 500 points of damage! Go Ultimate Tyranno, Absolute Bite!" (4000/2200)

Mystery Two gasped in horror as the giant dinosaur tore down all five of his monsters in one swing of its tail.

Mystery Two- 0

Teruha- 900

As the smoke from her attack cleared, Teruha blinked in the realization that Mystery Two had disappeared. "I wonder what that was all about…" Shrugging it off, she continued on her way to the Principal's office.

--------------------------------------

_At the same time, from a different direction…_

---------------------------------

Sweat dripping down his face, Mystery Three stared at the inferno that was across the field from him. ("This kid isn't human! What is he?") He looked at the three Giant Soldiers of Stone on his field nervously. (1300/2000)x3

Mystery Three- 2200

Resshin- 4000

"Draw!" Resshin, a flaming kanji symbol for fire on his bare chest, sneered at the robed man. "First you attack me in the most laughable of ways, and then you challenge me to a duel? You, human, are a fool." (2600/2600) "From my hand I activate the magic card Guard Burner. This card destroys one face-up defense mode monster on your field and removes it from the game."

Mystery Three gasped in pain as one of his Soldiers exploded into flames that burned his skin. (Burst Brawler: 2800/2800)

"From my hand…" Resshin snapped up another card. "I play the magic card Double Pyro! One Pyro type monster on my field may attack twice during this turn! Also I activate the magic card Dragon Mark-Saiha! While this card is in my graveyard Burst Brawler gains 500 attack points and can deal damage through defense." (3300/2800)

"That means…" Mystery Three stumbled backwards as the fires around Resshin's body grew in intensity. "Wait, take it easy now…"

"Shut up. _Shin En_!" The Traveler launched across the field and past both stone soldiers, slashing them to flaming ribbons.

Mystery Three- 0

Resshin- 4000

-----------------------------------------

_From another direction…_

-------------------------------------------

"Give it up, White Tiger." Mystery Four laughed loudly while the snarling Red Eyes Darkness Dragon on his field got ready to attack as soon as it could. (4200/2000)

"Draw!" Krieger looked at his drawn card and nodded. "From my hand I activate the magic card Black Ice!" Grasping another of his hand cards he held it up and smiled calmly. "By discarding my water attribute Ice Knight I can select one dark or fire attribute monster in play and make its attack zero for the turn."

"What?" Mystery Four gasped as his Darkness Dragon collapsed. (0/2000)

"I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LVL 4!" (1600/1000) A large metallic dragon appeared on the half cat demon's field. "Attack Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon now! Black Flame Inferno!" Horus screeched and expelled a swirl of fire that burned the Darkness Dragon away.

Mystery Four- 0

Krieger- 400

------------------------------------

_Meanwhile…_

------------------------------------

Erian picked up the rubber bullet lying on the ground and tilted his head to the side curiously. "Hmmm, what a weird bug."

Mystery Five grimaced from underneath his cloak. ("How did he stop that bullet?") It didn't matter though. "You pass the first test, so get out your duel disk and prepare for a darkness game!" Throwing the sniper rifle he had used aside, the robed man activated the duel disk sitting on his arm.

Erian pulled his duel disk out of his bag and put it on. "Ummm, okay." Sliding his deck into place, he pressed the auto-shuffle button and then drew his opening hand.

Mystery Five- 4000

Erian- 4000

"I begin this duel, draw!" Mystery Five tossed a card onto his disk. "I summon Hell Soldier!" (1200/1200) A ferocious black-armored warrior appeared on his field. "End turn."

"Draw!" Erian tossed a card onto his disk. "I summon Neospacian Air Hummingbird (800/800) in attack mode!" A humanoid hummingbird appeared on his field. "Also I play the equipment magic card Neos Energy, powering up Air Hummingbird by 800 points!" (1600/800) "I activate the effect of Air Hummingbird. For every card in your hand I gain 500 life points."

Mystery Five- 4000

Erian- 6500

"Battle!" Erian watched his fellow alien fly across the field and kick through the Hell Soldier.

Mystery Five growled and braced himself against the backlash. "At this time the effect of Hell Soldier deals the battle damage I take through it to you as well!"

Mystery Five- 3600

Erian- 6100

"End turn!" Erian smiled calmly. ("So far it isn't so bad.")

"Draw!" Mystery Five slammed two cards into his disk. "I place two cards face-down on my field and then I summon another Hell Soldier!" (1200/1200) Another of the dark warriors appeared on his field.

"From my hand I play the field magic card Hell's Battlefield!" The forest around them burned away, replaced by a barren black and red wasteland. "While this field magic card is in play I can sacrifice magic and trap cards on my field to special summon high level monsters. I offer my two set cards to summon Hell Battlelord!" A much stronger-looking version of Hell Soldier sitting atop an armored horse appeared on his field. (2000/2000) "For every Hell named monster in play this monster gains 500 attack points!" (3000/2000) "Battle!"

Erian grimaced right before Air Hummingbird was cleaved in half.

Mystery Five- 3600

Erian- 4700

"At this time the effect of Hell's Battlefield activates now, dealing you 500 points of damage when a monster with Hell in its title destroys a monster on your field as a result of battle!" He laughed wildly as a red glow enveloped the Traveler. "Also, because a Hell named monster dealt you battle damage, Hell's Battlefield deals you 300 points of damage!"

Mystery Five- 3600

Erian- 3900

"Hell Soldier, direct attack!" Mystery Five sneered as the dark-armored warrior on his field leapt forward and slashed its sword across Erian's chest. "And once more you take an additional 300 points of damage. End turn."

Mystery Five- 3600

Erian- 2400

Erian took a deep breath and then drew. "From my hand I activate Emergency Call, adding an Elemental Hero card from my deck to my hand." He held up Elemental Hero Neos and added it to his hand. "From my hand I activate Fake Hero, which lets me special summon an Elemental Hero named monster from my hand to the field for the turn!" The space-faring superhero Neos appeared in play on his field. (2500/2000) "Also from my hand I summon Neospacian Jet Mantis!" A humanoid preying mantis appeared on his field. (900/900)

"The monster summoned by Fake Hero cannot attack, so what will you do?" Mystery Five snickered from underneath his hood.

"You shouldn't be so smug," Erian said cheerfully. "From my hand I activate the field magic card Neospace!" The barren environment of Hell's Battlefield disappeared in a burst of rainbow light as the two duelists were transported to a place made up entirely of chaotic prismatic energy. "Contact Fusion!" Jet Mantis and Neos launched into the air and disappeared. "I special summon Elemental Hero Jet Neos!" A green-colored insectoid version of the space hero lowered onto his field. (2500/2000) "The effect of Neospace powers up Neos and Neos fusion monsters by 500 points!" (3000/2000)

"So now you have a 3000 attack monster?" Mystery Five chuckled. "Not bad boy, but not good enough."

"Jet Neos, attack Hell Soldier now! Lance of Jet Neos!" Opening its wing covers, the fusion superhero launched across the field and slashed through the black-armored warrior with one cut of its blade.

Mystery Five- 1800

Erian- 600

Mystery Five glanced at his Hell Battlelord and snickered. (2500/2000) "Not bad boy, but like I said…"

"When Jet Neos defeats a monster as a result of battle he may attack again as long as you have another monster on your field!" Erian pointed at Hell Battlelord. "Lance of Jet Neos!" The superhero swiped a forearm-blade across the body of the Hell monster and shattered it.

Mystery Five sniggered. "Just like Hell Soldier, any battle damage I take through Hell Battlelord happens to you as well!"

Mystery Five- 1300

Erian- 100

"I place one card face-down and end my turn." Erian's face-down card flipped up as Mystery Five drew. "Reverse card open, Space Comet! This card lets me tribute one monster on my field to deal half of its attack in damage to your life points!"

Mystery Five yelled in pain as Jet Neos launched across the field and tackled him, ending the duel.

Mystery Five- 0

Erian- 100

--------------------------------

The shadowed form took another sip of its glass. ("Five have passed their tests so far.") Even though none of the other mercenaries had the abilities that Mister Selket had, he had their duel disks wired to tell him the duel's outcome. "That just leaves a few more."

_To be continued…_


	62. Sidetracked

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinite Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 62: Sidetracked

Explosions rang out through the cold metal corridors of the base, which was followed by a chorus of pained screams…and then silence. Sweat dripped down the faces of the guards gathered in the small room between the main hallway of their master's chambers and the intruder. Their gold and white uniforms were plastered to their bodies by sweat stains, and deep down inside they knew that the intruder that broken into their lord's mansion wasn't going to be stopped by any of them. However, they were all loyal to a fault and would never run. They owed their lives to Mestaphus Saeyor and were willing to die for his sake.

-----------------------------------

A lone man sat in a comfortable leather chair in spacious workroom. His graying hair was combed back over a bald spot on top of his head, and his gaunt eyes stared down at the glittering yellow and orange jewel that sat on his desk. "All this over a jewel." He would have laughed it off as ridiculous except for the fact that it was true. The explosions that rocked his home and the blank security screens on the wall behind him were testament to that.

"To think that you possess infinite power, and yet I cannot harness your energy to save myself from whoever these people are." Mestaphus Saeyor rubbed the full gray beard that was around his chin tiredly. "I was once one of the top members of the Society…and then one by one I was overturned by young upstarts and foolish humans who thought they knew better."

The heavy double doors across the room shuddered, blowing open violently as a pair of Saeyor's men was hurled through it. "Your security is a bit lax, Mestaphus. Then again it wouldn't have mattered who you threw against me…" A man wearing a white business suit with a golden tie walked into the room casually, his neatly-combed white mustache and grey-white hair giving him the appearance of a no-nonsense businessman. However there was something else there, an aura of authority that could not be explained. "…because this is for my grandson's sake, along with the sake of the rest of the world. I advise you to surrender now."

"You're showing mercy for one who is your enemy now?" Standing up, Mestaphus straightened his own grey business suit. "Since when did you become soft?"

"It isn't for your sake," said the man. "It's because you were once one of the Eternal Four. That fact will save you face in this situation if you surrender now and give me the Infinity Shield." He motioned to the duel disk on his arm. "Otherwise we'll have to settle this the old-fashioned way."

"I still find it hard to believe that the Society would send you to face me directly." Mestaphus exhaled loudly and opened a compartment on his desk. "They must be truly underestimating me if they think an EG member could defeat me in a darkness game." Removing the duel disk stored there, he strapped the device onto his arm and slid his deck into place.

The white-suited man's expression didn't change. "I think the one doing the underestimating here is you." He activated his duel disk one more time, deck already shuffled and in place.

Walking around his desk, Mestaphus activated his duel disk as well. "Well you must understand that I still believe it was a mistake bringing a low rank member like yourself up to the top levels just because of something a member of your family did. All in all, I do not believe the rumors that circulate around the proverbial water cooler."

"Rumors?" The man chuckled light-heartedly in realization. "Ah, you mean the strings of destiny and all that."

"Strings of Destiny," Mestaphus scoffed loudly. "I was never one to believe in that kind of silly nonsense, despite what the other Eternal Four said about you when they came to you. You are nothing special, despite the so-called results that you got when you became part of the Society. What I found the most preposterous was that name they came up with for you…"

"Are you referring to Godfather of Destiny?" Steven Pilkington shrugged innocently. "What can I say to that?"

"Absolutely nothing," Mestaphus said. "Duel!"

Mestaphus- 4000

Steve- 4000

"It's my turn, draw!" Mestaphus glanced at his drawn card and then looked over at the other cards in his hand, able to easily distinguish what each one was despite the fact the only light in the room was the weak moonlight coming in from the single large window. "From my hand I activate the magic card Angelic Source. This card will let me forfeit my draw phase during my next turn to add an angel type monster from my deck to my hand instead."

Steve narrowed his eyes at the glittering card. ("That's one of the trademark cards of the Eternal Four. Each of them possesses a different form of an angel deck, and in Mestaphus' case it's his Angel of Immortality that makes his deck stand above all others.")

"You already look nervous." Mestaphus placed a monster face-down on his duel disk. "I set one monster face-down and pass it one to you. Come on then, Pilkington; show me the fabled dueling skill you're supposed to possess."

Steve shrugged helplessly. "I suppose it cannot be helped." He drew and threw a card down onto his duel disk. "I summon Mafia Gunner (1300/1300) in attack mode." A thug in a suit holding an old-fashioned Tommy Gun appeared on his field and sneered.

"Mafia Gunner…" Mestaphus hated Pilkington's cards. "It is unbecoming for a member of the Society of Divine Duelists to be running such foolishly thuggish cards. This is the reason I hated you so much…"

Steve was stone-faced, showing no emotions at all. "Mafia Gunner attacks the set monster now!" His monster unloaded a spray of bullets into the set card, but it did not shatter. Instead it revealed a blob of white goo with a face. "Marshmallon…"

"That's correct," Mestaphus said. (300/500) "When my defense mode Marshmallon is attacked by a monster on your field you take 1000 points of damage. Also, Marshmallon cannot be destroyed as a result of battle." (SLP: 3000)

"I place one card face-down and end my turn." Steve didn't seem bothered at all by the damage he had taken.

Mestaphus removed a card from his deck. "I add one angel type monster from my deck to my hand. And then I play the magic card Celestial Transformation, letting me special summon one angel type monster from my hand to my field." He held up the card he had drawn. "I won't be holding back, so let me introduce you to the ultimate monster of one of the Eternal Four. Come out now, Lord of the Southern Heavens!"

A bright light filled the room as a glittering four green-winged angel wearing magnificent golden robes lowered onto his field. (3400/2400) "Any monster summoned by Celestial Transformation has its attack cut in half." (1700/2400) "Lord of the Southern Heavens, blow this fool's dirty creature into oblivion! Winds of the Southern Skies!" His monster flapped its wings rapidly and a tornado of green wind shattered Steve's monster.

Mestaphus- 4000

Steve- 2600

Steve inserted his monster card into the graveyard and then pointed at his set card. "Reverse card open." His face-down card flipped up. "Return the Favor can activate when a Mafia monster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle. I may destroy one monster on your field and deal you 500 points of damage." Marshmallon exploded.

Mestaphus- 3500

Steve- 2600

"Also, when Mafia Gunner is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the graveyard I may special summon another Mafia Gunner from my deck to my field." Another suited thug appeared on his field. (1300/1300) "Also the effect of my cards' mechanic activates now. It's called Plot Complexity."

"Plot Complexity…" Mestaphus frowned angrily. "All of your cards are printed with a separate box of text. When those cards are in your graveyard after being activated you can use their secondary effects."

"That's correct." Steve pointed at his Mafia Gunner, which started to glow. "The effect of Plot Complexity on my Mafia Gunner lets me power up one Mafia named card on my field by 300 attack points." (1600/1300) "And Return the Favor will remain in effect as long as the monster it destroyed is in your graveyard. As long as that Marshmallon is in the graveyard, you'll be taking 300 points of damage during your standby phase."

"Indeed, your deck's ability to make the opponent suffer the more they battle against you is an effective strategy." Mestaphus slid a card into his duel disk. "I place one card face-down on my field and at the end of my turn the monster special summoned by Celestial Transformation is destroyed!" His Lord of the Southern Heavens exploded. "However the effect of my lord is what will make me unstoppable! At the cost of 700 life points I can revive my Lord!" The angel reappeared at full attack points. (3400/2400)

Mestaphus- 2800

Steve- 2600

Steve drew and added the card to his hand. "Your monster might be immortal, but you are not. From my hand I activate the magic card Call for a Hit. This card can only activate if there is a monster in play that destroyed a Mafia monster on my field as a result of battle. I may discard a Mafia named monster from my hand to destroy that monster and deal the controller 1000 points of damage."

Mestaphus gasped in pain as his Lord of the Southern Heavens shattered. (MLP: 1800) "That means nothing! I activate the effect of my monster!" (MLP: 1100) His Lord reappeared in play. "Also I reveal the continuous trap card Calling from the Sky. While this card is in play whenever an angel type monster is special summoned to my field I gain 500 life points. (MLP: 1600)

"I suppose now would be a good time to tell you about the effect of my discarded monster then." Steve drew a card from his deck. "My discarded monster was Mafia Hitman, and when he's discarded for the effect of Call for a Hit then he lets me draw a card and deal you 500 points of damage."

Mestaphus- 1100

Steve- 2600

Stumbling slightly, Mestaphus looked enraged now. "I grow weary of your common tactics Pilkington! Show some class!"

Steve motioned to his Gunner. "I switch Mafia Gunner to defense mode and place one card face-down on my field. End turn." His Mafia Gunner's Tommy Gun disappeared and the thug was suddenly resting his back against a brick wall that appeared behind him, his hat over his eyes and a cigarette in his mouth as he tried not to stand out.

Mestaphus drew while a golden aura exploded to life around his body. "I am one of the Eternal Four; I will not fall to the likes of a common and normal human such as you! No more games!" He slammed a card into his disk. "First I take 300 points of damage thanks to your foolish Return the Favor trap, but then I activate the continuous magic card Golden Source of Life. This card allows me to once per turn gain the attack points of one angel type monster on my field as life points."

Mestaphus- 4200

Steve- 2600

"And now I strike you down with this card!" Mestaphus slid a card into his disk and his Lord started shining brightly. "Holy Aura can only equip to an angel monster on my field. When that monster is destroyed I gain its attack in life points. Attack Mafia Gunner now!" His monster created another tornado, easily demolishing the thug.

Steve pointed at his field. "The effect of Mafia Gunner special summons the third from my deck, and then the Plot Complexity of my two Mafia Gunners triggers!" Another thug appeared in play, sneering. (1900/1300) "Also I activate my face-down card! It's called Legitimate Business Cover, and it activates when you attack a defense mode Mafia monster on my field. After damage calculation ends you must discard a card from your hand and take 500 points of damage."

Mestaphus- 3700

Steve- 2600

Discarding the only card in his hand, Mestaphus frowned at Steve. "Another aspect of the dirty world you come from. End turn."

"Draw!" Steve drew an additional card. "The Plot Complexity of Legitimate Business Cover lets me draw an extra card during my draw phase." His stone-faced expression had yet to change. "From my hand I activate the magic card Favor for a Favor. Now you may select one of three effects. One, you may gain 1500 life points. Two, you may draw two cards. Three, you may special summon a monster from your graveyard. Whichever effect you choose I get as well, so choose carefully."

"I choose the second effect." Both men drew two cards.

Steve brought his steely gaze down over his hand. "I'll take this chance to activate the Plot Complexity of Favor for a Favor. It allows me to remove it from the game to gain whatever bonus you chose when I played it." He drew two more cards. "Ah, much better. I activate the Plot Complexity of my Call for a Hit. By discarding a card from my hand I can return this card to my hand. Also the normal effect of Mafia Hitman says that when Call for a Hit is added from my graveyard to my hand I may return this card as well." Pulling the two cards out of his graveyard, he flipped them over together. "Take a wild guess what I'm playing next."

"It's useless," Mestaphus snickered while his Lord exploded and his life points shot upwards. (MLP: 7100) "And then I'll take the silly 1000 points of damage from your magic card, and the 500 points of damage from your monster card." (MLP: 5600)

Steve drew for his Hitman's effect. "And now you'll pay to revive your Lord of the Southern Heavens."

"That's correct!" Mestaphus watched his angel reappear. (MLP: 4900) "And then Calling from the Sky activates!" (MLP: 5400) He threw back his arms and started chuckling. "Do you see now the power of my…" His eyes widened as he looked at his life point counter. "What?"

Mestaphus- 2000

Steve- 6000

Steve held up a quickplay magic card from his hand. "I activate the magic card Pilfered Goods. This card activates when you gain life points. That life point gain instead goes to me." Another card slid into his disk. "And now I offer Mafia Gunner to summon Mafia Boss!" His thug disappeared and was replaced by an Old Italian man sitting at a chair in front of large ornate desk, holding a cat in his arms and stroking its fur gently. (?)

"When this monster is tribute summoned I can revive Mafia monsters from my graveyard that are level four or lower." His three Mafia Gunners appeared in play, standing protectively around their boss. "For every Mafia named monster in play besides itself this monster gains 1000 attack and defense points." (3000/3000)

Mestaphus huffed indignantly. "Those weak monsters won't be able to get past my mighty Lord!"

"From my hand I discard a Mafia Hitman to activate the effect of Mafia Boss. During this turn I cannot attack, but I can remove one Call for a Hit card from my graveyard to copy its effect." Steve watched the Lord explode again. "Of course the Hitman is treated as if it was discarded for Call for a Hit, so I draw a card and you lose an additional 500 life points."

Mestaphus- 500

Steve- 6000

Sweat built up on Mestaphus' face. "That means I can't revive my Lord…"

"That's correct. And now I'll have to make you an offer." Steve held up a magic card. "I meant that literally too. I activate the magic card An Offer You Can't Refuse. This card says I pay 1000 life points and then either you discard two cards from your hand or take 2000 points of damage."

Mestaphus had no choice but to discard the two cards in his hand. ("This upstart can't beat me this turn though, and I will hopefully draw one of my angel revival cards during my next turn. Once that happens I can continue my life gain combo.") "Well, setting cards face-down now?"

"No." Steve held out his hand. "I activate the Plot Complexity of An Offer You Can't Refuse. This card effect can only trigger if you crumpled under pressure and discarded for its effect. It lets me add one card from your graveyard to my hand." The Lord of the Southern Heavens appeared in his hand and he slid it into his suit shirt pocket. "I was told to get this card from you anyway, so I'll just keep it safe right there since I don't intend on using it. End turn."

Mestaphus drew the top card of his deck with trembling hands, and froze at the sight of Chorus of Revival. ("This card would be able to restore my Lord of the Southern Heavens back to the field…except it's in his hand!") "It looks like you win, Pilkington. I…"

"Hold on," Steve somberly closed his eyes and motioned to his Mafia Gunners, who had their Tommy Guns aimed at the man's chest. "The offer I was told to give you is over, so don't be so hasty to end your turn."

"Wait a second…" Gaunt eyes wide, the man realized what was going to happen. "You…you wouldn't dare…"

"This is business, nothing more and nothing less. I was told to offer you one chance to surrender peacefully, and if you accepted to bring you and the Infinity Shield back to the Society. You would have been kept in custody for a long long time, but it wouldn't have mattered since you guys are immortal." His eyes opened, their grey depths emotionless and cold. "However you just had to act the part of the tough guy…"

"You can't kill me! That's not how the Society works at all!" Mestaphus stumbled back until his desk stopped him from moving back any farther. "We are the protectors of the balance between good and evil, we don't resort to…"

"You stole an item which, if the Saviors didn't have, would result in the destruction of billions of innocent lives." Steve folded his hand of cards closed. "I don't know your reasons and I don't care, but you crossed a line you shouldn't have." He walked up to the shivering and terrified man slowly, hand extended. "Give me the Infinity Shield."

"No!" Mestaphus grabbed the jewel off of his desk quickly. "I refuse to give it if…" His eyes met with those grey orbs, and every part of him stiffened. When they broke the Infinity Source was no longer in his grasp, and Steve was walking away from him calmly. "How…what kind of power could you possibly…"

Stopping right after he passed his Gunners, the man answered. "I told you before when I joined the society. Even though my son possesses demon blood, as does my grandson, I am one hundred percent human."

"You're lying…those eyes…"

"My eyes are simply that, my eyes." Steve pocketed the jewel and continued to walk towards the double doors that led out of the room. "Goodbye Mestaphus." Without turning at all he pulled the doors shut as he left, and then he heard the sound of rapid gunfire from inside the office. "If you go to heaven, tell my son to show you around."

Mestaphus- 0

Steve- 5000

---------------------------------------

The limousine door opened and Steve sat down in one of the comfortable leather seats. "It's done."

"And you're sure that there'll be no evidence that he was killed?" A voice over a speaker in the car said as the vehicle pulled away from the mansion.

"To the authorities it will appear that he died of a heart attack," Steve removed a cigarette from the pack hidden on his person and lit up, taking a drag before continuing. "As for the guards, I didn't harm them beyond a minor concussion. When they wake up they won't remember a thing, they'll be too busy mourning the loss of their master…as will the children who live in the orphanage he funded…as will the people who attend the church he sermonizes at…as will the world, when they hear that one of the most saintly and generous men of this age died."

"You understand it had to be done, correct?" The speaker crackled in silence, and after getting no answer it continued. "What he did in the past is what gave him the option to surrender the Source peacefully and simply spend some time in solitary imprisonment. However, he declined to take that option and confronted you, essentially declaring himself an enemy of the Society and the Saviors in that action. You simply did what had to be done."

When no answer came the voice threw in more to fill the uncomfortable silence. "Mr. Pilkington, you're the top darkness game assassin in the underworld. This is why we offered you a place in the Society of Divine Duelists, after we learned that you targeted major causes of evil in the world and didn't accept deals that would have you putting innocent lives in danger. You did the most necessary thing in this dangerous time."

"I'll be taking the Infinity Shield to my grandson, as well as using my vacation time too." Steve blew a cloud of smoke into the air in front of him and then looked out the car window somberly. ("It was the most necessary thing? Then why do I feel like I won't be able to look Ichigo in the eye when I see him? Why will I know that tommorow when all those people are crying in the news stories that it will have been my fault?")

The silence of the limousine held no answers for him as it drove down the dark country roads.

_To be continued…_


	63. Kitty Troubles

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 63: Kitty Troubles 

"And so you see," Aitoshi said, running his laser pointer over the giant world map hanging up in front of the classroom. "Duel Monsters originated in Japan, but quickly caught on as a world-wide phenomenon in just a matter of months back before the turn of the start of the new millennium." The lights came on suddenly as he flicked a switch at his desk. "Are there any…" He turned to look at the class and sweatdropped. "Mr. Pilkington, what are you doing?"

Ichigo was perched on his desk, hindquarters and strawberry-colored tail in the air behind him. His eyes were narrowed and he looked focused on something near the front of the classroom. The rest of the class turned to look at him, but he paid them no mind.

"Excuse me!" Aitoshi waved his free hand in the air to try and get the boy's attention. "Mr. Pilkington?"

Ichigo twitched a couple of times, and tensed to leap across the room.

"What's the matter with you?" Aitoshi looked down at his desk and the small red pin-point created by the laser pointer he had yet to turn off. "Ah…I see…" He clicked the tiny device off and Ichigo stopped twitching. "Are you lucid now?"

Falling backwards directly into his chair, Ichigo blinked wide-eyed a couple of times before turning just as red as his hair. "Yes sir." He could hear the other students laughing, and pulled his red jacket over his head to hide his face.

------------------------------------

_Lunch Time…_

-------------------------------------

"You want me to what now?" Masami took another bite of his lunch, sitting next to Ichigo at the table he had procured right after class had ended.

"I want you to use the GAD to tone down the strength of the cat demon DNA," The half demon repeated this for the third time now, though Masami seemed unable to comprehend the request. "Is there a problem with that, nyao?"

"I don't even know where to begin," Masami pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose to help calm himself, and to try to ignore the strange speech pattern the half demon had. "Ichigo, do you have even the slightest idea how genetics works?"

"Yeah, you zap somebody with the GAD and it changes out their DNA." When Masami face-palmed he blinked in confusion. "Am I wrong, nyao?"

"You're wrong in the most absolute of ways, but in general idea you're correct." When Ichigo gave him a confused look, the green-haired boy waved a hand dismissively to indicate what he said didn't mean anything. "The GAD doesn't have levels of genetic 'intensity', as you call it. It simply changes the DNA of whatever it hits to whatever the settings on it are. There's no such thing as an intensity of DNA, Ichigo."

"Now wait a minute, then what about with Eri…"

"If you're referring to whatever the hell you did that changed Eri's biological clock, then I have no idea. Even duplicating the settings I can't figure out how you did that." Masami held up a finger. "Therefore I have decided to declare what you did the Ichigo Effect."

"Ichigo Effect?" The half demon the effect was named after tilted his head to the side questioningly. "Why name it after me nyao?"

"It's because like you it defies all sanity and logic to come to a positive conclusion." Masami noticed that Ichigo wasn't even looking at him. "Is something the matter?"

"……" Ichigo's head slowly turned as he followed the path of a butterfly that glided by. He slowly tensed to leap.

Masami snapped a hand out and grabbed one of the half demons ears roughly, pulling him back to reality. "Oh no you don't, my ADD-riddled friend."

"Huh?" Ichigo, despite the pain coming from his ear, twisted his head to look at the Ra Yellow. "I don't have ADD nyao."

"As a cat demon you apparently do," Masami released Ichigo's ear and crossed his arms across his chest. "Why don't you just change back? I've got the GAD on me right now; all it would take is about fifteen seconds…"

"I would…but…" Ichigo let out a depressed sigh. "Eri told me not to."

"Why don't you go see Krieger then?" Masami returned to his lunch. "The best solution I can offer is to change you back to normal, but if you won't accept it then you might as well go see if he ever had similar problems."

---------------------------------------------

Krieger flipped to the next page in his novel leisurely. After that strange man had dueled him and he had won, the White Tiger had spent the rest of his morning trying to relax and catch up in his studies. Now that he had completed this week's class readings, there was nothing more to do than catch up on his romance novels.

His tail waving lazily in the air behind him, the half cat demon flipped through the pages of his novel with a relaxed smile on his face. "Ahhh, the sun shining down on me, the birds in the trees chirping, and…"

He swiftly leapt to his feet and rolled out of the way as a red blur shot past him. "…Ichigo trying to pounce me for some reason."

Coming out of his wild roll sitting up, Ichigo blinked a couple of times to clear his head. "Hi Krieger, I came to talk to you about something, nyao."

"Well it's always a plea…nyao?" Closing his book, Krieger looked directly at his friend and took in the new appearance. "Errr, perhaps you should explain."

------------------

_A few minutes later…_

-------------------

"I see, so this is Eri's doing." Krieger knew this was going to be nothing but trouble. "And now you want my help you with your concentration while you have this form?"

"Yes please nyao." Ichigo grinned toothily. "I still don't get how you don't ever get so distracted though. You've got incredible focus, Krieger. Don't you ever get caught up by the things you smell and hear?"

"Well there's always the temptation, but it's never really been a problem for me." Krieger pondered what the nicest way to say what he believed the problem to be. "In your case, it might be the fact that you normally have the attention span of a goldfish."

"What'd you say Krieger?" Ichigo had his head in a nearby bush, sniffing around for something.

Muttering something in German, the White Tiger pulled Ichigo out of the bush by the collar and picked a couple of leaves out of the other boy's hair. "I think we'll have to talk to Eri about changing you back, because I don't think I can help you if you're this bad." He rubbed his chin and wondered about something. "However, maybe it isn't quite as terrible as you're making it seem. Tell me Ichigo, how did you ever live with having the instincts of both a wolf and a fox as parts of yourself?"

"How?" The half demon flicked an ear. "Uhhh, well let's see..." He snapped his fingers in remembrance. "Oh yeah, now I remember! When I was a little kid I chewed on all the stuff in the house, and used to stalk the neighbors..." He yelped as Krieger dropped him.

Muttering something in German again, Krieger was out of ideas already. ("Apparently he just did as he pleased while growing up, which explains why he can't control his actions like this.") "Ichigo, there's only one possible answer to this problem then…"

---------------------------------

_A couple of hours later, after classes…_

---------------------------------

Ichigo was kneeling over the edge of a seaside cliff, unmoving. He yawned loudly, one of the strawberry-colored ears on his head flicking a couple of times. "Hey Mr. Sneak Person, I can hear you."

The robed man stopped in his tracks, the knife in his hand slowly rising to be thrown.

"I dunno if you wanna throw whatever that is, if it misses me it'll fall in the ocean and that would stink nyao." The half demon turned 180 degrees to look at the gold and black-robed man. "Wow, you're dressed up all weird too."

Pocketing the knife, the man lifted one arm to reveal the duel disk there. "My name is Mystery Alpha, and I intend to duel you right here and now! Ichigo Pilkington, if you lose here then you'll lose your soul!"

"What?" Ichigo stood up and pulled his duel disk out of his backpack. "Okay then, I guess I'll play with you nyao."

"A wise decision…" Mystery Alpha suddenly stiffened. After a few moments he pulled his hood back to reveal a rugged face with a bushy black beard and bushy black eyebrows. His two eyes were twitching slightly, and he looked like he was going crazy.

Mystery Alpha- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Eyes bloodshot and wildly looking around, Mystery Alpha sneered at the stupidly smiling Ichigo. "I must destroy you, draw!" A forced laughter came from his throat. "I summon Queen's Knight in defense mode!" (1500/1600) A female knight wearing playing card-themed armor appeared in play in a crouching position. "I set two cards face-down, end turn!"

Ichigo's eyes slid closed and he started purring loudly. His body started to fall backwards…and then he plummeted off the side of the cliff. A few seconds later he climbed back into view, apparently having reflexively grabbed the nearest handhold. "Whoops, nearly fell there…"

Mystery Alpha stared at the boy in astonishment at how calmly he had just brushed off what would have been a hundred foot drop to his death.

"Okay, here I go!" Ichigo drew, the force of the action sending him in a 360 degree spin on one foot. "Wheee!" Sloppily shoving the card into his hand, the half demon grabbed another card and slid it into his disk. "I activate the magic card Wings of the Avenger to special summon Final Shadow Shield Avenger in defense mode." A demon-winged warrior holding two large black shields appeared in play in a crouching position. (2000/2500) "Plus I'll set these two little guys down…" A pair of cards appeared face-down behind his monster. "I end my turn nyao."

"Draw!" Glaring at his drawn card, Mystery Alpha's bushy eyebrows lifted slightly and he sneered. "I summon King's Knight!" (1600/1300) A royal bearded knight appeared on his field. "When King's Knight is summoned and Queen's Knight is on my field I can special summon Jack's Knight from my deck to the field!" A third knight appeared in play on his field. (1900/1400)

Ichigo dropped to his butt and batted his own tail a couple of times, not paying any attention to the actions of his opponent.

"You dare to ignore me?" The man pointed at his Queen's Knight, which stood up. "First I switch my Knight to attack mode and then I'll activate the continuous magic card The Allied Forces! For every warrior and spellcaster type monster on my field all warrior type monsters on my field gain 200 attack points!" (2500/1400) (2200/1300) (2100/1600)

"But it's not strong enough to get past my Avenger, nyao." Ichigo said this while lying on his back and looked at his opponent's field from an upside-down perspective.

"That problem is easily rectified!" One of Mystery Alpha's set cards flipped up. "Reinforcements add 500 attack points to my monster, powering it up to 3000 for the turn!" (Jack's Knight: 3000/1400)

Ichigo yawned started rolling back and forth on the ground, stretching his back out against the grass. "Kay, he's strong enough now."

Jaw locked in a grimace, the Mystery pointed at Ichigo's monster. "Go Jack's Knight, bury that weakling!" The tall male knight leapt across the field and slashed through the Shield Avenger in one hit. "And now you lose, boy! Queen's Knight and King's Knight, attack his life points directly!"

Ichigo looked up just in time to catch a pair of swords in the chest. (ILP: 0)

Mystery Alpha threw back his head and exploded into a fit of laughter. "That was far too…" His laughter turned into a gasp as the image before him shattered, revealing a now-sitting up Ichigo who was giggling. "What?"

"Heee, you fell for it nyao." Ichigo held up his trap. "Evil Eye activates when you make a direct attack, and it lets me reset all the stuff you do at the cost of 1000 life points. You were just watching an illusion nyao." (ILP: 3000)

Mystery Alpha's right eye started twitching. "You…you played me for a fool?"

"Yup yup, nyao!" Ichigo watched the Evil Eye trap card dissolve away. "Bye-bye, pretty little trap. Plus your turn ends after Evil Eye finishes its effect, so it's my turn now!" Grinning stupidly, Ichigo overdrew again and fell over on his side. "Wheee, it's my turn!"

Bloodshot eyes flickering back and forth wildly, Mystery Alpha looked more and more agitated by Ichigo. ("I want to kill him! I will kill him!")

Still on his side, Ichigo held up his drawn card. Even though it was sideways, its picture was obvious. "Mr. Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards nyao!" Sitting up shakily, the half demon overdrew two cards off of his deck and fell on his side again. "Whoopsie!" Looking at the two drawn cards, he suddenly rolled to his feet and started dancing. "Yay, hey guys!" Another of the two cards he was already holding was held up along with the two cards he drew. "Polymerization time!"

Mystery Alpha's neck cracked as he looked at his face-down card. ("Magic Cylinder will stop whatever powerful monster you intend to summon.")

"Okay, let's fuse Night Slasher and Psyche Vizier nyao!" Ichigo slid the three cards into his graveyard, though it took him a couple of tries to get the cards into the slot. "Final Shadow Mind Poison comes out nyao." A female black body-suited thief wearing a metallic helmet that covered her head and a pair of wrist claws on her hands appeared in play. (1600/1000) "Kay, I place one card face-down and end my turn nyao!" A second card appeared face-down on his field.

Mystery Alpha twitched in irritation a couple of times. "You….you summoned your monster in attack mode! Do you know that?"

"Huh?" Ichigo held his dueling field up at eye level. "Yeah I did? Yeah I did."

Mystery Alpha snapped the top card off of his deck. "I'll finish you in this turn, you annoying little punk!" Nearly frothing at the mouth in his anger, he barked out a laugh at his drawn card. "Obviously your monster is in attack mode because you want to lure me into a trap! Well I've got news for you…I cannot be defeated that easily!" He slammed the drawn card into his disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Army Minesweeper! This card, while in play, will allow me to negate one trap card that would target my field!"

Ichigo wasn't paying attention again, as he was too busy looked up at some birds that were flying overhead. "Okay angry man…"

"Damn it, from my hand I activate another The Allied Forces!" Mystery Alpha snarled, as Ichigo had yet to respond. (Jack's Knight: 3100/1400) (King's Knight: 2800/1300) (Queen's Knight: 2700/1600) "How about now? Will you pay me respect now?"

"Did you say something, angry man?" Ichigo noticed that Mystery Alpha was turning bright red in the face. "Are you okay? You look really really mad…"

"My last card, United We Stand!" His Jack's Knight started glowing brighter. "For every face-up monster on my field the monster equipped with this card gains 800 attack and defense points." (5500/3800)

Ichigo fell back on his rump again. "Wow, that's a big monster nyao."

"Take this, boy! Jack's Knight, attack Mind Poison now!" Mystery Alpha sneered as he watched the warrior leap across the field towards Ichigo's fusion. "When this strike lands your life points will disappear, and with my Army Minesweeper in play you can't touch me with your traps!"

Ichigo let out a disappointed sigh. "That's mean, attacking my Mind Poison like that." Standing up he pointed at his set card. "I reveal Shadow Charge. For every Final Shadow on my field I gain 1000 life points." (ILP: 4000)

"A mere 1000 life point gain is your defense?" Mystery Alpha prepared to drink in the scream of Mind Poison when she was destroyed. However, no screams of pain came.

Mind Poison had been pierced by Jack's Knight's sword, but she was just standing there with her claws latched into his shoulders as well. They held that embrace for a few moments, and then the Final Shadow exploded and released the knight, who returned to his master's field. (ILP: 100)

"That was a strange glitch in the system," Mystery Alpha shrugged it off and pointed at Ichigo. "Now for the final strike!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ichigo held up one hand, throwing himself off-balance in the process. "That wasn't a glitch."

"Then what was it?"

The half demon stumbled a little, head dipping and face hidden behind his hair. Leg lowering to the ground slowly, Ichigo ran a finger down the mass of hair in front of his face. Parting the strawberry-colored mane like a pair of curtains, he revealed that he had a huge dumb smile on his face. "Mind Poison, when attacked by an enemy monster and destroyed as a result of battle, discards the top card of your deck for every 100 points of damage I took to my life points from the combat nyao."

"Wha…wha…" Mystery Alpha gaped as his entire deck disappeared. (390039 cards) "You…you…what..."

Ichigo stuck out his tongue. "That's what you get for going crazy, bleah!"

"I…I can still win though! Queen's Knight and King's Knight, attack that little bastard's life points directly!" Mystery Alpha pointed at Ichigo. "I will not lose this way!"

"Oh yes you will," the half demon sang out. "Reverse card…" Ichigo tried to point at his set card dramatically, but overdid the movement and wound up eating grass instead. While he was lying there his face-down card flipped up.

Mystery Alpha's eyes widened at the trap card. "Dark Mist?"

"Right…" Ichigo rested his chin in the grass and spoke from the ground. "Dark Mist can activate during the turn a Final Shadow is destroyed. During this turn all battle damage is zero nyao." While the trap disappeared, he stretched out across the sun-warmed grass with a smile on his face and started purring contently.

Eyes trembling, Mystery Alpha slowly fell to his knees. "This…this can't be…"

Mystery Alpha- Deck out

Ichigo- 100

**_("You're useless to me, fool.")_** Mystery Alpha let out a scream of pain and collapsed to the ground, the red thread tied around his neck disappearing. **_"Very impressive, Ichigo Pilkington. Is boosted this human's ability to draw, but apparently that wasn't enough to defeat you. I'd like to put forth one more duel challenge to you, if that is possible?"_**

"Another duel? Sure, weird lady I can't see." The half demon yawned once more. "Oh, somebody is coming…"

Over the collapsed body of the Mystery a crimson-clothed female form slowly appeared. However her appearance was masked by the veils of crimson-colored cloth that appeared around her floating form. "My name is Lady Amaeura, Seer of Lord Rysel."

"Oh?" Ichigo smiled in a bittersweet way. "So you're with Rysel nyao?" He tried to stand and his legs buckled underneath. "Hmm, I feel kinda light-headed now…"

"Let us…" Amaeura stopped and tilted her shadowed head to the left to look at the one that Ichigo had heard coming earlier. "And who might you be?"

"I might be the queen of France," Nikolai replied. "Of course I suppose you know I'm one of the Saviors." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Pilkington, I'll be taking this opponent. Apparently these Mystery screwballs are working with the Blood Children."

A snoring Ichigo didn't argue.

"That's fine," Amaeura waved her hand and a crimson holographic table set up like a Duel Monsters field appeared before her. At her side a deck appeared, and she smiled slightly. "Let me ask you then, what is your name?"

"Nikolai Corben," The Russian duelist activated his duel disk and glared at the floating Blood Child. "I don't know why you've come seeking Pilkington out, but I'll be your opponent Amaeura!"

"Oh?" She placed the deck on her table and then smiled slyly. "And how does the strapping young lad know my name?"

"Duel!" Nikolai slammed his deck into its slot.

Nikolai- 4000

Amaeura- 4000


	64. Future and Chaos Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 64: Future and Chaos; Clash of the Unlikely Hero and the Mistress of Fate (Part 1)

Eri sighed loudly and hugged her book-bag. "Masami-san, you're sure you haven't seen Ichigo since lunch?"

"I'm one hundred percent sure." Masami sighed at her. "Did you need to change him into a cat demon for the whole day? Why didn't you just say he could change back when he isn't around you?"

"Because….because…" Eri flushed red. "I don't intend for him to change back. I want him to get used to the lack of focus that comes with that form."

"Why?" Masami frowned. "This isn't for your sake, is it? I know I agreed to let you use the GAD but I don't want to see it used as something that turns poor Ichigo into an absolute nutcase."

"It's not for my sake!" She rubbed the back of her head. "Well, not entirely anyway. You see, Ichigo's biggest fault is the fact that he's got the lack of interest to focus on things he finds boring, and school is one of those things. When I was a cat demon, I learned just how difficult it was to keep your focus…and I felt I came away from that duel more focused that before. Now though, I want him to understand and learn that lesson too."

"You want him to improve himself by becoming unable to focus on anything?" He lowered his glasses so his scarlet eyes could look right at her. "Do you actually think that he's going to emerge from this a better guy?"

"Yeah," she said quietly. "Right about he should be figuring out how to ignore some of the impulses that come with that form, as long as there hasn't been any outside interference."

"…Ummmm, would giving Ichigo catnip to mellow him out count as outside interference?" Krieger asked from off to the side, scaring both of the other students as they didn't hear or feel him approach.

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"_That's fine," Amaeura waved her hand and a crimson holographic table set up like a Duel Monsters field appeared before her. At her side a deck appeared, and she smiled slightly. "Let me ask you then, what is your name?"_

"_Nikolai Corben," The Russian duelist activated his duel disk and glared at the floating Blood Child. "I don't know why you've come seeking Pilkington out, but I'll be your opponent Amaeura!"_

"_Oh?" She placed the deck on her table and then smiled slyly. "And how does the strapping young lad know my name?"_

"_Duel!" Nikolai slammed his deck into its slot._

_Nikolai- 4000_

_Amaeura- 4000 _

"I begin!" Nikolai drew the top card of his deck. "You may not remember me, but I certainly remember you."

From behind her veiled cover, Amaeura continued to smile in amusement at the serious look on the boy's face. "You are such a strange boy. You continue to say you know me, but I certainly would remember a handsome face such as yours."

"Shut up," Nikolai held up a card. "I summon Chaos Shadow Spectral Warrior in attack mode!" A phantom warrior appeared on his field. (1600/1200) "This monster, when summoned, lets me remove one monster card from my hand to power it up by 500 points!" (2100/1200) "Also I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

One of the Blood Child's slim hands reached out and she drew the top card of her deck. "I see you're rather upset with me about something, and since you know my name I'm assuming your anger is well-founded. Very well then, perhaps I should simply look into your past with my abilities to find out what has you so angry." She held up a magic card. "I activate the magic card Tarot Reading; Trail of the Weary Traveler. This card removes itself from the game, and I then shuffle the rest of my hand into my deck."

She did so, while the crimson playing field that was floating in front of her pulsed to life with a new design grid. A trio of glowing card outlines waited for her. "Trail of the Weary Traveler now will let me draw the top card from my deck. If the card is a monster, then it is special summoned. If it is a magic card, it is activated. If it is a trap card I show it to you and then set face-down on my field. I extend this effect three times, and after its completion I draw cards equal to the number I shuffled into my deck minus the number of cards I chose to use with the spread."

"I don't care about your mystical…" Nikolai looked truly on the edge now.

Amaeura drew and her eyes widened. "Interesting, my first draw was Arcana Force XI-Justice." A metallic winged creature appeared on her field. (1900/1800) "And now to determine just which direction you are going." A copy of the card appeared over the monster's head and started turning in the air. "Please tell the card to stop whenever you wish. Depending on whether it is upside-down or not will determine what happens."

"Fine then, stop!" Nikolai watched the card stop while upside-down. "And this does?"

"When Justice is destroyed it is removed from the game." Amaeura didn't seem interested in that though. "Strange, it does not wish to tell me about your past. Instead it offers you a warning, my dear boy."

"What are you talking about?" Nikolai snarled. "Just because that card gave you a bad effect you think it's giving me some kind of warning."

"Reverse Justice indicates that your past mistakes have affected your life severely, and that your current actions are shaping the outcome of a potential future. However, because it is reversed it might mean…"

"Just shut up and draw the next card." Nikolai was already weary of listening to this woman talk on and on about something so stupid.

"Very well then, I suppose I'll just leave it to you to figure out what the card meant then." Amaeura drew the next card from her deck. "The card I have drawn is Suit of Sword VII." The card appeared in the air above the field and started turning. "Well Nikolai?"

"Stop!" Nikolai watched the card stop spinning, now correct end up. "And it does?"

"Suit of Sword VII's effect when it stops non-upside down is that you must send one magic or trap on your field to the graveyard." Amaeura looked at the card and sighed. "Very interesting indeed. It seems that you're following a very bad plan to reach a conclusion to a problem you are dealing with. Perhaps you should reconsider your course of action?"

"Hurry up with the last card," Nikolai muttered while sliding his face-down card into the graveyard.

"Very well then," Amaeura drew and her shadowed eyes widened. "From my hand the effect of Arcana Force 0-The Fool triggers now." (0/0) A card appeared in the air above her and started turning. "Well Nikolai?"

"Stop!" Nikolai watched the card stop upside-down. "And what does…" He gasped as the cards in his hand disappeared, as did his Spectral Warrior. "How?"

"The Fool's upside-down effect is that all cards in both player's hands and fields are destroyed and sent to the graveyard, after which both players' graveyards are removed from the game."

Nikolai snapped out his hand and a dark-caped futuristic warrior appeared on his field. "When Phantom Blader is destroyed the monster card removed for its effect is special summoned! Therefore my Chaos Shadow Penultimate Lord (2350/2000) will take advantage of your lack of cards."

"Interesting, so you oppose fate?" Amaeura held up The Fool. "Reverse The Fool indicates that in the future you will make a reckless decision that will lead to much unhappiness. An interesting development, I must say."

"You're out of your mind," Nikolai pointed at himself. "I am Nikolai Corben, not a slave to the idea that some silly Tarot cards can control my future."

"It seems you are not interested in listening to me." Amaeura drew two cards from her deck. "Very well then, let us continue. From my hand I play the continuous magic card Tarot Reading; Ten Card Spread. This card will give me a much deeper look into both your future and your past, though it will take a bit longer. However it will give me ample information about your question, about your life's driving concept."

Nikolai spat on the ground. "What's the actual effect of the card, not your foolish hocus-pocus crap?"

"During each player's turn I look at the top card of my deck. If that card has Arcana Force in its title then I summon it. If it has Suit or Ace in its title I activate it or set it if I cannot use the effect at that time. This effect continues for ten turns. Also I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw!" Nikolai's eyes widened as the Blood Child drew. "Alright, so what did you get?"

She smiled slightly. "I draw the trap card Ace of Wand, which sets itself face-down on my field. Alright Nikolai, continue your turn."

"With pleasure! Go Penultimate Lord, attack her life points directly!" He smirked as his warrior leapt into the air, preparing its arm blades to strike the Blood Child down. "Take this!"

"I must apologize, but I will not be taking anything," Amaeura gently flipped over one of her set cards. "I activate the trap card Suit of Sword III." The trap card's holographic image started spinning.

"Stop!" The card stopped upside-down.

"Suit of Sword III when reversed destroys the opponent's attacking monster and deals the opponent half of that monster's original attack in damage. Also, that monster's effect is negated." A trio of swords exploded out of the trap and pierced the warrior's chest, shattering it.

Nikolai- 2825

Amaeura- 4000

The female Blood Child ran a finger along her lips slowly. "Any card set by the effect of Tarot Reading; Ten Card Spread allows me to activate it during the turn it is set. Reverse card open, Ace of Wand." Her other set trap flipped up and started spinning. "If this stops upside-down you will take the attack of all monsters destroyed during this turn that were yours and were destroyed outside of battle in damage. If it is rightside-up then you gain those collected points in life instead. Well Nikolai, it's your call."

"Stop!" Nikolai's eyes widened as the card stopped upside-down. "Damn…" Then he was buffeted by a blast of power that came from the trap.

Nikolai- 475

Amaeura- 4000

"Reverse Ace of Wands indicates as the first card something about your question. And that something is that you will fail because of selfishness or lack of doing something that needed to be done, though which of the two I cannot be sure." Amaeura smiled at him. "Well then, shall we move on to the next card?"

"Not just yet." Nikolai slid the single card in his hand into his deck. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

She drew slowly, and then placed that card aside. "The next cards are the subconscious thoughts. So let us see what the unconscious reasoning behind your purpose is." Her hand gently drew the top card of her deck and she smiled at it. "Suit of Cups VIII is the card I have drawn. It is a magic card, so let us see what it stops on." The magic card appeared in the air and started turning.

"Stop." Nikolai watched the card stop upside-down with disdain. "So what does that do?"

"Suit of Cups XIII when reversed discards the top eight cards of your deck." She smiled at him while he followed the effect. "However that shouldn't be too much of a problem, since it didn't affect your life points. I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"What's the matter, you have nothing to say about your Spread Card?" The Russian duelist drew.

"Not yet, not until I've seen the other card that determines your subconscious thinking." Amaeura pulled the top card off of her deck and placed it down onto her field. "The third card in my Ten Card Spread is Arcana Force XV-The Devil." A burning demonic creature appeared on her field, and above it a copy of the creature's card appeared and started turning. (1800/1800)

"Stop." Nikolai narrowed his eyes as the card stopped upside-down and the body of The Devil started glowing. "And that does what?"

"Reverse The Devil deals both players 500 points of damage during each turn." She watched the fire around her monster's body glow brighter. "It seems you and I will be taking a bit of damage, though in your case it will be the end."

"Not yet it won't!" Nikolai's set card flipped up. "Trapped Eternally is a continuous trap card that selects one monster in play. That monster becomes locked up, unable to use its attack or effects!" He sneered as The Devil disappeared from play. "End turn."

"Before I continue then," Amaeura closed her shadowed eyes. "Reverse Eights of Cups and reverse The Devil makes a rather interesting combination. Subconsciously Eight of Cups means that you're running from something without realizing it, hiding behind a mask which says that you are not afraid where you truly are. The Devil speaks similar, except instead of running from whatever this purpose is you are running from pleasures such as love, or maybe friendship?"

"You speak so cryptically, acting like you know things about me that I do not." Nikolai snickered in disgust. "Quit pretending like you are actually seeing anything about me as much as making it up as you go along."

Amaeura pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. "I suppose you will not believe me until I can offer some proof." She drew and placed the drawn card aside. "The next two cards will offer me insight into your conscious thoughts, those that you control willingly. I wonder what fate will show me." She pulled the top card off of her deck and flipped it over. "The magic card Suit of Sword IX activates." The card appeared and started turning.

"Stop." It was rightside-up.

"Suit of Sword IX's effect when rightside-up is that we both skip our next draw phases." A pair of tiny swords fell from the sky and stabbed into their decks. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Nikolai grimaced and looked at the lone card in his hand before looking up at Amaeura. "Alright, let's see what you get."

The Blood Child pulled the top card off of her deck and widened her eyes at it. "Arcana Force VII-The Chariot is summoned." (1700/1700) A multi-tentacled metal monstrosity appeared in play on her field, a card turning over its head. "Nikolai, if you please."

"Stop." The card was upside-down.

"When The Chariot is destroyed in battle you special summon it to your field." The Seer smiled calmly, her stress gone. "So I see now…very interesting…"

Nikolai didn't pay her any mind, holding up the single card in his hand. "Since I can't draw for this turn now is as good of a time as any to play Research on the Pot of Greed. Since Pot of Greed has not been activated during this turn, I draw only one card." He drew and placed the card on his disk. "I summon Chaos Shadow Core Defender!" A demonic warrior covered from head to toe in black crystals appeared on his field in a crouching position. (0/1000) "For every removed from the game card I have its defense powers up by 700 points. End turn." (0/4500)

Amaeura uncrossed her legs and then crossed them the opposite way to get feeling back into them. "I understand your anger now, as the Ten Card Spread grows closer to completion I slowly see into your past and future, Nikolai Corben."

Picking up the Suit of Sword IX and The Chariot, she closed her eyes. "Nine of Swords means that you are agonizing over something, but refusing to seek help even though it is nearby. Reverse The Chariot means you are turning away from something that puzzles you, and have stopped pursuing your objective even though you shouldn't have. An interesting combination, I must say. What is it you fear, Nikolai? What is it you cannot share with anyone else?"

"Don't you ever stop talking?" Nikolai thumbed at his chest. "I am myself, and I am chaos. I am will defeat you here and now, that is all….

"Is it Demetrius?"

Deep inside Nikolai's heart there was a twinge of pain at the reminder of that name. "So you finally remember, do you?"

"I do not so much remember as I can see from what the cards are telling me. That name keeps echoing in your thoughts, both subconsciously and consciously." Amaeura placed her cards back on the field in their original positions and smiled at him. "I wonder, Nikolai, just who he is. What could I have possibly done to him that would make you hate me?"

Nikolai growled and clenched his fist. "I…I refuse to tell you anything. This isn't some introspection on what happened in my past, this is the present and I'll defeat you here!"

"That's where you are mistaken." She sat back in her seat. "My curiosity is now focused on who this Demetrius person was, and what happened to them. By the end of my Ten Card Spread, I will now your fate and the fate of this person. I will see into your past now, and delve whatever secrets I need from there. You cannot hide this story from me, Nikolai, not anymore. So sit back and enjoy the trip down memory road…I know I will."

_To be continued…_


	65. Future and Chaos Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 65: Future and Chaos (Part 2)

"_Don't you ever stop talking?" Nikolai thumbed at his chest. "I am myself, and I am chaos. I am will defeat you here and now, that is all…._

"_Is it Demetrius?"_

_Deep inside Nikolai's heart there was a twinge of pain at the reminder of that name. "So you finally remember, do you?"_

"_I do not so much remember as I can see from what the cards are telling me. That name keeps echoing in your thoughts, both subconsciously and consciously." Amaeura placed her cards back on the field in their original positions and smiled at him. "I wonder, Nikolai, just who he is. What could I have possibly done to him that would make you hate me?"_

_Nikolai growled and clenched his fist. "I…I refuse to tell you anything. This isn't some introspection on what happened in my past, this is the present and I'll defeat you here!"_

"_That's where you are mistaken." She sat back in her seat. "My curiosity is now focused on who this Demetrius person was, and what happened to them. By the end of my Ten Card Spread, I will know your fate and the fate of this person. I will see into your past now, and delve whatever secrets I need from there. You cannot hide this story from me, Nikolai, not anymore. So sit back and enjoy the trip down memory road…I know I will."_

Amaeura held up a hand. "During my draw phase I do not draw a card because of the effect of Suit of Sword IX." She flipped one of her set cards over. "My dear Nikolai, I do not wish to have a simple glimpse though, I wish to see your whole past. Reverse card open, Extended Reading. Now the effect of my Ten Card Spread has been extended by four turns, so the next six cards will tell me all I wish to know about your past."

Sweat began building on Nikolai's forehead. He could no longer dispute that she was telling the truth about her abilities. ("She can read my past…she can look at that time…")

The seer flipped the top card of her deck over. "So let us see what started it all, shall we?" She smiled in interest at the card. "The magic card Suit of Wands III activates now." The card appeared in the air and started turning. "Well then, Nikolai, make your selection."

"Stop…" The Russian boy clenched his fist as he watched the card stop rightside-up.

"Suit of Wands III lets one duelist look at the top three cards of their deck and add one of those cards to their hand, the rest being shuffled into their deck. If it is rightside-up, then I am that duelist." She removed the top three cards from her deck and selected the center card before shuffling the other two back into her deck. "Three of Wands when rightside-up means that you made a choice long ago that started this entire event. I wonder what that choice was…"

-----------------------------------

_Two years ago…_

------------------------------

"What's the matter, you little loser?" A dirty boy in rags held up another child by the collar of his shirt, showing the absolute difference in age and size they had. "Did you think that you could just wander through here without paying the toll?"

"What…toll…?" The little blond-haired boy whispered out, finding it hard to breath with his shirt collar twisted around his throat.

"One offering to me and my boys, it doesn't matter what as long as it's something we can use." The older boy smirked. "Well, what do you have on you?"

"I…I don't have…anything…" The smaller boy's struggles were getting weaker now.

Glancing behind him at the other boys who were resting their backs against a nearby wall, the leader smiled darkly. "Hey guys, shall we make sure his story checks out?"

A minute later they had emptied the child's pockets and found only one thing, a deck of Duel Monsters cards.

"Psh, this is it?" The leader fanned the cards out in front of his face. "Sheesh, what a pathetic deck. You can't be a duelist if these are the cards you carry on you to duel with. Therefore I'll just take this as the payment, and now you're free to go. Get moving."

The boy stared wide-eyed at the deck. "I…I can't leave without that deck!"

The leader of the little gang glared at the kid. "Scram blondie, before I change my mind and not let you pass."

"You have to give me that deck back first!" The boy yelled adamantly.

"Alright, you asked for it then…" The leader wound up to strike the child in the face…and then collapsed to his knees gasping for air as someone charged in and drove their fist into his stomach.

The other gang members all gaped at the black-haired guy that had seemingly appeared from out of nowhere.

Nikolai handed the deck to the child. "You might want to get out of the way." Then he turned to face the dozen or so boys. "Well then, it looks like I've got to throw down with another group of guys who think they can take the law into their own hands."

----------------------------------------------

_Two years later…_

----------------------------------

Nikolai clutched at one side of his face and gasped for air. "Stop…stop it…"

"I place one card face-down and end my turn." Amaeura smiled to the trembling boy. "Is there a problem, Nikolai?"

"D…draw…." Snapping the top card off of his deck, the Russian duelist tried to forget the images that had just flashed through his head.

Amaeura pulled the top card off of her deck. "Let's see what happened next, shall we?" She flipped the card over. "The card is Queen of Wands, which is special summoned to the field." An elegantly-robed female demon appeared on the field, holding a large wooden staff in one hand. (1300/1200) Up above the creature's head a card appeared and started turning. "Well then Nikolai?"

"Stop." His eyes narrowed as it stopped upside-down. "And it does?"

She pointed at him. "You gain life points equal to the number of cards in your graveyard times 100." (NLP: 1475) "What interests more is that the Queen of Wands, when reversed, indicates that your ego got the better of you. Something tragic happened…"

------------------------------

_Two years ago…_

------------------------------

Nikolai's eyes slowly cracked open, and he immediately regretted it as pain exploded through his side. "Ow, what happened?"

"I would have to say that you were severely beaten by several boys at once, or at least that was what was going on when I found you." The speaker was near him, though it was hard to understand what he was saying around his thick Russian accent. "I have to hand it to you though; you've got some guts for leaping in like that to save my boy. Therefore I owe you a debt I don't believe I can repay. We have little money, but you are more than welcome to stay here as long as you wish."

"I'll take you up on that offer, at least for right now." Nikolai curled up in the bed he was lying in. "The name's Nikolai, by the way. What's yours?"

A rumbling chuckle came from the man. "Demetrius Ivanov, a pleasure to meet you Nikolai."

---------------------

_Two years later…_

---------------------

Amaeura was even more interested now. "This is turning into quite an amusing story. Now then, it is still your turn Nikolai."

The Russian duelist looked at the one card in his hand and shakily slid it into his duel disk. "I place one card face-down…end turn. No more…stop it…"

"I'm afraid I have to decline," The seer drew. "And now for the next card. So let us see so far, you made a stand and paid for it…what happened next?" She flipped the top card of her deck up. "The magic card Suit of Sword X." The card appeared in the air and started turning. "Well then, Nikolai…"

"Stop." The Russian boy watched the card spot while upside down.

Amaeura smiled slightly as the monsters on her field exploded. "The upside-down effect of Suit of Sword X destroys all monsters on my field. However, I couldn't care less about that. What I do care about is that this card says you were on the verge of utter destruction…of utter hopelessness. Yet this Demetrius brought you back from the brink somehow."

--------------------------------

_Two years ago…_

--------------------------------

Nikolai sat up in bed and looked over at the table that sat in the middle of the small one room home. "I suppose I'd better get out of your hair. I can move on my own now." Pain shot through his side, though he didn't show it.

"What is your hurry, my friend?" A blond-haired titan of a man, Demetrius, sat at the table with his son eating dinner. "Come and join us for a little while. We might not have much to eat, but I offer you whatever we have to help yourself get your strength back."

"I'll have to decline…" Nikolai had realized how pointless his wishes to find a new life were now. After that beating he had realized just how weak he really was. "Thank you for the hospitality, but I'm…"

"If you're going to leave like that then let me make a deal." Demetrius smiled widely and ran his hands through his blond mustache, while his son smiled as well. "I noticed that you had a deck of Duel Monster cards in your possession, though it was a rather incomplete deck."

"Yeah…" Nikolai let out a tired sigh. "Another thing I'm giving up on. I don't have the necessary skills or cards to make any headway in such a game."

"Well then before you go and retire how about we have one game." Demetrius smiled to his son once more. "Alonzo, could you please get my deck?"

--------------------------------------

_Two years later…_

--------------------------------------

Amaeura glanced at the card she had drawn. "End turn, for now."

Nikolai looked at his deck, eyes trembling. "I…I…draw." He could not stop here. He would defeat her for the sake of the world, and if that meant reliving those horrid moments, then so be it.

Amaeura pulled the top card off of her deck. "The card in this case…" Her eyes widened in complete surprise. "This…this makes little sense. Either way, this makes no sense at all. How could you go from such utter loss to…" She frowned and flipped the card over. "Arcana Force XXI-The World is special summoned." (1000/3000) A pulsing globe of grey flesh appeared on her field. "If you please."

"Stop." Nikolai watched the card stop while rightside-up. "And this does?"

"The World now gains the attack of all monsters on the field other than The World now have their attack added to The World at this time." Amaeura narrowed her eyes. "This indicates that you suddenly went from hopelessness and loss to completion."

Nikolai closed his eyes, remembering those warm times. "I lost to Demetrius horribly in that duel. He utterly destroyed me, which was amazing considering his deck was supposed to be useless. However, I realized later it was a Soul Force deck. Demetrius was a soul of light, and that made his deck one of a pure spirit. It was powerful for that reason, and the cards only became their true forms when he was using the deck. A perfect duelist deck hidden as a stack of useless throw-away cards was the ultimate weapon. It was that man's soul…and after my loss I stayed with him and his son for about a month to learn about Demetrius. He was a Duel Monsters champion in his younger years, and then one day he wound up in a darkness game. In that one game his Soul Force deck materialized and he realized just what he had gotten into. He hid at that time, and wished to live his life in peace…"

"And then?" The seer noticed that Nikolai had inserted his drawn card into his disk. "I see, setting one face-down and ending your turn. Very well, we'll let the spread tell me what I wish to know." She drew and added the card to her hand. "And then…" The top card of her deck flipped up. "It is the magic card Suit of Wand VIII." The card appeared in the air and started turning. "Come now Nikolai, let us see what happened next."

"Stop." Nikolai already knew how it would end. "It is upside-down."

"That is correct." She pointed at him. "Discard three magic cards from your deck."

Nikolai did so. "I disturbed a balance I shouldn't have. One evening I followed him when he left the house. I was curious as to where he was going so late at night…"

------------------

_Two years ago…_

------------------

Lightning crashed down across the barren spot of land they stood on. Blood dripped down Demetrius' massive chest, and he was gasping for air while trying to draw his next card. "I…draw…" On his field stood a pair of dragons, both of them bathed in golden light and sheathed in golden armor. "I…" One last gasp of air escaped from his throat before he collapsed to the ground dead, the darkness game instantly ending as it sensed his passing.

From his hiding place, Nikolai stared in horror as he watched Demetrius' opponent walked slowly up the man's body. ("No…this…this doesn't make sense…")

The cloaked form that had been the man's opponent kneeled and checked Demetrius' pockets. After a few moments it sighed loudly and stood up. "What a waste of my time…this man's Soul Force was pitifully weak. It's getting so hard to find good prey these days…" He kicked the fallen body a couple of times.

"Stop it!" Nikolai leapt out of hiding, terrified that he was actually doing this…and yet he knew that he would not hide and watch the body of the man who had treated him like a son be defiled by this monster. "You've beaten him already, what more do you want? You killed him, there's nothing else…"

The cloaked figure snickered loudly. "So I see now…why he was so weak. Whenever a Shadow user and a Force user spend an extended amount of time close to each other it results in the overall weakening of both parties." He pulled back his hood to reveal his demonic features. "How lucky though, that I'll gain another soul to my collection."

"What are you…" Nikolai felt cold all over as the darkness game formed, a duel disk appearing on his arm. "What…I…"

"This will be your grave, along with his," The demon laughed loudly. "Beings with Shadow and Force decks are said to become legends at one point or another…hence why I spend my time killing them before that comes to pass. More often than not those pains tend to become legends for doing something sickeningly heroic…"

Nikolai drew, his mind slowly trying to reason through this. ("These cards…are so weak…")

"You might be a little disappointed with those cards, which is natural," The demon laughed again. "After all, this is much like a fox fighting a baby chick…your Shadow deck is so undeveloped that you'd be better off using a normal deck instead. However it's too late to run…all you have left to look forward to is death!"

-------------------------

_Two years later…_

-------------------------

Nikolai remembered it all too clearly. "I was terrified, frightened beyond logic at that point. I knew nothing of darkness, or of demons. It was like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from…" He remembered the duel play for play and how his nearly formless Shadows were torn to shreds one by one. "It was no contest. I was going to die."

Amaeura leaned forward. "End turn. Now I must see this last past card. I must see the truth…"

Nikolai drew, as did she. "The final turn…the final turn…" His normally ever-cryptic features broke with an overflow of emotions…of anger and sadness. "I saw a light…and without realizing it…"

The seer held the final past card up. "I see…"

-----------------------------

_Two years ago…_

-----------------------------

The demon sneered as he watched his monster tear down the last defense of the hatchling Shadow duelist. "End turn. You are down to nothing but the card you draw, while I still have my full hand. What more can you do?"

Nikolai felt it, that light. It was seeking salvation….seeking protection…

The demon's eyes widened in surprise as tears started pouring down Nikolai's face. "Eh? You're snapping mentally, huh?"

"Snapping?" Nikolai continued to tremble as he drew. "No. Mentally I'm fine…" His eyes lifted to reveal a guilt that could only exist in the eye of one who had done something horrible…

--------------------------------

_Two years later…_

--------------------------------

"The card is the worst one to draw….Arcana Force XVI-The Tower." Amaeura watched it appear as a huge pulsating white tower of demonic flesh. "Call for the…" The card above stopped turning on its own, standing rightside-up. "So it selected on its own? A shame, Nikolai, as when it ends up rightside-up all cards in your hand and on your field disappear from the game."

Nikolai clutched at his head, not even noticing all of his defenses vanishing.

The seer let out a sound of understanding. "Something was destroyed….something important…"

---------------------------

_Two years ago…_

---------------------------

"I only wish right after defeating you I could send myself to hell for what I have just done." He drew, no more fear in his voice. The card he had drawn had a swirling mass of black and golden energy on it, no text or picture. "You wanted to see a challenge? Perhaps this Shadow deck isn't enough, but what happens if you face a deck that is both light and darkness?" Then the card took its shape, and the duel was as good as his.

A few minutes later he walked away from the corpse of the demon and of the man who had become like a father to him without a tear on his cheek. There would be no sympathy for him…no love or pity even. There would be only hatred for him. Hatred and eventually eternal damnation were going to be his only rewards when he died. ("Light and darkness cannot be intertwined in harmony…")

In his moment of weakness, of fear…he had done something worse than murder…

----------------------------

_Two years later…_

----------------------------

Nikolai had stopped his emotional release…this was not the time or the place. His face merely reflected that grey darkness that was his existence. "…for the two cannot exist in such a way. They would always be at war with one another…unless one of two things happened. The first is that one enslaved the other, but that would result in a union of weakness, not strength."

Amaeura had gone silent, merely looking at Nikolai with a slight mix of amazement and understanding.

"The only way is to do something no living being should ever do to another." Holding up his duel disk, the Russian duelist motioned to the deck. "This deck is my eternal reminder that when I die I will burn for eternity in hell, and rightly so. It is darkness that has consumed the light. The soul that sought salvation, that light, was the bodyless spirit of Demetrius Ivanov…and I accepted the helpless soul of light into my body, before brutally swallowing it whole into my own power."

"I am Nikolai Corben, a creature that does not deserve love or friendship…" From behind him a burning pillar of black fire appeared with flecks of gold sprinkling within the immense dark power. "The Chaos Shadows are not a mix of shadows and light, they are Shadows who have consumed the light of a living soul which screamed in confusion and fear as its apparent safe haven turned into a buffet."

"I am Nikolai Corben," he declared once more. "A Shadow duelist, a Savior…and the murderer of the soul of a kind and gentle man."

_To be continued…_


	66. Future and Chaos Part 3

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 66: Future and Chaos (Part 3)

"_I am Nikolai Corben, a creature that does not deserve love or friendship…" From behind him a burning pillar of black fire appeared with flecks of gold sprinkling within the immense dark power. "The Chaos Shadows are not a mix of shadows and light, they are Shadows who have consumed the light of a living soul which screamed in confusion and fear as its apparent safe haven turned into a buffet."_

"_I am Nikolai Corben," he declared once more. "A Shadow duelist, a Savior…and the murderer of the soul of a kind and gentle man."_

Amaeura started to giggle loudly, sounding truly amused. "So that is all? You destroyed one measly defenseless soul? That's your big secret?"

"I should feel bad about what's about to happen to you, but considering what you just said," Nikolai cracked a dark smile. "One of my face-down cards was Chaos Karma. When that card is destroyed or removed by an effect that only hits my field then you get affected as well."

Amaeura gasped as the two cards in her hand, along with her Ten Card Spread, The Tower, The World, and her two set cards vanished all at once. "You…you…"

"I believe our little session of Question and Answer is over," The Russian duelist removed a card from his deck. "However, I'll be more than glad to finish you quickly so as not to waste your precious time, you heartless bitch. The other set card on my field was Chaos Beacon. When this card is removed from the game while on my field I can special summon a level four or lower Chaos Shadow from my deck to the field."

A black-robed humanoid with numerous crystal balls floating around its head appeared in play. "My special summoned monster is Chaos Shadow Wishmaster." (1000/1200) "When this monster is summoned I remove the top card of my deck from the game, and I do this again during each of my standby phases."

He slid two cards off of his deck and placed them into his back pocket. "Since it is still my draw phase, I'll go to my standby phase and remove two cards in total." Then he pointed at her. "Wishmaster, show her hell!" One of the monster's orbs launched forwards and stopped right before it passed Amaeura's crimson veil. "End turn."

Nikolai- 1475

Amaeura- 3000

The seer giggled again. "Nikolai Corben, you interest me in that you can feel such guilt for simply doing what was necessary to save your life. Was it really so bad that you destroyed the soul of someone you only knew for one month? Considering your important purpose, wasn't the sacrifice worth it?"

"That doesn't change the fact that I am a murderer for doing it." His black hair falling over his eyes, Nikolai pointed at her. "Now take your turn, since you can no longer use that Ten Card Spread."

"Draw." Amaeura had so many questions now, but she knew that this was not the time to ask them. ("Very well, I'll stop reading your past and read your future instead.") "I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, drawing two cards from my deck." Picking two cards up from the stack sitting on her 'board', the Blood Child looked at both of them and then held one up. "I activate the continuous magic card Tarot Reading; Future Ties. This card will be my last card reading service for you, Nikolai."

"Damn it, aren't you tired of looking at my fate?" He glared at her. "You already know enough about my past, so now you're going to pry into my future?"

"I do this as a service and as an apology for my laughing at whatever upset you. The effect of Tarot Reading; Future Ties allows me to declare any number of cards up to five. I declare five. Now you draw a number of cards equal to the number I called."

Nikolai pulled five cards off of his rather depleted deck. "And now you get to read the next five compatible cards off your deck, correct?"

"That's correct." She picked up her deck and started shuffling. "First though Future Ties says I need to shuffle my deck. After which I will begin." Placing the deck back in place, she started to breathe rhythmically.

Her first card appeared in the air above her. "My first card is Arcana Force X-Wheel of Fortune!" Behind her a giant wheel with demons holding up its bottom and angels flying around its top appeared in play. "This card becomes a field magic card at this time. Also, as per the effect of my other cards…" A copy of the card appeared over the wheel and started spinning.

"Stop." Nikolai narrowed his eyes as the card stopped upside-down. "So, what does it mean?"

"During our draw phases we may look at the top card of our deck first. We may either draw the card or place it on the bottom of our deck and then draw normally. A slight gamble, but seeing our options and all…" She held up two fingers. "The second effect of this card will only really benefit me, but you may use it as well. Once per each of our turns we may draw the top card of our deck. If that card is an Arcana Force monster then it is added to our hands, if not it is shuffled back into our decks."

"I could care less about the effect…" Nikolai looked at the cards in his hand. ("By letting me draw five cards you've set yourself for the loss during my next turn.")

"Then let me explain the meaning." Amaeura motioned behind her at the wheel. "This card can represent many things, such as the passing of time. It can also represent fate, and which direction it is going. Therefore it is merely an indication that this is not set in stone." She picked up her deck and started shuffling again. "Let us see what the next card is, shall we?"

A horrid monster in priestly clothing appeared on her field. "Arcana Force V-The Hierophant is special summoned." (1600/1600) The monster's card appeared over its head and started spinning.

"Stop." Nikolai watched it stop upside-down. "A Reverse man of piety?"

"A situation will soon emerge that will call a tradition into question. When that time comes, perhaps it might be best to reconsider that tradition." She drew two cards. "The reverse effect of The Hierophant lets me draw two cards, but that is unimportant." Picking her deck up, she resumed shuffling before placing the stack back in place. "Now then, our next draw…"

A trap appeared on the field and started turning. "Any trap drawn by Future Ties can be activated immediately, though if the timing is inappropriate then the card will simply be destroyed. The card in question is Suit of Wand VII."

"Stop."

Amaeura seemed extremely interested as the card stopped rightside-up. "Someone's actions or beliefs will be called into extreme questioning. As the card's actual effect, it will only work in counter to a magic or trap card." The trap shattered as it was sent to the graveyard, while she resumed her shuffling. "And our next card…" A magic card appeared on her field. "The magic card Suit of Cups II. Well then, shall we see what happens?"

"Stop." Nikolai was getting sick of saying that word.

The card stopped upside down. "The reverse effect of Suit of Cups II is that we both lose 1000 life points."

Nikolai- 475

Amaeura- 2000

Something about the card definitely was putting a smile on the seer's face. "I see. Reverse Two of Cups would indicate a bad pairing of some sorts, perhaps a disagreement between two who would work better as a team?" Placing the card in her graveyard, she shuffled once more. "Our last card…"

A ball of orange flames appeared on her field. "Arcana Force XVIIII-The Sun." (900/900) The card started turning.

"Stop making me say stop."

The card stopped rightside-up. "First the effect. When The Sun stops rightside-up both you and I draw two cards and gain 1000 life points."

Nikolai- 1475

Amaeura- 3000

"The Sun speaks of your role, and that you should relax and accept things which will happen that you may not agree with." Amaeura placed her Future Ties card into the graveyard. "Now that we're done with that, please keep something in mind. All of those readings were called ties for a reason. Each one of them will focus around a different person's future, signaling a chain of events from card to card."

"Since I don't believe you can predict the future with just cards and luck, I'll take that advice with a grain of salt." Nikolai noticed that Amaeura was stretching. "What are you limbering up for?"

"I'm very stiff right now, and while I have enjoyed our time together very much I need to be off. I have a dinner date with my love of loves." She placed a card on her field. "I activate the magic card Mystical Space Typhoon, destroying The Wheel of Fortune." Behind her a blast of powerful wind shattered the wheel, and all cards on the field disappeared. "When The World is destroyed the game ends in a tie. Therefore I'll take my leave of you now, Nikolai."

"Wait!" He nearly leapt forward to try and stop her. "What about the Mysteries? And you still don't remember our encounter in the past, do you?"

"No, I do not," She glanced at the unconscious human underneath. "As for this one, I did not send them and neither did my love. We have nothing to do with the squabbles of humanity, for the time being." The crimson veil parted to reveal she was gone.

Nikolai replaced his deck in his pocket and let out a frustrated sigh. "She just up and left, I couldn't do anything to stop…" The grass behind him rustled slightly. "So, how long have you been up and about?"

Ichigo let out a low growl under his breath. "Long enough to make what I'm about to do to you justified."

Nikolai got ready for the inevitable punch to the face. Instead he felt a hand on his shoulder. ("I swear if you say…")

"I forgive you, at least." Ichigo shoved his hands in his pockets and walked off.

("He patronizes me for fun, I know it.") The Russian duelist glanced behind him angrily, and glared at Ichigo's back.

----------------------------------

In the shadow of his rented office, the shadowed form took another sip of his drink. "So, all of the Mysteries have returned to me. Every one of the students I targeted passed the tests. Interestingly, I also got to see what may be a couple of potential duelists who aren't of the academy's roster too."

Placing the wine glass off to his side, the form looked out the blinds of the window and smiled calmly. "It all comes together according to my plan. I will assemble the greatest of the youngest duelists I know of and bring forth a team capable of destroying all of the other challengers at the DMWC."

He looked down at his hand and flexed the appendage a couple of times. "It's so boring in the business world." Flicking back a couple locks of his night-black hair, a carbon copy of Ichigo sighed in exasperation. "This entire world bores me to no end. I have yet to find a duelist near me in caliber, and as the enforcer of the darkness games I get the pleasure of not being able to simply lay back and relax. It is a hard life, being the Dark Halo when it is not wartime for the demon race."

Off to his side a cell phone sitting next to the wine glass started ringing. Picking it up, Halo held it up to his ear. "Speak."

"_Hi Halo!"_ A very loud and cheerful voice at the other end of the phone hit the dark being with enough volume to knock his chair over.

"Why are you calling me at this time of day?" Not even bothering to get up, Halo sat completely sideways in the fallen-over seat like nothing was wrong.

"_Because Wilson and Randolph won't let me have any fun!"_ You could hear the pout in her voice.

"I told them not to interfere with you on your shopping trip in the mall unless you were going to do something that would either hurt yourself or cause problems for the law. Therefore I doubt your intent is innocent." He spoke with logic, because he knew that was the only weapon to counter the sickeningly sweet innocence of a goddess incarnate.

"_I just wanted to ride the elephant, that's all."_

"…Elephant?" Halo narrowed his eyes. "What elephant?" In the background he could hear a loud trumpeting noise, followed by something that sounded like a stampede.

"_The elephant in Africa, of course."_

"Africa?" He calmly said into the phone. "How are you in Africa?"

"_Well I was really bored with the normal shopping so I borrowed the plane and flew to Africa. Don't worry though, Wilson and Randolph are with me and we're having fun running with the cute elephants now…though they seem to be falling behind a bit."_ The signal cut out.

"……" Clicking the phone closed, the dark enforcer sat his chair rightside-up again. "Next time I'll have to be a bit more specific when I tell them to let her do whatever she wants as long as she doesn't break the two key rules." This wasn't the worst she had ever done, but it ranked up there. "I suppose she's just letting out some excess energy. After all I don't think she's going to like it when I'll have to keep her at my side during the DMWC."

Now was not the time to think on these things though. He had work that needed to be done. There were a lot of things to prepare for before he could officially come forth and speak with his chosen team. ("So for now enjoy yourselves, my friends. Enjoy life at Duel Academy…because very soon you'll be taking an extended break from that place to work under me.")

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: Yes, this is a bit shorter than what I'm used to writing. It's just that I pondered Ichigo giving a whole something or other speech to Nikolai, and then it occurred to me that Nikolai would just ignore him and walk off. Besides, there's things that need to be done.

_A duel between the ultimate genetic and anime genius of Duelist Academy and the head of the Duelist Academy Fashion Club. What's the stakes though?_


	67. Fashion Battle Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinite Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 67: Fashion Battle (Part 1)

Professor Midas King stood between the two who were in the dueling ring, a microphone in his hand. "Hand your deck to your opponent."

Masami, the glare from his glasses hiding his eyes, gave his quirky little smirk. He extended his arm to his opponent, his deck resting on top of his open palm. "Here you go."

His opponent was an Obelisk Blue girl with extremely long hair, the light-blue threads braided beautifully over her shoulders. Her cold green eyes showed that she did not like the Ra Yellow at all. "You still carry that aura of arrogance, even in this duel."

She handed him her deck and took his, shuffling it a couple of times before exchanging decks once more. "There, now it will all come down to whichever one of us has the best mix of dueling and fashion. See you on the battlefield, Morioka." She turned and walked over to her end of the ring.

Masami rubbed the tip of his nose gently before turning and walking over to the opposite side of the field. ("So this is what it comes down to, eh? After the last few weeks of pushing and pushing, I've finally gotten my chance to achieve one of my dreams. That is if I can defeat the president of the Duelist Academy Fashion Club, Chohaya Tanmono.")

----------------------------

Up in the stands Griff yawned loudly and rubbed some sleep from his eyes. "So tell me again why we're here?" He motioned to the stands filled with groups of very tired students. "It's so early in the morning, and we were required to come to this stupid duel. Am I at least going to get to see Megame get what's coming to him?"

Ichigo, still in cat demon form, and Krieger glared at him.

"If looks could kill," Using his Ra Yellow jumper as a blanket, Griff yawned loudly and got ready to fall asleep in his seat.

"This is very important for a reason, Griff." Krieger looked dead serious. "This is an official duel to decide who is going to be the president of the Duel Academy Fashion Club. If Masami wins this then it will be a major change in Duel Academy undertakings from that point onward. Or do you not realize that the president of the Duel Academy Fashion Club is given very important privileges concerning the school dress code?"

"You...you mean if Megame wins he gets to decide what the students of the academy are going to wear?" Griff looked absolute aghast at the idea of wearing anything created by that creep.

"It's not quite that serious." Krieger shrugged innocently, realizing perhaps he had put a little bit too much emphasis on that part. "It's still a democratic system, but it still is a position of much prestige in the academy. And considering that Ms. Tanmono is a third year student and Masami is a first year, this will definitely be a major change if he wins."

"How did he get permission to challenge her for this position though?" Griff was starting to realize that this was going to be extremely important to him.

"Masami has been a popular member of the Fashion Club, or so I've heard. You have to get at least sixty percent of the current Fashion Club members to sign a petition saying they support you before you are allowed to make a challenge. After which you have to present at least three clothing or fashion designs that pass the evaluations of the other members of the club besides the president." The half cat demon sighed and ran his hands through the white streaks in his hair. "This is a battle against a twenty year old tradition of Duel Academy."

Griff let out an angry snarl. "This guy really rubs me the wrong way. Who's he to come the academy and just start trying to change rules since…"

"From what I've heard he's been aiming for this since he managed to get past the rule which prevented new students from entering the club, and he's spent most of his time working towards this one moment." Krieger laced his fingers together. "For all you and I know this might be the reason he wanted to come to Duel Academy. We cannot just write it off as him wanting to show up everyone else."

"Not that I'm complaining," Ichigo threw in, "but if this is a concern of the Fashion Club then why are they deciding it with a duel?"

"It comes down to a duel because there is no other sure-fire way to see who is fit to become the president of the Fashion Club of Duel Academy than by who duels best." Griff knew this much, at least. "Apparently Megame has all kinds of ideas in the works that I guess he needs to be the president of the Fashion Club to implement."

Ichigo grinned and learned forward, not looking tired in the slightest. "This will be awesome…I wonder if Masami will be able to win using his Alien Deck."

-------------------------------

"I suppose it had to come to this, didn't it Tanmono-sempai?" Masami gave that quirky smile of his again and placed his deck into its slot. "Depending on the winner of this duel the rules of this academy will change."

"I don't intend for you to win, as I don't like your bizarre ideas." Chohaya glared at the green-haired Ra Yellow with contempt. "You want to ruin this school just to support your weird cosplay fantasies, Morioka. I won't let that happen." Her deck slid into her duel disk as well.

"_Begin!"_ Professor King hopped off of the dueling ring right before the two activated their duel disks at the same time.

"Duel!"

Masami- 4000

Chohaya- 4000

"Say what you will about what I want to do if I win, but I'll let you know right now that I'm pulling out all the stops against you. Draw!" Masami held up the drawn card. "This'll do for now. I place one monster face-down on my field and one card face-down on my field. End turn!" A pair of face-down cards appeared on his field.

Chohaya drew the top card of her deck and looked at the cards in her hand. "Morioka, I will admit that some of your ideas were rather interesting…but that is all. You have a long way to go before you approach the level of skill needed to be the president of this club, and you know it! From my hand I summon Female Dress-Up Marionette in attack mode!" A female wooden doll appeared on her field. (500/500)

"A monster with only 500 attack points huh?" Masami crossed his arms across his chest. "Obviously there's more to it than that, but I wonder what else you've got waiting for me."

"I've got this." She held up a magic card. "I play the equipment magic card Evening Wear." A beautiful black evening gown appeared on her monster. "This card can only equip to a card with Dress-Up in its title, increasing the equipped monster's attack power by 300 points." (800/500) "Battle!" The doll creaked to life and glided across the field, kicking through the set monster on Masami's field.

Masami grinned and held up the destroyed monster. "I originally couldn't decide which of my many tribute sets to use, but I finally decided that I'd go for a little bit of flair in this duel! The monster you destroyed was Anime Animator, (400/500) and when this monster is destroyed and sent to the graveyard I can special summon one level four or lower Anime Character type monster from my deck to the field!"

"An Anime deck?" Chohaya glared at Masami, who just shrugged innocently. "This is supposed to be a duel of fashion!"

Masami stuck his tongue out at her. "And it will be bleah!" Removing a card from his deck he smirked and tossed it down onto his field. "With the effect of Anime Animator I special summon Anime Character; Get Backers-Amano Ginji!" A blast of lightning his field and formed into a short blond-haired guy wearing a pair of cargo shorts, a white t-shirt, and a green sleeveless jacket. (1400/1400)

Masami motioned to his monster with a flourish, speaking the audience now. "As you can see here Ginji-kun is wearing the latest in freedom of movement fashion, which is good since he's a pretty energetic guy to be around. Speaking of energy, that's his special ability." Lightning started crackling along Ginji's body. "For every face-up magic card in play he gains 200 attack points." (1600/1400)

Chohaya snorted derisively. "For every equipment card on my Female Dress-Up Marionette she can attack one more time besides her normal attack! Battle!"

Masami lifted an eyebrow. "Ummm, right. Ginji, counter-attack with Lightning Strike!" His monster snapped up one fist, lightning building along the man's fist.

"When the monster equipped with Evening Wear battles with a stronger monster the attack of the stronger monster is added to her power!" (2400/500) Chohaya smirked as her doll kicked right through the anime character, shattering him easily.

Masami- 3200

Chohaya- 4000

Hair swept behind him by the backlash, Masami frowned and pointed at his set card. "Reverse card open!" A green glow surrounded him. "My card the trap card Genome Booster. When a monster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle I gain that monster's printed attack in life points and add one same level Genetic named monster from my deck to my hand." He removed a card from his deck and held it up. "My choice is Genetic Guardna." (400/1600)

Masami- 4600

Chohaya- 4000

The President of the Fashion Club gingerly pulled a card out of her hand and inserted it into her duel disk. "I place one card face-down on my field. End turn."

"Draw!" Now that Masami knew the effect of that Evening Wear card there was nothing he could do except defend. ("It's very powerful, but I definitely can't give up now.") "I summon Genetic Guardna in defense mode." A semi-naked male humanoid with a metal helmet over his head and a large cast-steel shield in front of him appeared on the Ra Yellow's field. (400/1600) "When this monster is summoned I may add one card with DNA Helix in its title from my deck to my hand."

Removing a card from his deck, Masami slid it into his disk. "I activate the continuous magic card DNA Helix-Tortoise, targeting my Genetic Guardna." His warrior grunted, changing into a strange mix of human and turtle. "The targeted Genetic monster gains 1000 defense points, as well as has water attribute and aqua type added to its card." (400/2600)

Looking once more at the other cards in his hand, Masami knew that he'd need to be more careful or else a monster like that Marionette would destroy him next turn. "Also I'll play the continuous magic card Long Ordeal. While this card is in play I can pay 500 life points when you destroy a monster on my field as a result of battle to draw one card. End turn."

Chohaya snapped the top card off of her disk and smirked at Masami. "You're already on the defensive, Morioka? That's a shame, since you won't make it past this turn." She tossed a card onto her disk. "I summon Fashion Designer in attack mode." A pony-tailed man wearing fashionable clothes appeared on her field. (1000/1000) "I may send this monster from my field to my deck. At that time it is placed face-up, and when I next draw it I may discard it to add two equipment magic cards from my deck to my hand." The Fashion Designer disappeared off of her field and she shuffled it into her deck.

"That's all well and good, but you won't get past my defenses like that." Masami tried to play off her confidence as arrogance, but he knew the truth. ("She's got me forced to block while she sets up for the killing blow.")

"I end my turn for now, so how about you prove your worth to this academy instead of cower behind your utterly disturbing monster." She folded her arms under her chest and shot him an amused look. "That is, of course, if you've got the skills necessary as a member of the Fashion Club."

"Yeah, yeah," Masami muttered before drawing. ("She knows that if I summon a stronger monster and attack all I'll be doing is letting that Marionette hit me directly.") "I end my turn."

"Draw." Chohaya placed another card on her disk. "I summon another Fashion Designer." (1000/1000) "And then like before I'll shuffle him into my deck face-up." The monster quickly appeared and then disappeared. "End turn."

Masami drew. ("I still haven't drawn anything.") "End turn."

Chohaya closed her eyes and smiled. "You're awfully quiet over there, Morioka. It's a strange change of pace, as you normally make quite the ruckus when we have club meetings."

She drew. "I play the magic card Soldier's Armory. This card lets me discard a warrior type monster from my hand to look at the top ten cards of my deck. I may then select one equipment magic card from amongst those cards and add them to my hand." She slid a card into her graveyard and pulled the top ten cards off of her deck. "Ah, this will do." She added a card to her hand and shuffled her deck.

Masami narrowed his eyes, though this action was barely visible behind his glasses.

"From my hand I equip my Marionette with the equipment magic card Dress Up!" Her monster started to glow. "The equipped monster gains 300 attack points and when it attacks all monsters on your field switch into attack mode and battle with it." (1100/500) "Battle!" Her monster glided towards Masami's Guardna.

The green-haired boy gasped as his genetically-altered stood up just in time to get kicked in the face and destroyed.

Masami- 3900

Chohaya- 4000

Masami pointed at his Long Ordeal card. "I activate my continuous magic card, paying 500 life points to draw one card!" Then he cried out in pain as the Marionette kicked him in the ribs.

Masami- 2300

Chohaya- 4000

Chohaya laughed at how sad Masami looked now. "Your defense is gone, and it seems that I am slowly tearing you apart. End turn."

"So it would seem," Masami gasped out, regaining his balance. "However, I'm not beaten just yet! Draw!" He nodded at the card he had pulled off of his deck. "I activate the magic card Giant Trunade, sending all magic and trap cards in play back to their owner's hands!" A powerful storm blew across the field and everything but the Female Dress-Up Marionette disappeared. (500/500)

"And now to deal with your doll," Masami threw a card onto his disk. "I summon Genetic Maiden." A humanoid female covered with metal armoring appeared on his field. (800/800) "When this card is summoned all DNA Helix cards in play switch their targets to her, but since there are no DNA Helix cards in play that won't be necessary! Go Maiden, attack now!" The female warrior leapt across the field and kicked through the wooden doll.

Masami- 2300

Chohaya- 3700

Masami smiled slightly and slid two cards into his disk. "I place one card face-down and activate Long Ordeal once more. End turn." Then he grinned across the field. "From the looks of it you're not exactly in any position to start chastising me for being cowardly, are you?"

Chohaya narrowed her eyes at him. "Just what are you implying?"

"I'm implying that you're just as afraid of me as I seemed to be of you. After all if I win then you'll lose your position as president of the Fashion Club to me." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Would you care to dispute that fact?"

"Draw!" Chohaya looked at the drawn card and then at Masami. "You're a fool for underestimating me. I activate Pot of Greed." She drew two cards, and held one up to show that it was facing the wrong way. "Remember my Fashion Designer? Well I just drew it." Sliding the card into her graveyard, she removed her deck from its slot and pulled out a pair of equipment magic cards. "And now I'll show you what real fashion is all about, Masami Morioka. With my hand as it is right now I can defeat you in this one turn!"

Masami let a lock of his hair fall over the drop of sweat he could feel on the side of his head to hide it. "Then let's see what you can do, shall we?"

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: There's a couple new things up in The Infinity Chronicles forums, just to let you all know.


	68. Fashion Battle Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 68: Fashion Battle (Part 2)

"_Draw!" Chohaya looked at the drawn card and then at Masami. "You're a fool for underestimating me. I activate Pot of Greed." She drew two cards, and held one up to show that it was facing the wrong way. "Remember my Fashion Designer? Well I just drew it." Sliding the card into her graveyard, she removed her deck from its slot and pulled out a pair of equipment magic cards. "And now I'll show you what real fashion is all about, Masami Morioka. With my hand as it is right now I can defeat you in this one turn!"_

_Masami let a lock of his hair fall over the drop of sweat he could feel on the side of his head to hide it. "Then let's see what you can do, shall we?"_

"Yes, let's," She held up one of the cards she had searched for. "I activate the equipment magic card Premature Burial. At the cost of 800 life points I can revive one monster from my graveyard and equip it with this card." A pulse of light came from her graveyard slot. "I'll be reviving the Mighty Dress-Up Marionette that I discarded with Soldier's Armory." A giant block-bodied wooden doll appeared on her field. (2000/0)

Masami- 2300

Chohaya- 2900

("Well that's just freaking great.") Masami looked at his set card. ("Oh well, I'll survive the attack for this turn at least.")

Chohaya slid a card from her hand into her disk. "I activate the equipment magic card Evening Wear on my Mighty Marionette, powering it up by 300 points." A giant-sized tuxedo appeared on the monster's body. (2300/0)

("That blasted Evening Wear card again. This time I'll have to be careful with it!") "Reverse card open now! Genetic Clone becomes a copy of one monster you have in play for the turn!" His trap shattered and reformed into an exact copy of the Mighty Marionette. (2300/0) "During this turn you cannot attack any monster on my field until you've gotten rid of this clone, but if you destroy it I'll take 1000 points of damage."

"I see, you know the one weakness of my Wear cards. I can only have one equipped to a single monster." She pointed at the clone. "Go! Tear that fake down!" Her monster charged forwards and met the clone Mighty Marionette fist to fist, creating a powerful explosion of concussive force. "At this time, when my Marionette would be destroyed, I can send one card equipped to it to the graveyard to prevent that from happening!" The Premature Burial card faded away. "And because Premature Burial wasn't destroyed the monster equipped to it stays."

Masami grimaced in frustration. ("She just keeps surprising me with these effects.") "At this time I pay 500 life points to draw a card thanks to Long Ordeal!"

Masami- 800

Chohaya- 2900

Chohaya slid a card into her disk. "I set one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

"Draw!" Masami looked at the assembled cards in his hand. ("I can't block too many more hits from her.") "I switch Genetic Maiden to defense mode and summoned Genetic Soldier from my hand to the field!" A steel-covered male humanoid appeared on his field in a crouching position. (1000/1000) "When this monster is summoned I can add one DNA Helix card from my deck to my hand." He removed a card from his deck and added it to his hand.

"More of your genetic monstrosities? I still see little fashion from you in this duel, Morioka." Chohoya smirked at him. "Perhaps you aren't cut out to be the president of the Fashion Club?"

Masami decided not to say anything to that for the moment. "From my hand I activate the field magic card Genetics Laboratory!" All around the two of them giant glass tubes rose into the air. "While this field card is in play all Genetic type monsters gain 400 attack points per DNA Helix targeting them. Also, when a Genetic type monster on my field is destroyed or removed from the game I may draw one card!"

Another continuous magic card appeared on his field. "I activate the continuous magic card DNA Helix-Basilisk." Reptilian scales appeared on the body of his Genetic Soldier as the creature turned into a mix of reptile and human. "This card changes the targeted Genetic monster into a reptile and an earth attribute. Also, I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Chohoya drew. "Mighty Marionette, attack the Genetic Maiden!" The wooden giant flew across the field and crushed the female monster under one of its fists.

Masami braced himself as a blur aura sprang to life around his body. "Continuous magic card activate! At the cost of 500 life points I draw one card, and Genetics Laboratory lets me draw one extra card!" Sliding two cards off of his deck, Masami narrowed his eyes at the drawn cards.

Masami- 300

Chohaya- 2900

The president of the Fashion Club smiled slightly. "You have only 300 life points remaining…that was a foolish mistake." Her face-down card flipped up. "I activate the trap card Fashion Disaster. When a Dress-Up named monster on my field destroys a monster on your field as a result of battle I can activate this card. All face-up cards on your field will be destroyed, and for every one destroyed you'll lose 100 life points." She braced herself as a red aura burned her skin. "However this card costs me 1000 life points."

Masami gasped right before a blast of red fire blew across his field and shattered all his face-up cards.

Masami- 800

Chohaya- 1900

Masami emerged from the fire cloud slowly, smoke rising from his uniform. "I activated my face-down Genome Therapy trap card in response to your trap. It let me gain 1000 life points for every DNA Helix card I had in play."

Chohaya narrowed her eyes at him and inserted a card from her hand into her duel disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw!" Masami snapped the top card off of his deck. ("Now I've got to be more careful with this.") "From my hand I activate the magic card Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two!" Pulling three new cards off of his deck he immediately discarded a pair of cards from his hand. "I discard DNA Helix-Tortoise, and DNA Helix-Dragon!"

("With so many cards in his hand I wonder what Morioka plans on doing now. Regardless of whatever he does though, I've got my own defenses set to protect me in case he attacks. And if he defends it'll go just as badly for him.") Chohaya was completely ready for anything he could do.

"It looks like I can get back to what I had planned originally!" Masami slammed a card into his disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Recovery Job. During my next turn I can send this card to the graveyard to special summon a Get Backers type monster from my deck to the field." Another magic card appeared on his field. "Also I activate the magic card Monster Reincarnation, discarding Genetic Chimera from my hand to return Anime Animator from my graveyard to my hand." He switched the discarded and returned cards out before straightening his hand.

"So you intend to have me help you bring out another of those things, do you?" Chohaya refused to call those pathetic cartoons anything else. "You can't honestly think I'll have trouble finishing off your life points this turn, can you?"

"You might, you might not." Masami slid another card into his disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Damage-Off Zone. While this card remains in play all battle damage to our life points is halved. Then I place one monster face-down and end my turn."

Chohaya drew. "You're sorely mistaken if you think I can't get past one measly monster. From my hand I activate the field magic card Fashion Runway!" The dueling field on her side changed to that of a runway used in fashion shows. "While this card is in play I may, once per turn, send one Wear named equipment magic card from a monster on my field back to my deck and add a different Wear card to my hand. I send Evening Wear back into my deck and search for Summer Wear!"

A tank-top and shorts took the place of the tuxedo on her Mighty Marionette. "This card increases the equipped monster's attack by 1000. Also when that monster battles with a defense mode monster and its attack is higher the difference will be dealt in battle damage to your life points!" (3000/0) "Battle!" Her Marionette punched forward and tore through the set monster to attack Masami directly.

"Damage-Off Zone's special ability activates now!" Masami pulled the continuous magic card out of his duel disk and slid it into his graveyard. "At the cost of this card and half my current life points I can reduce one instance of battle damage to my life points to zero!"

Masami- 400

Chohaya- 1900

The green-haired boy grabbed a card out of his deck. "At this time I special summon a level four or lower Anime Character monster from my deck to the field because of Anime Animator!" A spiky brown-haired man in a white dress shirt and pants wearing a pair of purple-tinted sunglasses appeared on his field. "I special summon Anime Character; Get Backers-Midou Ban!" (1300/1500)

"Another fashionless loser," Chohaya smirked at him. "Reverse card open!" Her face-down card flipped up and her Might Marionette flew forwards. "Combat Booster lets me discard a card from my hand to allow one monster on my field to attack again!"

Masami smiled slightly. "From my hand I activate Negate Attack!" A swirling vortex of power appeared in play, sucking the momentum out of the Mighty Marionette. "During this turn your attack is negated and your battle phase ended."

"How?" She stared at him. "I demand to know how you activated that trap from your hand!"

Masami took a deep breath…and then removed his glasses, scarlet eyes glistening. Sliding the folded glasses into his jumper pocket he smirked at her. "I refuse."

"You have to tell me if I ask." When he shook his head she looked over at Professor King. "Well then he's disqualified!"

"Incorrect, Ms. Tanmono," The golden-haired professor sat back in his seat. "Mr. Morioka informed me beforehand of what this is, and by the rules of something he has in effect he does not have to tell you how he did that."

Narrowing her eyes, Chohaya returned her cold gaze to the field. "That's fine then, I'll just end my turn here." ("It must be that Midou Ban monster he summoned. It must allow him to activate trap cards from his hand.")

Masami drew. "From my hand I activate the trap card Insurance Fraud. This card lets me activate it during the moment when a continuous magic or trap card would activate its effect. The card in question is destroyed and I draw two cards from my deck." His Recovery Job card shattered and he drew twice.

Chohaya glared angrily when Masami started laughing. "What do you find so funny all of a sudden?"

"You'll see right now." Masami discarded a card from his hand. "By offering one card from my hand I can special summon Anime Character; Original Character to my field!" (?) A question mark appeared over his head.

"You're inserting yourself into the duel?" She shrugged. "I suppose it'll be a nice feeling to strike you down personally."

"Sorry but this duel is nearing its finale." Masami thumbed at his chest and smirked. "Original Character costs me half of my life points when summoned, and its attack and defense are equal to the total paid." (200/200) He walked up to stand alongside Midou Ban. "Now then, this interesting little fashion episode needs to get spiced up a little. Would you care to help me with that?"

"I won't be helping you with anything, Morioka." She glared at him, losing her temper thanks to that confident smirk on his face.

"I don't believe you have a choice." Masami held up a magic card. "Clone Form activates now! I select one monster on my field and summon a Clone Token of it to your field."

Chohaya's eyes widened as a holographic counter appeared above her head. "You're creating a clone of Original Character?" (950/950)

"From my hand I activate the equipment magic card Transformation Gun!" A yellow laser-pistol like weapon appeared strapped to his hip. "I can remove one DNA Helix card from my graveyard to add its effects to one monster in play."

Drawing the weapon from his belt, he turned it around and aimed at himself. There was a blast of blinding light and when it cleared he had scaly skin and slotted grey eyes. "I remove DNA Helix-Basilisk from my graveyard and give its effect to myself. Since I special summoned Original Character in defense mode if you attack me then whatever monster attacks will get a very unpleasant surprise. I end my turn."

"Draw!" Chohaya looked at the cards in her hand. ("He can activate the last card in his hand if it's a trap, so I have to expect that's exactly what it is.") Looking at her drawn card she smirked just like Masami had. "I see, perhaps you won't be so easy to defeat. Therefore I'll play this continuous magic card." A card appeared on her field behind her. "It's called Inside Information. This card will, once per each of my turns, let you and I look at the top card of each other's deck." She walked across the field towards him calmly.

When they were only a couple of feet apart she held out a hand to him. "Well, if you'd be so kind."

Masami grimaced and removed his deck from its slot, handing it to her. "Go right ahead and take a look for yourself."

Leaning in close to him, she winked before taking the deck and drawing the top card of it. (DNA Helix-Squirrel) "Interesting little card you have coming up." She returned the card to the top of his deck. "And as for mine…"

"I'll pass, thank you." Masami yawned a little bit. "I'm kind of tired and I'd like to get this over with, if you please." When she handed him his deck he returned it to its slot.

Chohaya walked back towards her field with a wicked grin on her face. ("He may not have to tell me what Midou Ban is able to do, but thanks to Inside Information I got a very clear look at the text of the card. I know exactly what it can do now…") Standing next to her Mighty Marionette now, she turned to face him. "And now for the killing strike! From my hand I activate the equipment magic card Bad Fashion on your Anime Character! Whenever the equipped monster battles you discard the top two cards of your deck, and also all of the activation effects your monster has are negated. Therefore you can still activate trap cards from your hand since that is a continuous effect of your monster."

Masami gasped and looked at his duel disk. "You…you looked at the card while you were over here?"

"That's right." She pointed at Midou Ban. "Go Mighty Marionette, since now he can't activate the once per game defense effect of his monster has that means I've won!" Her monster launched across the field, preparing to punch through Masami's monster.

Masami smiled slightly. "Is that so?" He discarded two cards from his deck as per the effect of Bad Fashion. "Did you think I didn't figure out the real purpose behind your coming over here immediately? You could have easily shown me the top card of your deck from there, but for you to personally come over meant that you intended to use that chance to take a peek at my field cards."

"Fine, so you saw through my trick…that doesn't mean a thing!" She knew he would play the trap from his hand, but it didn't matter. "Come on then, activate the trap card you're holding!" She could send Inside Information from her field to the graveyard and pay half of her life points to negate one card activated from the hand during her turn, so Masami was about to lose.

"I think I'll pass, thank you." Masami snapped his hand out and pointed at his field. "Hidden reverse card open!"

"What…did you say?" Chohaya gasped as a trap card appeared on his field. "That's impossible…you didn't have any set cards!"

"You're right, I didn't." Masami motioned to his now face-up trap card. "Of course I guess I'll let you know about Midou Ban…once per game he lets me misinform you about the effect of a card I play. What you read was false information on that card, my dear president. Therefore you couldn't know that when Midou Ban comes into play I remove one trap card from my deck. That card is considered on my field and set, but I don't have to place it until I activate it."

He thumbed at his second Negate Attack. "Sorry, but your cheating only cheated yourself of the victory." A new vortex of energy sucked the momentum out of the Marionette and returned it to her field.

Chohaya glared at him and slid a card into her disk. "I activate the equipment magic card Attention Getter on my Marionette. Whenever you attack I may now direct the attack to it. I also place one card face-down and end my turn. You might think you're so clever, but in truth there's nothing you can do to win this duel. I'll just flatten you during your next turn."

"There is no next turn for you, president Tanmono." Masami drew and flipped over Pot of Greed. Drawing two cards he smiled slightly. "From my hand I activate the trap card Pocky Celebration. For every Anime Character I have in play my life points increases by 1000." (MLP: 2200) "Original Character's special ability activates now! Once per turn I may add its original attack and my life together, cutting the sum in half to determine this card's new original attack and defense and my life points." (1200/1200) (MLP: 1200)

He pulled the transformation gun out of its holster and aimed it at himself. "I remove DNA Helix-Squirrel and DNA Helix-Dragon from my graveyard." Aiming the gun at himself again, he winked right before disappearing in a flash of light. When it cleared there was a dragon-winged and squirrel-tailed Masami standing on the field. "A bit of a weird combination, but it's worth it for the bonuses that come with those cards."

"DNA Helix-Dragon powers me up by 500, and DNA Helix-Squirrel powers me up by 700." (2400/1200) Masami flapped his new wings a couple of times and grinned. "Here I come!" Launching into the air, he flew directly towards Chohaya. "I attack your Original Character Clone Token."

"And I redirect the attack to my Marionette!" She sneered at him. "And then I'll trigger my Security Runway trap card. By discarding one card from my hand while Fashion Runway is in play I can negate one of your attacks and destroy the attacking monster, as well as drain your life points by that monster's attack. Sorry Morioka, but it's over!" A blast of energy exploded from her now face-up trap card, hurtling towards Masami.

The Otaku grinned and stopped in mid-flight, the blast going over his head. "DNA Helix-Squirrel makes the monster it targets unaffected by trap cards, so I'll have to apologize for not being terrified of that."

"Perhaps, but you still have to attack my Marionette as per the effect of…" She gasped as her Attention Getter card shattered.

"DNA Helix-Dragon lets me destroy one magic or trap card in play when I attack, sorry." Masami got ready to dive again.

"I'm not out yet! Fashion Runway's effect triggers now!" Chohaya snapped one hand out. "By sending one equipment magic card from my field to my graveyard I can switch the modes of all monsters in play! Therefore all of us switch to defense mode."

Masami glanced behind him and watched Midou Ban drop to one knee. "Hm, slightly disappointing…" He slid a card from his hand into his disk. "I activate the trap card Road Detour! When there is a field magic card in play that card is destroyed and I may activate one field magic card from my deck!" The runway on Chohaya's field disappeared and was replaced by the inside of a giant convention center. "My choice is Anime Convention Center! This card, once per turn, lets me change the mode of one Anime Character in play!" He dove downwards and punched through the defense mode Mighty Marionette, shattering it.

"That's impossible, I was going to activate the effect of my Marionette and prevent the destruction!" Chohaya blinked at the card before it slid into her graveyard. "This doesn't make any sense…unless…"

"That's right. While Anime Convention Center is in play whenever an Anime Character battles with an opponent's monster the opponent's monster has its effect negated." He winked at her and flicked the bushy tail behind him a couple of times. "And now for the final blow."

"You don't have any monsters in play…"

"From my hand I activate the trap card Cosplay Agenda!" Masami pointed at her. "You're my target, and this card will equip to you and power you up by 500 attack points, along with adding the words Anime to your name!"

"Wha…" Chohaya yelped as suddenly she was dressed like the Dark Magician Girl. "What's the point of this?" (1450/950) Then she was blinded by a couple of bright flashes of light.

Pocketing his camera, Masami cracked his knuckles. "Now that I've done that, it's time use the effect of Anime Convention Center!" He drew three cards. "Once per every two of my turns I can draw a card from my deck for every Anime monster in play, including yourself!"

"So that's why you used that effect, so you could draw an additional card?"

Masami shrugged. "Sure, let's go with that reasoning…it makes me sound better then if I said it was just because getting pictures of you dressed up like you are right now would be a great opportunity." Then he held up another trap card. "From my hand I activate Trap Reflector, allowing me to activate one trap card from your graveyard!" Combat Booster appeared in front of him. "At the cost of one card from my hand I'm attacking you now!" He launched forward and slammed his shoulder into her stomach, bumping her just hard enough to shatter the token.

Stumbling backwards, Chohaya coughed a couple of times to get air back into her lungs. "You…I'm not beaten yet, Morioka!"

"Sorry president Tanmono, but I have to argue with that." Masami held up the last card in his hand. "I activate the quickplay magic card Necro Illusion. During this turn one monster that was destroyed as a result of battle is special summoned from your graveyard to my field!" He smiled smugly. "I can't get the token, though that'd be absolute hilarious. Nope, my target is Mighty Marionette!" The giant wooden doll appeared on his field. "Mighty Marionette, attack her life points directly!"

Chohaya screamed as the giant monster body-slammed her.

Masami- 1200

Chohaya- 0

Floating back to the ground, Masami's additional features disappeared and he put his glasses back on. "It looks like that's it, now I'm the new president of the Fashion Club."

Chohaya didn't bother getting up. There was no point to it. ("I've lost my position to him. Why even get up and acknowledge that he won?")

"It's a shame I've got to relinquish my current presidency back to you though, Ms. Tanmono." Masami noticed the gasps of confusion coming from the now much more awake crowd. "Hey, what can I say? I'm a first year student and I'm a busy guy. Besides, President Tanmono has done a much better job than I probably would have done if I was in her shoes. Maybe in a couple of years I'll take the opportunity, but it's just nice to know that I can do it." Sticking his hands in his pockets he started to walk away.

"Are you telling me we were woken up just to watch you win and then turn down the position?" Griff yelled over the stunned silence of the rest of the audience.

"Meh," Masami shrugged his shoulders without taking his hands out of his pockets before walking out of the arena.

Chohaya slowly sat up in mute disbelief. ("He beat me…but he didn't take my position?") This was the paradox that was Masami Morioka…

-------------------------------------

Masami walked out the exit to the stadium with a slight smirk on his face.

"I take it things went well then," Teruha stepped into view from behind one of the nearby stone plaques, literally towering over the boy.

"Yup," he said smugly. "I told you I could do it."

"I never doubted you for a second," she replied, walking alongside him as they moved towards the classroom building. "Though now is the time I need to ask you about that favor you owe me…" She stopped in mid-conversation as she noticed that someone was approaching the two of them.

"Excuse me," Steve Pilkington, wearing his pure white business suit and gold tie, asked in rather poorly spoken Japanese. "Do either of you know where I could find Ichigo Pilkington?"

_To be continued…_


	69. Gestation of Darkness

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 69: Gestation of Darkness

"Well as much fun as today's classes were, I intend to spend some time relaxing now." Ichigo waved to Krieger and Griff before walking off towards the Osiris Red dorm. "Catch you guys a little later."

A few minutes later he was at the door to his room. "It's been such a busy day, I can't wait to lie down and take a…" He opened the door and immediately froze in place, eyes staring at the man sitting at his desk. "G…G…G…"

Steve lifted an eyebrow at his grandson. "I'm rather curious as to why your hair is deep red now, but I assume there'll be an explanation forth-coming very soon." When Ichigo fainted instead he sighed. "Apparently not just yet."

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_A few minutes later…_

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"I see." Steve crossed his legs. "Interesting, so this Savior business is still going on? And where might be that Erian boy be?"

"I…don't have a clue." Ichigo rubbed the back of his nervously. He was never a very good conversationalist around his grandfather, because honestly the guy scared him. "I haven't seen him for a couple of days."

"Is that so?" Steve rubbed his mustache slowly. "Well that's a shame. By the way, when I mentioned you to some of the students here they repeatedly included the name of someone called the Princess. Who might that be?"

"Princess?" An image of Eri flashed in Ichigo's head and he blushed brightly. "Well…the Princess…is…"

Right then his door exploded open and Eri rushed in. "Ichan, let's go for a walk!" If she had noticed Steve then she had yet to even pay him any mind. "What's the matter? Why are you slouching in your seat like that?"

Steve coughed loudly to get her attention. He knew who this girl was, and he knew her dealings with his grandson in the past. "You must be the Princess of Duel Academy, I fathom?"

The demoness sneered and leaned in close to him. "Who wants to know, old man?" She heard Ichigo gulp loudly from next to her.

Steve stood up and brushed himself off a couple of times. "I apologize in advance for what I'm about to do."

"Keh, what exactly is a feeble…" Eri was silenced as a sharp chop was landed to the side of her neck, rendering her instantly unconscious.

"Grandpa!" Ichigo leapt to his feet and caught the demoness as she fell. "I know she was rude but…"

"Ichigo, I love you with all my heart but, please shut up and bring her along with you." Steve straightened his tie. "She isn't injured. I factored in that she was far stronger than a normal girl, so it would take a good hit from me to knock her unconscious."

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Eri's head was throbbing terribly…like something had rattled her brain. In the back of her mind she could hear phantom sounds, some of them were like voices and some of them were the noises of electronic equipment being hooked up.

"We can start whenever you regain full consciousness. Of course I hope you hurry up and awaken so we can start. My time here is rather short."

"Uhh….." Groaning, Eri slowly sat up and opened her eyes. "What happened?"

"You copped an attitude with me, I responded in kind." Steve stood about twenty feet away from her, a duel disk strapped to his arm. The two of them were standing in an abandoned dueling ring, the stands completely devoid of an audience. "Now if you would please stand up, Ms. Kaiser, we can begin."

The demoness quickly took in that she had a duel disk strapped to her arm as well, deck already in place inside its slot. Standing up, she twisted a couple of sore spots out of her neck and glared at him. "If you wanted to duel me, whoever you are, then you could have just asked."

"I would have, but as I said you copped an attitude with me." He bowed slightly to her. "However, I offer my congratulations on getting my grandson to fall for you. It isn't often that someone gets past the thick-headed layers his skull is composed of."

Eri flushed ghostly white. "Grandson…you mean…"

"Steven Pilkington, Ichigo's grandfather. It's a pleasure to meet you, Erika Amero. However since you've gone to the liberty of declaring Ichigo as your property I'm going to have to make the stakes for this duel that if you lose this duel then your claim to him is null and void. I'm sorry, but I'd prefer my grandson not be taken advantage of by a sadistic girl such as you." His duel disk activated. "I'd suggest you accept my challenge, as otherwise we'll have to settle this with much more painful methods."

"You know, I'm strangely reminded of my father when talking to you…" The demoness snickered. "Except when he said something like that I'd actually feel afraid. You're on, old man!" Her duel disk activated.

"Duel!"

Steve- 4000

Eri- 4000

"Draw." Steve looked at the single card he had pulled and then up at Eri. "I suppose I can let you know right now that I'm not one to be trifled with when I'm fighting for a member of my family. From my hand I summon Mafia Gunner!" A suited thug holding a Tommy Gun appeared on his field, back against a wall and hat over his eyes. (1300/1300) "I summon him in defense mode and set one card face-down on my field. End turn!"

Eri glared at him. "Ichan is mine, you don't have any claim on him except that you're a member of his family. I would be nice to you about it, but since you're so adamant on seeing my best I won't hold back! Draw!" She nodded at the drawn card and threw it onto her disk. "I summon Time Traveler-Frog Knight in attack mode!" (800/800) A humanoid frog in traveler's clothing appeared on her field. "When this monster is summoned I can add one equipment magic card from my deck to my hand." She removed a card and inserted it into her hand. "And then I'll play the card I searched for, Legendary Masamune!" A shining long sword appeared in her knight's hands. "The equipped monster gains 2000 attack points!" (2800/800) "Battle!"

Steve barely flinched as the powerful amphibian knight leapt across the field and slashed through his Gunner. "Reverse card open! Legitimate Business Cover activates when you attack a defense mode Mafia monster on my field. After damage calculation you discard one card from your hand and take 500 points of damage!"

Eri gritted her teeth as pain spiked through her. (ELP: 3500) "Fine, I'll discard one card now."

"And then the effect of Mafia Gunner activates now!" Steve removed a card from his deck. "When this monster is destroyed as a result of battle the same monster is special summoned from my deck to the field in attack mode!" Another Tommy Gun-carrying thug appeared on his field. (1300/1300)

The demoness gritted her teeth in frustration. ("This guy is a professional, I can tell from his calm eyes. However I've beaten professionals before and this guy won't be any different.") "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Steve straightened his tie out of habit. "My dear girl," he said, taking on a rather fake Italian accent. "Like I inferred before, you might have an excellent taste in boys but if the best you've got is what you just showed me then this 'prize' is out of your reach."

He drew, his voice returning to normal. "During my draw phase the graveyard effect of my Legitimate Business Cover lets me draw one additional card." Adding the two newly drawn cards to his hand, he met her eyes with his own. "And now to deal with your monster."

Eri broke eye contact with him and looked at her Frog Knight. ("This guy is plenty powerful enough, he should be okay.")

"From my hand I activate the magic card Call for a Hit." Steve held up his magic card along with a monster card. "This card costs me one Mafia named monster card from my hand, but it lets me destroy one of your monsters and deal you 1000 points of damage."

Eyes wide, she threw up her arms right before her Frog Knight exploded. (ELP: 2500) "Damn you old man!"

"You have quite the mouth on you," Steve muttered before opening his field magic card slot. "From my hand I activate the field magic card Mafia Villa!" They were suddenly standing in a beautiful garden, a summer home in the near distance behind them. "While this card is in play all Mafia named monsters cannot be targeted by magic or trap card effects."

Flexing her hand a couple of times, the demoness suddenly and very vaguely remembered the one time she had asked Ichigo about his grandparents. The half demon had just shuddered and said that his grandfather was really scary. ("I can see why…")

Steve pointed at his Gunner. "The effect of the Gunner you destroyed powers up one Mafia monster on my field by 300 points." (1600/1300) "And now let's get this unpleasant business done with. Direct attack!"

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Ichigo sighed and waved his legs in the air below him, sitting on a tree branch that overlooked the entrance the dueling arena his grandfather had taken Eri into. ("I know he told me to stay here, but I want to know what's going on in there!") His attention was suddenly grabbed by a sound of distant thunder. "Hmmm?" Sticking his head out of the cover the treetop gave him, the half demon looked down the road that led to the arena and saw a giant dust cloud rapidly approaching. "Huh?"

"Tracker!" The cause of the cloud skidded to a stop to reveal an anthromorphic dog-like creature. Tilting its head up, the creature sniffed the air and barked out, "Infinity Shield! Found!"

Ichigo, staying hidden in the cover of the trees, gasped at the creature's declaration. "The Infinity Shield is here?" He pulled out his PDA and popped open the cover. "Need to send the others an email!"

Tracker glanced over at the tree that was talking. "Who's there?"

"Hang on, be with you in a second!" Ichigo hurriedly typed out a rather sloppily spelled email and then hopped to his feet, perfectly balanced thanks on the tree branch thanks to his current cat demon body. **"Emerge Starlight Soul!"**

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Within his orb, Ichigo was surrounded by thousands of light blue stars. They gathered around his body, forming into a pulsing cocoon of light. A few moments later the cocoon cracked and shattered, revealing the female Starlight Savior wearing nothing but a light blue bodysuit. Her eyes opened and shimmered from hazel to blue. She braced herself as the dark blue space that had housed the stars condensed around her limbs and body, forming into hardened dark blue segments of armor. Threads of dark blue light shot down her back, combining to create a dark blue cape that trailed down to her knees.

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Tracker let out a low growl as it saw something come leaping out of the tree cover towards it. Hopping backwards, it bared its teeth at the new arrival.

"I am the hero of the heavens!" Sweeping her cape out behind her, Starlight Savior thumbed at her chest. "In the name of all canines everywhere I won't let you break the leash laws instituted by the Japanese government!" She pointed right at him. "I am Starlight Savior!"

"_And not to be forgotten…"_ A trio of humanoid forms came flipped out of the cover and landed behind the heroine.

The first touched down and brushed back his hair, dark eyes reflecting an infinite abyss. "The void of space cries while this mutt walks on the earth, so in its name I will consume you."

The second clicked down and started hopping up and down happily. "Yay! Our opponent is a cute doggy thing!"

The third landed and sighed at the second. "You really need to take this seriously."

Starlight Savior glanced behind her at the three other Saviors. "Well, at least you all showed up in unison."

Tracker snarled, hackles standing on end. "Get out of my way Saviors!" Then it charged right through the group, missing the lot of them as they leapt out of its way.

Vortex Savior was the first to land, hands slamming into the dirt. **"Doom Mire!"**

Tracker let out a yelp of surprise as the ground at its feet turned into a swirling mass of black slime that sucked it downwards. Right before it disappeared from sight it let out an extremely loud howl of anger and frustration.

Vortex Savior smiled slightly. "It looks like I've got the problem under control. Now I just…" His eyes widened right before he was kicked in the face and sent flying backwards into the wall of the arena.

The attacker had been a short young lady wearing a finely crafted body suit of white material. "Don't be mean to the cute doggie, stupid Savior!" From behind her the Tracker emerged from the mire and came to her side slowly. "Are you okay, Tracker?"

"Yes milady Silk." The Vengeance sniffed the air and then turned to growl at the other three Saviors. "These three will need similar lessons however."

Starlight Savior pointed at the lady. "And just who might you be?"

"Me?" The girl turned in a flourish and fluttered her eyelashes at the trio. "My name's Silk, and I'm one of Lady Amaeura's Guardian Trio."

"Guardian…Trio?" Fantasy said in surprise.

"Amaeura?" Valor Savior had a momentary flash of memory of the female Blood Child he had dueled before as Nikolai.

Silk pouted at the three of them. "Awww, you don't look happy to see me." She snapped up a long-handled bullwhip that was suddenly at her side. "I'll just have to make you appreciate my being here then!"

"Not if I…" Starlight Savior's preparation for the songblade summon was cut off as she was tackled by the Vengeance violently.

"**Nova Cannon!"** Valor Savior aimed his open palm at the Blood Child, releasing a burning ball of dark green power that hurtled towards her rapidly.

"Heh, not quite good enough I'd say." Grinning, Silk cracked her whip across the ball's body and popped it like a balloon. "And now to add to my collection." She charged towards the black-haired Savior rapidly, creating a thunderous barrier in front of her by cracking her whip repeatedly.

Fantasy Savior appeared behind the Blood Child, palm glowing bright pink. **"Lullaby Touch!"** Then she slapped Silk on the back and watched the white-haired lady get launched forward as her back exploded from the energy release. "Yay, I got her Nikolai-san!"

Valor Savior charged up another ball of dark green light in his palm. "Let me make sure of that." The ball swelled larger. **"Nova Cannon!"** He launched the blast at the fallen girl, watching her disappear within the mighty explosion. "Now she's done." He felt a kiss on his cheek, followed by a kick to the side of his head that sent him rolling out of control. ("I guess not!")

Landing on her feet, Silk stretched her back a couple of times and then grinned at Fantasy Savior. "That might have really killed me if it wasn't for the fact that I knew it was coming."

Valor Savior slowly stood up and brushed himself off. "Damn it Zaytel, get off your ass and help…" A sudden pain shot up his spine and his body seized up violently. ("I can't move…why?")

Silk winked and motioned to the leather collar that now sat around his neck. "That's because you're my new toy, grouchy Savior guy." She cracked her whip a couple of times. "And on that note, let's get the rest of my new troupe together."

Valor Savior managed to tilt his incredibly stiff neck just enough to see that Vortex was standing next to him, wearing a similar accessory. ("Are you telling me that we're under her control?")

Fantasy Savior gulped loudly. "Guys? Are you feeling okay?"

Silk cracked her whip. "Boys, get her." A purple and dark green blur shot past both sides of her, heading towards the female hero. "It looks like you're all out of luck, dearie. The only thing you can do to protect yourself is let those two destroy you or destroy them instead."

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Starlight Savior rolled backwards to avoid the snapping jaws of the Vengeance. "You're making a nuisance of yourself!" She came out of her roll in a crouch, trying to think of what the best combination would be to deal with this opponent. ("Let's see, it doesn't seem to have a long range attack so if I were to use Celestial Songblade Dance I'd probably be able to take it down. The problem is getting a chance to use the attack!")

Tracker launched forwards and snapped at the heroine's face once more, and got kicked in its muzzle this time, stumbling back and clutching at its face.

"**Awaken Aries, Aquarius, Pisces!"** Starlight Savior snapped her right hand up and watched the dark blue crystal blade begin forming. "Here I go!" Holding the still forming weapon up, she placed her mouth on the pommel and began blowing into it. Though the song that came forth was a bit distorted, the same effect was achieved. Everything but herself and the Vengeance faded from view.

One eye moving slowly in its socket, Tracker looked directly at the heroine in confusion.

("It's semi-immune to the effect of Pisces, so I'll have to make this quick!") The weapon finished forming right as she brought it up pointing down at her side. **"Celestial Songblade Dance!"** Then she was standing in front of the canine monster, songblade slashing at incredible speeds and leaving hundreds of dark blue lines in the creature's body. With her attack finished she stepped past it a dozen feet or so and stabbed her sword into the ground.

Smoke began rising from the Vengeance's wounds, and its now blood-shot eyes twitched a couple of times before bright blue light exploded from its open muzzle. **"Good…shot…"** Then it exploded in a burst of dark blue sparks.

As everything returned to normal, Starlight Savior wiped her forehead and ran back towards the dueling arena.

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As the smoke from his attack cleared, Steve slid a card into his duel disk. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Steve- 4000

Eri- 900

Eri clutched her side and tried to ward off the burning pain that was there. ("It's only been one turn and he's already tearing me apart.") Then she drew. "It doesn't matter though, I'm hardly done!" Looking at her drawn card she smiled slightly. "Heh, I activate the magic card Magical Reference Book. This card lets me add one magic card from my deck to my hand; however I must then discard a card from my hand."

She pulled a card out of her deck and discarded a different card. "And then from my hand I activate the field magic card Time Period; Age of Ice and Magic!" The villa setting around them exploded and was replaced by a skyscape with floating islands in the background. "Once per turn I may draw three cards and discard two."

"It's useless, if you summon a monster and destroy my Gunner in battle I'll just get another one." Steve crossed his arms across his chest. "You're already beaten, whether you admit it or not."

"That's one old fart's opinion, but I have another." The demoness held up a magic card. "I activate Necro Hypnosis! I select one monster on your field and then special summon a same named monster in your graveyard!"

Steve's eyes widened as his graveyard slot spat out his first Mafia Gunner, which appeared on her field. (1300/1300)

"And then I activate the magic card Brain Control." She smirked. "At the cost of 800 life points I'll be taking your other Gunner too!" The second thug floated over to her field. (ELP: 100)

Steve glanced at his set card. ("It doesn't matter, my set card is Betray the Family, Forfeit your Life. When she does attack me with a Mafia monster I'll blow up her monsters and deal her 1500 points of damage."

The demoness snickered slightly. "Reverse card open, History of an Unholy Sorcerer! During this turn if I sacrifice two or more monsters to a field card I may special summon one Time Traveler-Dark Warlock from my deck to the field. I activate the effect of my field magic card!" The two monsters on her field disappeared. "From my deck I can add one magic card to my hand and from my deck I special summon Time Traveler-Dark Warlock!" A black and purple-clothed elven-eared man appeared on her field, a scythe held in his grasp. (2600/1800) "When this monster is special summoned I may add one magic card from my deck to my hand." She removed an additional card.

Steve had to laugh slightly. ("I'll give her this much, she's got a lucky streak going for her.")

"From my hand I activate the magic card Cure Magic. When I have a spellcaster in play I gain 1500 life points." Eri took a deep and relaxed breath as she was surrounded by white light for a moment. (ELP: 1600) "Dark Warlock, direct attack! Magical Dark Zone!" The spellcaster held up one hand and a triangle that contained a miniature void within it appeared around Steve, sucking the life points out of him.

Steve- 1400

Eri- 1600

"I place one card face-down, end turn!" Eri felt extremely proud of herself right now. Not only did she restore her lost life points, but she had just knocked Ichigo's grandfather down to an even lower life point total than she had.

Steve closed his eyes and sighed loudly before he drew. "That confident look…that grin that reminds me so much of my grandson…" Then his grey eyes opened to reveal the sadness held there. "I can see why my grandson fell for you. You're a cute girl with a heart like his and mine…"

"I wouldn't go and compare my heart to yours, old man," Eri said mockingly. "You look like you're about to keel over right now."

"Really?" Steve chuckled and rubbed his eyes a little bit. "You have to excuse me. Despite popular belief I hate it when I have to do something like what I'm about to do." All around them an orb of black and purple darkness formed. "You know it's surprising, I have no magical powers at all and yet I'm able to summon darkness games. Some say it's because I'm just that cold-hearted, others because I'm an individual with latent demon blood in me."

"Either way it doesn't change anything." Eri smirked again. "Honestly I advise you against this though, as when I beat you I don't intend to be merciful."

Steve, his white suit standing out against the darkness, exhaled slowly and prayed that his late wife could forgive what he was about to do. "The penalty game if I win will be simple, and it will make sure you cannot harm Ichigo any longer from anywhere." It was uncertain, but in the darkness it seemed like he was on the verge of tears.

This didn't show in his voice though. "When you lose he will disappear forever from your mind. Your memories of him will be gone. After I beat you here it will be as if he didn't exist to you."

A chill ran down her spine. "You…you're serious? You were serious about what you said before?"

"I never would joke around when it comes to a member of my family." Steve held up one of his hand cards. "I activate Giant Trunade." A powerful blast of wind slammed across the field and sent all magic and traps in play back to their owner's hands. "This is the end of your romance with my grandson. I hope you and him got to say that you love each other, as once this is done that will not be happening."

"You…you…bastard!" She screamed at him, realizing that his tone indicated he was about to end the duel. "What gives you the right to do this without Ichigo's consent?"

"It's because I was ordered to…" His whispered reply was unheard, even by her ears. "From my hand I activate the magic card..." The hand holding the card trembled and for a moment it refused to move. ("No! I was ordered to do this, and for the world's sake it has to be done! You are a distraction to Ichigo's job as a Savior…we cannot have some fling bring about the end of the universe!")

With one jerky push he forced the card into the slot on his disk. "…Blessings of the Godfather. This card will allow me to reveal one Mafia Boss in my hand to you so I can draw until I am holding five cards in my hand." He flipped one of his hand cards over to reveal the named card, and then he drew three cards. "The Plot Complexity of Call for a Hit lets me discard one card from my hand to return it to my control."

He discarded a card from his hand and picked up the magic card. "The card I discarded was Mafia Connections, which when discarded from my hand for a Plot Complexity allows me to draw an additional two cards." Adding two more cards to his hand, his eyes already knew what the ending card would be.

Eri dropped to her knees, eyes tearing up. ("I…I'll lose Ichigo…forever? In the worst way possible…he'll be forgotten. I'll return to my old self, the one filled with hatred and no love. When he approaches me, I'll break his heart and brush him aside. I'll…I'll….") She squeezed her eyes shut and screamed in anger. "No! No! I won't hurt him that way!"

"You don't have a choice," Steve slid a card into his disk. "I activate Call for a Hit, discarding Mafia _Uccisore_ (800/800) from my hand to destroy your Dark Warlock and deal you 1000 points of damage." The magician yelled out in pain and then exploded. "The effect of Mafia _Uccisore_ activates when it is discarded for Call for a Hit. You take 1000 points of damage."

Steve- 1400

Eri- 0

Eri fell forward, reflexively stopping herself from hitting the ground by throwing her arms out to stop herself. Her hair fell in front of her vision to catch the half-hearted tears that were coming from her eyes, the golden orbs slowly losing their luster as the darkness game ripped into them and started to erase the happiest moments of her life, as well as the memories of the hero she loved.

("Ichigo, I know you'll never forgive me…but I hope you understand it was for your own good.") Even when telling himself that, Steve knew it was bullshit. ("Those higher-up bastards…how dare they order this to happen.") He didn't have the strength to get angry now though. He suddenly felt very old.

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Starlight Savior walked towards the arena building with the songblade slung over her shoulder. ("Well then, let's see how bad the guys tore that lady apart.") Then she saw Fantasy kneeling on the ground and sobbing. Dropping the crystal weapon she ran over to the girl's side. "Chris-san, what happened? Where are Adriel and Nikolai?"

"Ichigo-san…I…I…" She sniffled and tried to compose herself, but broke down into tears again.

She shook the other female Savior roughly by the shoulders. "Now's not the time to lose your cool, just tell me what happened!"

Nodding slowly, she wiped her tears away. "It's…It's that…" She placed hand against the heroine's chest for support. "It's that we're going to kill you," her voice turned cold…angry… **"Lullaby Touch!"**

Starlight Savior barely had time to react before she was caught in a pink explosion of power that sent her spiraling backwards, smoke rising from her chestplate. "Chris…why…" Then she skid-bounced along the ground but managed to recover and come up into a stand. "Why?"

The sound of a whip cracking was her answer, as Silk stepped into few from behind the sneering Fantasy Savior. "I thought you would have noticed," she pointed at the leather collar attached to the girl's neck. "This little thing lets me control whoever is wearing it at the neurological and eventually psychological level."

"You…you…" Starlight Savior got ready to summon Taurus and blow the Blood Child away for her evil.

Silk snickered and cracked her whip a couple of times. "Play nice!"

"**Doom Mire!"** From his hiding place in the nearby bushes Vortex Savior stabbed his hands into the ground, turning the ground around Starlight Savior's feet into a bog of black slime that quickly sucked her downwards through the earth.

("No…I can't give up…") The heroine heard a crackling noise up above her. "Wha…"

"**Nova Cannon!"** From directly above her head, the black-haired Savior hurled a pulsing ball of dark green light down onto Starlight Savior's head.

_To be continued…_


	70. Unforseen Consequences

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 70: Unforeseen Consequences

_Eri fell forward, reflexively stopping herself from hitting the ground by throwing her arms out to stop herself. Her hair fell in front of her vision to catch the half-hearted tears that were coming from her eyes, the golden orbs slowly losing their luster as the darkness game ripped into them and started to erase the happiest moments of her life, as well as the memories of the hero she loved._

_("Ichigo, I know you'll never forgive me…but I hope you understand it was for your own good.") Even when telling himself that, Steve knew it was bullshit. ("Those higher-up bastards…how dare they order this to happen.") He didn't have the strength to get angry now though. He suddenly felt very old._

"No…" Eri clutched the sides of her head. ("They're fading…I'm losing him.") It was like someone had spilled bleach across certain portions of her mind, whiting out a single person's existence in her thoughts. His picture was gone, his identity was nearly lost. All that was left was a name and the burning need to keep those memories alive. "I don't want to lose Ichigo…I don't want to lose him!"

"You cannot stop it," Steve said, his back to her as he waited for the darkness game to finish its job. He couldn't bring himself to look at her, not while the darkness was ravaging her mind. "When all is said and done the darkness game will have those memories, it doesn't matter what you do."

"Then I'll make sure I'm not the only one whose loss causes him to suffer…" The demoness felt it now. Somewhere deep inside her there was something stirring. It was trying to contact her, it desperately wanted her attention. No, more importantly it wanted her body. It wanted to duel most of all. ("Will you kill this human?")

**_("Without a doubt,")_** It promised with a voice like oil upon water. It felt like the darkness personified, but not with the same kind of mindless destruction that the darkness games were made of. **_("I need but a purpose to live. Give me that purpose.")_**

("Then that is your purpose. Kill that human.") Then Eri fell into the blackness, her thoughts disappearing as she sought the one possible way to escape the darkness realm's touch.

"What are you mumbling about?" Steve turned to look at the girl, and immediately realized something was wrong. The darkness had withdrawn already. In fact it seemed to be afraid of touching the girl's body. ("This is an interesting reaction. What did the darkness find that would actually make it afraid?")

Eri slowly stood up, eyes closed, and smiled. **_"It's a strange feeling, being able to finally move freely through her body."_** The voice was like the demoness', but twisted and echoed, like her body was being used by something that didn't understand how a body worked. Her eyes opened and she sneered at Steve. **_"Hello there, my prey."_**

"Your prey?" Crossing his arms across his chest slowly, Steve sighed as he realized that he was going to be dealing with another supernatural entity. "I don't think you know who you're dealing with. I may not have access to magical abilities, but by no means are you going to be able to hurt me with physical violence."

"**_Who ever said anything about physical violence?"_** Blackness began to flow through the white of her eyes, turning them completely black. **_"I exist to kill in duels, not in the real world. Besides, what's the fun of tearing you apart bodily…when I could do it in so many easier ways?"_**

"The duel is over, you lost already."

"**_Is that so?"_** The eerie voice echoing from the demoness' throat was so confident you could hear the smirk in its tone. **_"Take a look at the life point totals before you go and say such foolish things."_**

"The life point totals?" Steve looked at his duel disk.

Steve- 4000

Eri- 4000

Eri sneered and held up a card from her hand. **_"From my hand I activate the effect of the magic card Restore Restoration. When my life points hit zero I can discard this card and two cards from my hand to reset our life point totals back to 4000."_**

"Hmmm, it's still too late to save your memories. They are already gone." Steve felt the darkness in the air change, and he knew that whatever he was facing definitely wasn't the same girl he had fought before. ("There's no need to let her know that though, at least not yet.")

"**_Oh, don't worry. Eri knew that she was going to lose her memories…but she apparently had opted for an interesting alternative to what you had planned. Of course none of that matters, since you won't live to the end of this duel."_**

"Interesting threat, but I see no reason to be afraid. What exactly can you do to me with no cards in your hand and no cards on your field?" Steve knew this was going to take longer than he had intended, but now he had to admit that he was rather interested as to what this creature was. Even in his career and dealing with demons of all shapes and sizes, there had only been a couple who had actually made the darkness afraid of them.

Eri bared her fangs, letting out a giggle of self-satisfaction. **_"Let the shadows turn red with your blood, human!"_** She lifted her arms into the air, one eye opened wide while the other slightly squinted. **_"When I have no cards on my field and no cards in my hand I can activate this card from my deck, the field magic card Negative Dimension!"_**

The darkness grew thicker around her side of the field, a pulsing mass of intangible evil. A momentary flash of white light filled the air and left the darkness in a strange state of grey. **_"When this card is activated I draw until I am holding five cards in my hand. During this turn all damage to me will become zero, so you won't be able to harm my life points for now."_** Sliding five cards off of her deck, the demoness licked her lips. **_"I can't wait to consume your soul…"_**

The man knew now that this opponent was definitely worth going full strength against. "As you said, I cannot hurt you during this turn. However, you might as well sit back and let me prepare." Steve's graveyard slot started glowing. "The Plot Complexity of Mafia Connections lets me, if I have no monsters in play, special summon a Mafia type monster from my deck to the field. My choice is another Mafia Gunner." Another Tommy Gun-wielding thug appeared on his field.

He motioned to his newly summoned monster and a swirl of light appeared around it. "I sacrifice this monster to summon Mafia Boss in attack mode." The thug disappeared and was replaced by an Old Italian man sitting in front of a finely-polished wooden desk. (?) "When this card is tribute summoned I can special summon as many level four or lower Mafia monsters from my graveyard as I wish."

A trio of his Mafia Gunners reappeared, their weapons already aimed at the girl. From behind them an oily-haired man in a business suit appeared. "I special summon my three Mafia Gunners and the Mafia Lawyer I discarded earlier." (1300/1300)x3 (600/700)

"Also the attack and defense of Mafia Boss are equal to the number of Mafia monsters on the field besides itself times 1000." (4000/4000) "I place two cards face-down on my field and end my turn."

Eri's black and gold-pupiled eyes looked down at her deck crazily, whatever it was that was controlling it still not used to having a body. She was silent, as if trapped in a still frame picture. And then that still frame was broken as she started laughing maniacally. **_"How amusing…it's interesting how she avoided the darkness game's touch. It isn't something that would be considered smart, but I guess she just loved this Ichigo guy that much…or at least she didn't want to turn back into whatever she was a couple of years ago."_**

"She couldn't have avoided the penalty game, that isn't possible." Steve stated this, as it was fact. One girl did not possess the power to fight off the darkness realm.

"**_Believe whatever you wish, I guess. I don't have to make you believe the truth, I have to kill you."_** She drew and placed the card down onto her disk. **_"I summon Negative Soul-Consuming Apparition Type 1."_** A howl of hellish torment emerged from the grayed darkness as a giant humanoid creature stumbled into play. It was some kind of giant creature that vaguely resembled a human, except for the fact that it was at least twenty feet tall. (1500/1200)

"A tortured soul, eh?" Steve glanced up at the creature's shadowed head. "I wonder just what it will be able to do to me."

The demoness' rapidly paling face twitched a couple of times as lines of grey smoke led into the creature's body. **_"Negative Dimension powers up all Negative named monsters by 500 points!"_** She licked the tip of one of her claws hard enough to cut the flesh of the organ, drawing blood. (2000/1200) **_"Mmmm, it feels so good to be alive. It feels so good to experience pain. Let me share it with you! Negative Soul-Consuming Apparition Type 1, attack Mafia Gunner now!"_** The giant roared again and threw one huge punch down towards one of the thugs.

"Reverse card open!" Steve's face-down card flipped up and a barrier of green light appeared in front of him. "Draining Shield negates your attack and allows me to gain your monster's attack in life points." (SLP: 6000)

"**_Heh, a meager block that won't do you any good,"_** Eri placed a pair of cards into her duel disk. **_"I place two cards face-down and end my turn."_**

Steve shrugged off his original feeling of caution. "And here I was expecting a bit more from you considering how scary you seem." He drew. "At this time I discard the card I have drawn to add one Mafia monster from my deck to my hand thanks to Mafia Lawyer."

He removed a card from his deck and slid a card into his disk. "I activate the effect of the Call for a Hit magic card I'm holding, discarding the Mafia Hitman I searched for to destroy your Apparition and deal you 1000 points of damage. Also, I will deal you an additional 500 points of damage and I will draw one card thanks to the effect of Hitman."

Eri's monster exploded, but her response was different from what most would say. **_"Thank your very much."_** (ELP: 2500)

After drawing his card Steve narrowed his eyes at her. "Any particular reason you would be thanking me?"

"**_It's because you just gave me the necessary sacrifice for my continuous trap, Residual Spiritual Prescense."_** The black-eyed demoness snickered and a much smaller but much stronger-looking apparition appeared on her field, spikes made of bone sticking out of its humanoid body from different and very strange angles. **_"When a Negative monster on my field is destroyed by an opponent I can special summon one Negative named card from my hand to play. Like this monster for example, my level six Negative Soul-Consuming Apparition Type 2."_** (2300- 2800/2100) **_"Also the effect of Negative Soul-Consuming Apparition Type 1 is that when it removed from game by the effect of Residual Spiritual Prescense the monster special summoned to the field by the card's effect gains its attack points."_** (4800/2100)

Steve frowned at the new monster in play. ("I see, these creatures get stronger and stronger because they feed off of each other's destruction.")

Eri let out another sneer. **_"It seems the situation outside is escalating beyond the control of the heroes. Therefore I'll just have to make a quick change to the odds. Apparently you don't seem to understand that you just placed your grandson in danger by attempting to destroy Eri's memories."_**

"What are you talking?" Steve pointed at her. "The only danger here would have been you…"

"**_You just don't get it, do you?"_** She sighed loudly, looking momentarily sane. **_"Check your pocket."_**

Inserting one hand into his suit pocket, the man removed the Infinity Shield and blinked at it. The small jewel was glowing brightly.

"**_That would be called trying to tell you it found who it wanted to bond with, foolish human."_** The black-eyed demoness pointed at her own chest. **_"It had chosen this girl, but apparently your lack of magical energy made it impossible for the damned thing to get the message across. You were so focused on your job that your grandson will die now. An important time is coming, very important…it's a time where the Saviors as a whole will die or live. However all five of the Sources need to be within Starlight Savior's reach or else their true purpose cannot be realized."_**

"How would you know any of this? I thought you just woke up?"

"**_Just because I suddenly gained access to a body doesn't mean I haven't been talking to the Infinity Shield for a while now. I've learned quite a lot by speaking with it out of boredom."_**

Steve looked down at the jewel once more and clenched his fist tightly. "No! I won't let any member of my family be harmed! I'll get this jewel to him right now!"

"**_That's going to be quite impossible. For you to do that you'll have to get the Infinity Shield to Starlight Savior and restore Erika's mind to its rightful place. That alone wouldn't be impossible, but there stands one obstacle in your way."_**

Eri pointed at herself. **_"My purpose is to kill you. The only way you could possibly emerge from this duel alive is if you defeat me in this duel. Of course that is impossible. I assure you, I'm very capable of destroying you in this duel. I was summoned with the purpose of defeating you, so I cannot lose here."_**

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Starlight Savior rolled backwards and let out a cry of frustration right before disappearing from where she had been standing.

Valor Savior lowered his arm and looked around the clearing like a hawk searching for a mouse. "You could not have gone far. Your ability to teleport can carry you long distances, but the amount of energy expended must be rather small for you to have done it so many times. Therefore, you're obviously somewhere around here."

Starlight Savior looked at the dozens of cracks in her armor before closing her eyes and praying for an answer to show itself. ("I can't do this much longer. All of them are just as strong as I am, if not stronger at the moment.") She had already destroyed the Vengeance, but it had taken a good chunk of her power. Add that to the fact that she was currently trying to fight off three equally powerful opponents and it was obvious that she was going to lose. ("I don't want that to happen though. I owe the others too much to just roll over and die. Masami, where are you?")

---------------------------

Silk smiled wickedly and strutted about the front of the dueling building with a huge smirk on her face. ("This is the greatest day ever! Not only have I placed three of the nuisances under wraps but now their leader is going to get torn apart by her friends! Oh, Lady Amaeura will reward me handsomely for this good news!") She clasped her hands together and imagined her mistress' words of thanks. "It's a good day to be alive!"

"I'm very happy for you, Silk-kun." Rysel said from off to her side, his back resting against a nearby tree trunk.

"M…milord Rysel!" The woman bowed low before her mistress' lover. "What brings you here?"

Holding up a hand to signal there was no need for formalities, the Blood Prince turned to face the road, looking away from the building. "I was called here by Amaeura. I'm supposed to be the welcoming committee for the Cosmic Balance factor."

As if on cue, Masami could be seen running towards the building from a short distance away. "I came as quickly as I could Ichi…oh it's you." He skidded to a halt in front of Rysel. "What do you want?"

"I simply wish to make sure that you do not interfere with the battle that is currently going on between your friends." The Blood Prince held his hand out and a rapier made of condensed blood appeared in his grasp. "Therefore you and I are going to have to fight. I do not care whether you take this seriously or not, but if you do then please be sure to control your power enough as to not disturb those fighting currently."

Masami removed his glasses and shoved them into his pocket. "From the looks of things I've walked into what appears to be an insane little skirmish. I'm guessing that the lady behind you is the cause of it, correct?"

"You would be right." Rysel bowed slightly and pointed his sword-point at the boy's head. "Please transform into the Shining Savior, as you are right now my first assault will liquefy you."

"**Spread your wings, Angel of Miracles!"** Masami snapped his hands out to both sides of him, a golden glow appearing around his body. "Heh…let's see just how strong the leader of the invasion force is anyway." Then he disappeared within an explosion of golden light.

-----------------------------------

From within that explosion Masami was immediately swallowed up within an orb of golden fire, his body barely visible. His outline was different though, the incredible heat of the flames changing it into a much older form. A golden-haired young man in a golden bodysuit emerged from the fires and smiled, a glint of light coming from one of his teeth. The flames burned along his feet and formed into segments of armor that clicked into place around his arms and legs, finishing with a complete golden chestplate. A shimmering golden cape swept out behind him and he smiled once more.

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"Quite the handsome young man, are you not?" Rysel twirled his sword into the air a couple of times before catching it and pointing at the Savior. "Shall we begin?"

Shining Savior smirked. "Begin? My friend, this fight's already over." He started to lift the Seraph Scepter above his head. **"Golden Divine…"** His eyes widened as Rysel was no longer in front of him. ("That's impossible…that kind of speed…") Dropping his stance, the hero had only a moment to turn before he had to use his Scepter as an impromptu sword to block the Blood Prince's blade.

"Oh my, I am being underestimated now aren't I?" Rysel leaned in a little, his sword-using arm barely shaking at all despite the pressure he was applying. "Please remember something very important about me, my friend. I am not like the creature you defeated. That was a mere shadow of what one with my power can do when they actually have some manner of training."

"That's good advice…" Shining Savior smiled slightly. "I'll keep it in mind!"

----------------------------

----------------------------

Steve felt his professional aura breaking now. ("Ichigo…I'm coming.") "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

"**_That's a good face,"_** Eri mocked. **_"One filled with despair at the thought that his grandson will die."_** She drew. **_"Negative Apparition Type 2 attacks now!"_**

"Reverse card open!" Steve's set card flipped up. "Mafia Ambush activates when you declare an attack and I have three or more Mafia monsters in play. All of my monsters combine their attack and return fire!" All five of his monsters pulled out their respective firearms. (8500)

Eri threw back her head and laughed crazily as the darkness was filled with the light of explosive gunfire, the bullets tearing through her Apparition and then slamming into her, blowing dozens of holes in her body. Then her laughter stopped and she collapsed, smoke rising from the hundred or so bullet-holes in her body.

Steve's eyes widened in confusion. "The darkness…shouldn't have…"

"**_I love it…I love it!"_** Eri stumbled to her feet and started laughing again, despite the fact that any living creature should have been long dead.

"Your life points should be zero," Steve stated, and then his eyes widened at the fact that the creature's set card was flipped up.

"**_Empty Heart is a continuous trap that allows me to remove cards from my deck to gain life points equal to 500 times the number I remove."_** She watched the top six cards of her deck melt into a fine white mist that she sucked up into her mouth. **_"Mmmmm, delicious…"_** (ELP: 1000)

The pieces of her Apparition fell at her feet, and then dissolved into white mist. **_"And now for the effects of Empty Heart and Residual Spiritual Prescense!"_** Grasping a card from her hand, the dark-eyed demoness threw it onto her disk and a serpent-like ghostly creature appeared on her field. **_"Negative Soul Serpent is my summon. The effect of Empty Heart is that during this turn the next summoned Negative named monster gains 500 attack points per card removed. In other words…let the souls flow!"_** (2600- 3100- 7400- 10400/1000)

"Over 10000 attack points…" Steve gritted his teeth in anger. Was it impossible to kill this thing?

"**_HAHAHAHA! Do you see now? I can't die, not until I've killed you!"_** Her jaw cracked slightly and a tongue far longer than the demoness' original organ slid out, licking her chin. **_"I am the thing that Erika Amero meant to keep hidden away. My name is Solitude, for I have spent so many long years trapped in her soul. She forgot about me, turned me down and accepted the light of a Force Deck that offered itself to her when she dueled that bloody Speaker of Midnight. DAMN HER FOR IGNORING ME!"_**

"Well, I can see why she might forget about you after locking you away." Steve knew he would have as well. "Yet here you still say you did nothing to the girl's soul? You might understand why I find it hard to believe you. And what's this nonsense about a Soul Shadow deck? Erika Amero had a Soul Force deck and you know it."

"**_You're an absolute moron,"_** Solitude let out a low snickering noise from her throat. **_"I was already there; the deck she created was a dream deck. A deck meant to reflect her stupid purpose for defeating the speaker. Did the fact that it was a dream world mean anything to whoever you work for? It doesn't matter though, for she made the opposite mistake of what most duelists make. Most idiots awaken their inner souls prematurely, creating a weakling Soul Deck that cannot hold off even the easiest opponents. In my case she did the opposite, sealing me away after I had awoken! Do you understand what it's like…to have no purpose for existing and simply waiting at the beck and call of some stupid little girl who doesn't even understand just how powerful you are? Those pansy Final Shadows of that Ichigo loser don't compare to what I could offer her, and yet she ignored my screeches for her attention! It was such an easy request! It could have been for any purpose at all and I would have been happy! But no…she ignored me, living on and ignoring her soul. Now she's given me a purpose, and I'm more than happy to comply. Of course I won't be returning her body even if she does survive, but I'll be happy to make her purpose for me be a last request of a dead demoness!"_**

"You are absolutely insane." Steve frowned as the Serpent dove towards his field. "Reverse card open!" His face-down card flipped up and the monster's strike was stopped by a roll of caution tape normally used in police investigations, the yellow ribbon-like material tying the creature down to the ground. "Crime Scene prevents you from attacking for the turn."

Solitude slid a card into her disk, black eyes slowly growing slotted as she integrated more fully with the demoness' body. **_"I activate the continuous magic card Cycle of Souls. This card will allow me, during each of my standby phases, to shuffle three of my removed from play cards back into my deck. End turn."_**

Steve drew. "My card is Pot of Greed, I draw two cards." He held the cards up and then motioned to all of his monsters. "I sacrifice the lot of these guys!" All five of his Mafia monsters disappeared within a swirling vortex of golden light. "I summon Dragon God of the Heavenly Sword!" A golden-scaled serpentine dragon erupted from the vortex, its incredibly long body encircling his field. (5000/5000)

"It looks like I don't have a choice about playing nice anymore. When this monster is summoned I may tribute any number of monsters for it's summon. I sacrifice five, so now its attack is 5000. Also, I activate its effect now." The monster hissed loudly and started to build up a ball of electricity within its jaws.

"This is the card that all of the highest officials of the Society gain upon promotion. These cards are God Cards of the Divine Order, monsters that serve the Society. And this monster's effect is the slayer of darkness! By discarding one card from my hand I can banish all dark monsters on your field from the game. Also you take their compound attack in damage!" He discarded a card from his hand and his monster unleashed a thunderous shockwave that enveloped and destroyed the Serpent.

Solitude sneered and her deck began to disappear. "Then I'll be sacrificing my deck to make up the difference."

Steve- 6000

Solitude- 600

"It doesn't matter. Even though during this turn my God cannot attack, you only have two cards left on your deck. What can you do in that time?"

"**_I think you're forgetting my continuous trap!"_** Solitude held up a card. **_"Residual Spiritual Prescense lets me special summon a Negative card. In this case I'll be using the last card in my hand…Negative Possession!"_**

Steve's eyes widened as his dragon suddenly flew over to her field. ("In place of a Negative monster she can take control of the monster that destroyed the Negative Monster?")

Solitude threw back her head with a sickening crack and laughed loudly. **_"It's too beautiful! Now your God Card obeys me! Negative Possession, like the darkness I am made of, is strong enough to control your monster!"_**

"There's no time for this foolishness, so I'll just set one card face-down and end my turn." Steve looked up at the God Card and sighed. ("It seems the Society needs to form stronger Gods if they're this easily controlled.")

Solitude drew, and she hissed in anger as the dragon suddenly returned to Steve's field. **_"So I see, God Cards apparently are stronger than I first perceived."_** Then she looked at the drawn card and shrugged it off. **_"No matter, I'll activate the magic card Cycle of Souls and shuffle three removed from play cards into my deck."_** Her deck was suddenly restored slightly. **_"From my hand I activate Essence of the Negative, special summoning Warrior of the Solitude."_** A black-robed warrior holding a pair of giant meat-cleaver weapons appeared in play, his black eyes similar to his mistress'. (2000/2000)

Steve narrowed his eyes and then pointed to his set card. "Reverse card open, Godly Commandment. During this turn you cannot attack."

"**_End turn then."_** Solitude smirked. **_("He's clever, he knows what this monster does when it battles with a Divine Beast or a Dragon.")_**

"Draw!" Steve discarded the card. "I activate the Heavenly Sword Strike effect. Disappear!" His monster exhaled a lightning blast that shattered the Swordsman.

"**_At this time I remove the top two cards of my graveyard."_** Solitude held up one of the cards and her graveyard slot started bellowing out white mist. **_"One of my removed trap cards was Burn the Soul, which destroys all cards on my field and in my graveyard when removed and gives me 700 life points per card."_** Her field exploded and his life points increased before the God Card's effect could finish her.

Steve- 6000

Solitude- 4700

Steve crossed his arms across his chest. "End turn. You've got only one card left now."

"**_That's true, but it doesn't matter. This is the end for you."_** She drew. **_"My card is Black Ace of Joker. This card can only activate if I have no cards in my deck, graveyard, hand, or field. In other words…it is the ultimate draw for this moment. You lose."_**

Steve frowned slightly.

Steve- Loss by Black Ace of Joker

Solitude- 4700

"**_Now I'll be more than glad to consume your soul…prepare to die!"_** Solitude prepared to jump…

Steve pulled a silver handgun out of the holster under his suit and lined it up with her head. "Tell me, have you ever heard of Soul Blight Bullets? They're specially blessed bullets that can break past the normal restrictions on outside violence a darkness game has, and when used on shadow-infused creatures they are instantly lethal."

"_**You can't seriously expect to hit with me with a bullet, can you?"**_

"Nope." The man aimed the gun at his chest. "But anything they hit is infused with the same immunity to darkness while they're in contact, hence why it's lethal to darkness-infused creatures."

Solitude would have laughed except for the fact that she would have left herself open to getting shot. **_"You intend to kill yourself just to make sure your body is thrown free of the darkness game, trapping me inside with conditions that cannot be fulfilled? I never thought such a man would make a sacrifice out of himself."_**

Steve chuckled quietly. "That's the problem with you supernatural things. You underestimate the use of good old technology…like bulletproof undercoverings." Then he pulled the trigger and went into a roll that carried him right through the darkness sphere, which could not stop him.

Solitude sat down and closed her eyes. **_("It's no matter…this darkness game will not leave until either he returns to die or someone steps into it and takes his place. Either way, I have spent years in that girl's accursed body. A few more hours won't hurt.")_** Then she began shaping the pathetically weak body of the girl to something more of her liking.

_To be continued…_


	71. The Purpose of the Saviors

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinite Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 71: The Purpose of the Saviors

Silk smiled widely as she watched Rysel and Shining Savior clash again. It looked like neither of them was making any progress, but that was no huge deal to her. ("According to Lady Amaeura the golden boy can only keep up that level of power for another earth minute or so. Lord Rysel is strong enough to last that long. And then when Shining Savior loses his power we'll have won! This will be beautiful…the praise I will receive will be such an honor!") She clasped her hands together again and nearly shed tears of pure joy. "It's such a wonderful day to be alive!"

From behind her Valor Savior appeared, kneeling and using his fist to prop himself up. "Milady Silk, we have captured Starlight Savior. What would you have us do with her?"

"Oh you can just…" Silk felt like she was suddenly missing something. ("Wait, Starlight Savior? They never referred to each other by…")

"**Nova Cannon!"** The long-haired hero pressed his hand against the back of her neck, barely flinching as she was instantly vaporized by the point-blank shot. "That was ridiculously easily."

He turned to look over at the nearby bushes while removing the collar, which was only held onto his neck because he had been holding it there. "You can come out now, I got her."

Fantasy, Vortex and Starlight Savior all emerged from the bushes, looking extremely relieved.

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Shining Savior smiled slightly, his face a few inches from Rysel's as they struggled to overcome each other while their scepter and sword were pressed against each other. "From the looks of it now you're out of luck. This is the time you run, right? Live to fight another day and all that?"

The Blood Prince suddenly released his sword and with that hand backhanded the golden Savior just hard enough to shake him up a little before he caught his sword and returned to the struggle. "I do believe that should answer your question. If it had just been a Vengeance I would have brushed it aside, but the girl your friend just killed was one of my love's precious charges. Therefore it seems I'm going to have to be rather violent with you all."

Shining Savior wasn't sure what sure was more surprising. Was it the fact that Rysel had just shown speed that defied his original levels or the fact that he wasn't going to be retreating?

"In case you can't understand how I just did, please keep in mind that over the course of the last few minutes you've been steadily getting slower and weaker. In fact at this point you're about as strong as the rest of them." Then he remembered something. "Oh yes, on that note…" He whistled loudly and a few seconds the golden hero disappeared as Chansen appeared out of nowhere and clotheslined him from the side. "Thank you Chansen." Then he turned to confront four of his favorite earthlings. "Hello Ichigo, Nikolai, Adriel, Chris-chan."

All four of the Saviors frowned slightly and slid into a back-to-back formation. They knew that Rysel was going to be a tough opponent to beat if they didn't combine their strength.

Rysel sighed loudly and stabbed his sword into the ground, using it as something to lean against. "Well it seems you've went and killed off Silk, Ichigo."

"It looks like it." The heroine replied.

"I'm rather curious as to how you did it though." The Blood Prince looked contemplative, but just sighed and looked about ninety degrees to the right at a nearby treetop. "That was the cue for your entrance. I know you are there, my suicidal human friend. Of course your biggest trick, the element of surprise, allowed you to remove all of the collars at once with a bit of good aim and those sharp objects you throw."

"_Indeed, you are quite sharp to detect my location so easily!"_ The sound of a guitar strummed to their ears. _"With a beautiful dream behind my shoulders, I emerge from the shadows to assist the heroes in need. My name is El Mariachi Verdadero!"_ A caped form leapt out of the treetops and landed at the side of the Saviors, revealing the costumed Spaniard.

Rysel closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. "I am so disappointed that I have to do this."

"Do what?" Vortex Savior asked.

The Blood Prince's reply was to start clicking open the fasteners on his trenchcoat. "First let me remove these restrictive garments. They are quite fashionable but such a pain to move around freely in."

Removing the crimson article, he threw it aside and stretched a couple of times. This didn't do much to ease the Saviors' tensions, considering that Rysel's upper chest was muscled in a way meant to allow the strongest mix of dexterity and upper body strength. In other words, he had the body to match his pretty boy looks.

Fantasy Savior flushed bright red, her cheeks turning a molten shade of the color. "Ummm…do you think maybe we could fight with you still wearing your coat?"

"I must decline that, my dear." Pulling his sword out of the dirt road, Rysel popped his neck a couple of times. "Chansen should keep our shining friend out of the way."

"Hey!" Yelled Vortex Savior. "I asked you a freaking question!"

"Oh yes, please forgive my rudeness." The Blood Prince rubbed a bit of dirt from his sword, making it seem impossible to be more casual about what he was going to say. "I have to kill you all now. Despite my promise to Ichigo in the past, I was ordered by my father to directly deal with all of you." His crimson eyes continued to smile while glowing blood red tattoos appeared all over his chest and back. "This should be quite a treat for you all. After all, it isn't often that I get to use my actual powers."

"Guys…I'd think we might be best off running…" Starlight Savior realized something was already wrong. She glanced behind her and realized that all four of her allies were already in the process of dodging a storm of blood spikes that were exploding out of the ground. ("I guess we don't get to run.") Then she brought her attention ahead just in time to block Rysel's sword swing on one of her gauntlets. "I don't get it Rysel, why would you choose now to break your promise and involve yourself?"

"I have a better question for you, Ichigo." Rysel said gently, barely applying any pressure with his sword but already seeing the blade slowly start to sink through the armor like it was made of butter and his weapon was a hot knife. "I didn't think you and your friends would be so quick to take the life of another being. You just killed one of my love's charges, one of her hand-raised soldiers…much like how my father trained Chansen, except even more personal. Therefore I cannot tolerate it any more. WTF did you do that for?" The beginning of the last sentence was spelled out, not pronounced.

"……" The heroine stared at Blood Prince, fear forgotten. "What…did you just say?"

"Hm? Did I say it wrong?" Rysel withdrew his sword and stepped back, rubbing his chin. "I'm sorry; I've been trying to learn the linguistics of your species."

"No, that…" Starlight Savior suddenly felt the tension of the moment disappear. "Rysel, where did you get your information?"

"Earth's repository of electronic age information…I believe you call it the internet. Why?" The Blood Prince looked absolutely puzzled now. "It was a very credible source, according to my spies anyway. They even directed me to some interesting wargames that you humans play."

"What other terms did you pick up from this 'repository'?" Starlight Savior felt that the moment was wasted. The tension for this situation was completely and utterly gone. Then the Blood Prince rested the tip of his sword against her throat and the tension returned. "I'm guessing we're past the whole talking phase of this, aren't we?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Rysel lifted the sword high up above his head. "Ichigo, while I've had lots of fun with you I must now kill you. Please don't take it personally."

"Hold it!" A voice yelled out from the entrance to the dueling arena.

"Hmmm?" Starlight Savior turned to look at the entrance to the arena just in time to get hit in the head with something the size of a pebble. "Ow!" Reflexes took over and she caught it out of the air.

Steve dropped back out of sight and clutched at his side, trying to keep the flow of blood there from becoming too severe. ("Apparently good old-fashioned technology is crap. Stupid bullet apparently is supposed to seek openings in armor and pierce it. That's the last time I shoot myself with a magic bullet.")

Rysel sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with hand. "You know Ichigo, is it just me or does it seem that whenever I'm about to finish you off something interferes and I end up giving up."

"That seems to be the gist of it." The heroine shrugged innocently, and then remembered the object that had hit her in head. She opened her palm…and saw that there was nothing there. ("Where'd it go?")

_("Ichigo!")_

Rysel blinked as the Savior suddenly placed her hands over her ears and cowered in pain, as if someone just next to her had screamed something. "This is all so very confusing…"

"Welcome to my life since I've come to this academy." Starlight Savior yelped as she realized that Rysel's sword was headed straight for her eye. And then she was flipping away from it. ("I didn't tell myself to move.")

_("Yeah, you were about to die so I liberated your body. Sorry.")_ Eri's voice echoed in her head.

("Eri? How'd you get in here?") The heroine saw Rysel diving in for a thrust with his sword, but she was already dancing out of the way of the assault with the grace of a ballerina. ("And when did you learn how to move like this?")

_("Ichigo, remind me to kill your old fart of a grandfather. The bastard tried to purge all my memories of you.")_

("He what?") "Grandpa!" Even as she yelled this Starlight Savior twisted in a way that should have broken her spine, but somehow she barely noticed it was happening. "I know you're there, hurry up and answer me!"

Rysel couldn't believe this. ("I'm actually trying to hit Ichigo and he's dodging me effortlessly. It's like he's having someone else drive his body.") And then he figured it out. "So you have the Infinity Shield now?"

"I do?" Starlight Savior was getting so confused by all of this. Eri was saying something in her head about stuff concerning an evil version of herself and the Infinity Shield and hiding in it, apparently her grandfather tried to mentally assassinate her girlfriend, and now Rysel was saying stuff. "You know there's one too many things I need to address right now, so I'll put the grandpa thing on hold and…" ("Eri, can we talk about this a little later? I need to kind of deal with the ridiculously powerful guy trying to kill me.")

_("Yeah, that's the other thing. You can slap this loser down easy!")_

"Say what now?" If it wasn't for the fact that Eri was currently controlling her body she would have face-fallen right there and Rysel would have run her through. "You're telling me I can beat Rysel easy?"

The Blood Prince's assault paused. "Hmmm? What's this you're talking about?"

Starlight Savior wasn't listening to him; she was looking upwards and nodding her head like she was listening to instructions. "Are you serious? That's…that's…ARGH!"

Rysel sighed and rubbed the side of his head. "Ichigo, you are acting very peculiar. And when I say this about an earthling you know I mean it. Who exactly are you talking to?"

"I'm speaking with somebody who apparently is going to get a big hug very soon!" Grinning widely, she turned and ran towards the still-dodging Fantasy Savior. "Hey Chris-chan, come here for a second!"

"Huh?" The female Savior yelped and jumped back as another spike of blood exploded out of the ground at her. "Ichigo-chan I'm kind of busy right now and…" She felt a tingle run up her arm as Starlight Savior grabbed her hand. "Huh?" Then she disappeared in a burst of pink light.

Rysel did a double-take when that happened. ("What was that?")

The heroine grinned widely and looked down at her hands. "That's…that's…that's awesome!" She slapped the ground. **"Lullaby Touch!"** The earth and grass in front of her exploded upwards in a fountain of pink energy. "Oh my god that's absolutely awesome, awesome, awesome!"

------------------------------------

"Owie owie owie…." Chris rubbed her sore butt and then looked at her normal hand. "Huh? What happened to my suit?" She looked around and realized that she was floating in an empty void of blackness. "Bwha? Where am I?"

"Relax," Eri said from behind her, a slight smile on the demoness' face. "And watch the show." She motioned to a hole in the middle of time and space that showed them what was going on outside. "Apparently, Ichigo's enjoying the sudden coolness of being able to use your powers."

"Ichigo…my…bwha?" Chris' eyes were already replaced by swirls, because she was completely confused now.

---------------------------------------

Vortex Savior stabbed his hands into the ground. **"Doom Mire!"** The dirt in front of him converted to black tar that swallowed up the spikes which sucked up the spikes that tried to emerge from it. "Heh, piece of cake!"

Because he was looking at the ground though, the spiky-haired hero didn't see Starlight Savior until she had already flying-tackled him. "Adriel, come here a second!"

"Gah! Let me go you…" He disappeared in a flash of purple light.

Landing on her feet, the heroine pumped her fist into the air. "This is the coolest thing ever!" ("Hey Eri, is Chris and Adriel there?")

_("Yeah, though Adriel is currently very angry and not liking the idea that he's trapped in your head.")_

("Well tell him to bear it…") "Oh hey Nikolai, I need to touch you!" She ran towards the last of the Saviors besides herself. "You and I need to team up our powers along with the others! I swear, it'll be the greatest thing ever!"

Valor Savior muttered something in Russian and chopped through another spike of blood with his hand. "You know I'd be much more confident about lending you my power if it wasn't for the fact that you sound absolutely ridiculous when you say things like that!"

"Less talky, more absorby!" She grabbed his hand and he disappeared in a burst of dark green light. "Yay!"

Rysel sighed loudly and aimed his sword at the heroine. "Ichigo, I grow tired of waiting. I gave you the common courtesy of preparation, but you're trying my patience. Are we going to fight now?"

Starlight Savior had her back to him, listening to something. "So that's it. Well, I guess I'll leave it to her then." She smiled slightly and turned to face him. "In just a moment we will…but first…" Her armor started to glow, the colors flashing from dark blue and light blue to purple and black to red and pink to dark green and aquamarine to orange and yellow and then back, the cycle rapidly gaining in speed. **"Awaken Gemini, Soul of Hope! Awaken, Soul of Mirrors!"**

"Hmmm, you've gained a new power?" Rysel started to smile calmly, until he saw Starlight Savior disappear in a burst of rainbow winds. From within that orb he could see something forming behind her, but up to this point he was unsure what it was. And then the winds whipped across his face and he could feel just what this was. ("This energy…it's enormous. It's beyond anything I've felt before…")

----------------------------------------

"Pilkington!" Adriel leapt across the expanse and tried to choke Ichigo. "You would dare to suck me into this creepy place?"

Eri grabbed the half dragon demon by the back of his jacket and hurled him in the other direction. "Hold it, Zaytel. If you haven't noticed Ichigo just saved the lot of you from getting killed by Rysel."

Nikolai frowned slightly and looked around the creepy place. "I still don't understand how any of this is going to help us."

Ichigo and Eri both smirked slightly, motioning to the 'window' in the air. Projected in it was a humanoid form trapped within a swirling orb of ten different colors. The blues were sucked out of the body of the new form, leaving it wearing a white bodysuit. It shuddered and from behind it a pair of curved metal frames sprouted from the back, spreading wide like a pair of bones behind it. The ten colors slowed their insane twirling and one by one slammed into the inner curves of the metallic frames sticking from the form's back. The colors then all condensed, forming into a pair of white 'wings' with a brilliant set of streaked colors feathers, one of the wings having the primary Savior colors and the other having the secondary colors in its patterns.

The final product could only be described as some kind of angelic suit of Savior armor. The wearer's face still couldn't be seen, except for a rainbow mass of hair flowing from their head.

Chris stared at the picture in wonderment. "It's so beautiful…"

"It's us." Ichigo said simply, as if that would explain it all.

"Wait…you mean that single form…" Adriel suddenly started tearing up. "I'm sharing a body with Pilkington now! Oh, can this day get any worse?"

("So that's it.") Nikolai understood now. ("That is why the Sources were so desperate to get together?")

--------------------------

Rysel braced himself against the gentle and yet somehow incredibly powerful winds coming from the Savior's flapping wings, each movement of the elegant rainbow-colored objects creating a strong breeze that hit with the force of a hurricane. "Ichigo…I don't understand how this could be possible…where is this power coming from?"

"I'm afraid Ichigo isn't here right now to take your question, but I'll be glad to direct the question to myself." The rainbow winds died down to reveal a rainbow-haired female Savior, looking just like Starlight Savior. She stood confidently before the Blood Prince, while at her side there was a beautiful white sword with insets in its hilt to hold the five Infinity Sources. "I am the awakened weapon of the Infinites. The Saviors are my parts. They are my Heart, my Mind, my Dreams, my Duty, and my Shield to protect those you would hurt." Her rainbow eyes twinkled. "The name is Soul Savior, in case you were wondering."

----------------------------

Both Adriel and Nikolai started twitching rapidly. "You…you have to be kidding…"

Eri rubbed an index finger under her nose and snickered. "I'm not a big fan of the whole rainbow color thing, but I guess if it's temporary then it'll do."

Chris hugged Ichigo around the neck and grinned widely. "Ichigo, that's so cool! Did you come up with that on your own?"

Blushing slightly, the half demon rubbed the back of his head and nodded. "Yeah, it asked me for a form and I think I just said the equivalent of 'whatever works'."

"For the first time in my life I don't know whether to kill Pilkington now or when we get our bodies back." Adriel tried will all of his willpower not to repeat his attempt to strangle the half demon.

"Wait until we've got our bodies back." Nikolai cracked his knuckles. "I want to hear real bones break."

--------------------------------

"Soul Savior?" Rysel had to smile now. Considering the power she was giving off, it was completely understandable why his father would be so adamant about finding the Sources. Even one of them would have been enough. "I see now that I had a lapse in judgment to let Ichigo absorb the other Saviors. Apparently you're stronger than I had anticipated."

Soul Savior extended one of her arms and turned it, letting him see the segments of her completely armored form as it moved silently. "I don't believe that matters. I'm simply glad those five finally got their act together and summoned me."

The Blood Prince suddenly was glowing as his tattoos came to life. "Very well then, Soul Savior. Shall we fight?" He lifted his sword, summoning forth his power to begin…and then he realized that he wasn't moving.

"Unlike Starlight Savior's version, my Time Control works on you." She winked at him, a little rainbow heart appearing from that point and floating up into the air a little before fading.

-------------------------------

Ichigo cowered before the glares of Adriel and Nikolai. "I swear I didn't give her the ability to create that heart! Please don't kill me!"

-------------------------------

Rysel continued to smile calmly. "That's nice and all, but what exactly will you do to defeat me?" He could not move, but he knew that for her to have been able to do this must have been a tremendous drain on her energy.

She held her hand out and the sword that was hovering at her side floated into her grasp. "I will summon the full power of the Infinites down on you." She made a few hands motions in the air. **"Awaken Leo, Soul of Relay!"**

"Relay?" The Blood Prince's eyes widened as the sword's shape changed, the weapon changing into a white metal red. Atop the metal object rested a metal egg-shaped construct with two holes in it. One was on top and the other was from its front, meaning he could see right into it. And inside it were the five Infinity Sources, sitting around each other in a semi-circle shape and pulsing in a variety of patterns. "If you think the Sources raw power can destroy me then you're mistaken, I'm too strong for that."

Soul Savior released the relay and let it float in front of her, closing her eyes. **"Infinity Sentinel, hear my call. I ask for a portion of your power, the strength necessary to do your bidding. Infinite Planet Cleanser!"**

Rysel waited for something to come out of the object, but nothing happened. "So…are you going to destroy me or just yell strange attack names at me?"

She opened her eyes and looked up at the sky. "Your empire's fleet can destroy entire planets with its raw firepower, but can you tell me why you've never attempted to attack Crystal Haven before?"

"The home planet of the Infinites? It's because their planet possesses a giant reflector-based weapon that's attack power goes past any scale of shielding known to other species' technological advances…" He went silent. ("Well that's one way to scare me, I suppose…")

------------------------------------

------------------------------------

"Sir!" A voice yelled from across a room filled with computers. "One of our satellites just detected something approaching the Earth!"

A giant screen that filled one whole side of the giant room changed to show a picture of space, and of a rapidly approaching beam of white light. "According to our data it's the size of the moon!"

"What?" Panic spread across the room and the dozens of people at the controls started to scramble for their phones. "Get the President on the phone now! We need to inform them of this! What's the thing's ETA?"

"This is impossible…its ETA is calculated to be about thirty seconds…" Then the screen turned bright white. "Give or take a few dozen seconds…"

-------------------------------------------

The whole of the planet was bathed in white light as a pillar of white energy dropped down onto it, the focus point being Duel Academy in Japan.

And Rysel was getting a front-row seat view to something that made the Infinites such a danger to the Blood Children Empire. It was their ability to utterly ignore universally accepted laws. One of their most unbelievable wonders was a giant crystal moon that circled their home planet. It somehow, despite all logic, was set up so that by sending only a minimal amount of energy through the core of the moon one could send the energy through a process of thousands of naturally formed crystal facets that could turn the power needed to turn on a light into a planet-engulfing beam capable of scraping away everything above the bedrock of the target.

That was why his father's fleet never attacked Crystal Haven directly, because that blasted moon could send a sweeping blast of death through the whole Royal Battle Fleet and obliterate it in a few shots. It's only known restriction was that its range was extremely limited before the blast simply broke down into light again. After that it was just a harmless, albeit planet-sized, comet of light that supposedly traveled incredible distances at incredibly fast speeds. This didn't stop the Blood Children Empire though. They had energy-shielded warheads and long range rockets. It was very easy to just hurl thousands of bombs at Crystal Haven daily and watch the destruction from out of the Sentinel's range.

("That's what the Infinity Sources are meant to be. They aren't sources of infinite energy, but they are capable of absorbing infinite power if exposed to it.") It all made sense now. The Sources weren't meant to be weapons…they were meant to be a relay point to reconvert the comet of light from the Sentinel into a weapon again.

Soul Savior seemed unaffected by the fact that a few inches from her a celestial-body sized blast of white light was being sucked into the relay she had created. She didn't even need to squint, as if the light didn't affect her vision at all. "That's the last of it." As suddenly as the sky had turned white it returned to normal, the tail of the blast being sucked into the top of the relay.

Rysel could see inside the relay, and he could see that it was pure white inside. The object started to shake a little bit as the Infinity Sources reflected the light off of them repeatedly, reconverting it to a level of power capable of razing planets. "I'm supposing I should be honored that you'd need a weapon capable of obliterating entire fleets to deal with me, but I'd rather not die regardless."

She pointed at him, the relay's front opening aimed directly at his body. **"Relay Planet Buster!"** And then it unleashed its gathered contents, Rysel disappearing within a rapidly spreading blast of pure white that hurtled back upwards back into space. A few moments later the condensed blast ended, leaving nothing but a white comet of light heading off into space. "And that is that."

-------------------------------

From within Soul Savior, all five of her respective contributors for a body were completely silent, staring at the window and at the smoldering aftermath created by the blast.

"She angled it perfectly…" Ichigo started.

"…so that it would hit Rysel…" Adriel continued.

"…and would immediately arc into space?" Nikolai rubbed his forehead. "That…didn't make sense. She was aiming it straight at him; it should have shot forward and blow away everything in its path."

"Apparently," Eri muttered. "The Infinites don't follow the normal rules of physics we've grown up to believe…or something."

"Do it again!" Chris yelled with a huge grin on her face and arms up in the air. "Banzai!"

----------------------------------

Soul Savior exhaled and the relay at her side converted back into a sword shape. "Maybe that was overkill, but at least he's dead now."

"Not…quite…" The steam created from the heat of the blast lifted into the sky finally, revealing Rysel face-down in the dirt and covered in wounds that had instantly been cauterized by the heat of the Relay Planet Buster. "Apparently the Infinites haven't perfected the process of replicating the blast that could wipe out our empire's fleet…but it doesn't matter…" He let out a low groan of pain and collapsed, unable to hold his head up even a little now. "In the words of the human race…OMG Suxxor…"

Despite the fact that she was also an alien entity, Soul Savior had the memories of her five parts. Despite her otherworldly beauty and angelic appearance, even she couldn't avoid face-falling when he said that. ("Even when dying, he somehow sucks all the tension out of the situation.") "How are you still alive anyway?" She asked from the ground.

"I…simply used my blood guard. If the weapon is light, then I will use the blackest of it to disperse and obscure that shining energy until it is weakened." Even now, when burned and injured to the point of what seemed to be death, he was calm. "Tell me something, Soul Savior, is Ichigo in there? Can I speak with him?"

"I don't know how to break my summoning," She said, standing up and brushing the dust from her armor. "He can hear you though."

"I just wanted to let him know that I was glad to come to this planet, and have him for a friend. I see now that my father was wrong. The Infinites, if they possessed this kind of technology, could have easily taken our place as the conquerors of the universe." The Blood Prince felt tired…the pain was strangely absent, but he was still slipping into darkness. "If I had learned this earlier, I would have stopped my assaults. I would have opposed him. I always did this thinking that he intended to stop the dangers that the Infinites represented with their technology."

"You were grossly misinformed, apparently about everything." She turned away. There were still things that had to be done by the Saviors, and her time was running short. "Let me make it simple for you. The Infinites never have used the Sentinel on a planet. We don't know its real power because we only use it to protect ourselves. Your side was the aggressor, slaughtering planet upon planets worth of rare and endangered species for little to no reason."

"Yes, I see that now." Rysel's breathing was getting shallow. "Chansen, you are here correct?"

"Yes sir." From off to the side the blue-robed giant of a man appeared, kneeling before the fallen Blood Prince. "I have been here and did not interfere as you ordered."

"Return to the ship…and tell Amaeura not to come here seeking revenge. Tell her what she suspected was correct. My father was wrong. I would like to be buried here on earth…I would like to die here than rather placed in some stuffy tomb with my ancestors on the homeworld."

"Yes milord." Bowing once more, the Blood Child disappeared.

"Well then, I suppose there's no point to finishing you off." Soul Savior walked towards the arena building. "Humans may come here to see what happened with the comet, shall I move your body?"

"Worry not, when I die that will not be a problem. I will be automatically returned to the Marrow." Rysel closed his eyes, feeling his body slowly stop. "Tell me though…where are you going?"

"Ichigo has a battle he has to fight now. I hope you do not take offense, but I must hurry. My time is up." She flapped her wings once and launched towards the entrance to the building.

"No…go…" The Blood Prince stopped moving, a slight smile on his face. ("Ichigo…thank you….")

_To be continued…_


	72. Responsibility of the Shadows

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 72: Responsibility of the Shadows

"So let me get this straight." Ichigo crossed his arms across his chest, looking extremely cross. "You came all this way to see Eri. You came all this way to see Eri and to wipe all memories of her experiences with me, and therefore most of her last year or so of life away."

Steve winced as Masami tightened the dressings over his bullet wound to make sure it would stay closed. "Yup, that's about the jist of it."

"And you won't tell me why you came here to do that, but you're telling me it isn't you being ridiculously over-protective like dad told me you used to act?" A large vein could be seen on Ichigo's forehead. "You know, grandpa, Eri's begging me to let her use my body long enough to beat your skull in. Naturally I was against it, but at the moment I'm wondering if maybe she had the right idea."

Masami shook his head at that. "Ichigo, your grandfather is human." He noticed the sly cat look the half demon got suddenly. "No, you may not use the GAD on his to change that. Besides, hitting him with your strength while he's injured will not make things any better."

"No but it might make me feel a little better." Ichigo glared at his grandfather before turning around to face the pulsating darkness orb that covered the dueling ring in front of him. "Forget it; it'll be dealt with later. Eri is safe."

Then he turned and glared at Steve one more time. "I do take offense that you were trying to purge all thoughts of me from her mind though, but once again I'll deal with you later."

Steve sighed loudly. "I suppose I can't expect any mercy from a grandson scorned, or something like that. Anyway, if you intend to face what's in there then you had better be careful. The thing in there is the darkness of Eri's heart."

"The darkness of Eri's heart," Ichigo frowned and narrowed his eyes at the darkness sphere. "It's like my deck, but different. It's far more violent than the Final Shadows."

Nikolai stepped forward and cracked his knuckles. "Indeed, and therefore I'll be going with you. Your knowledge of Shadow decks is nearly zero, which means that you'll spend most of the duel getting torn to shreds if I don't back you up."

"I see the whole 'I'm the leader' idea still doesn't sit well with you, Nikolai," muttered Ichigo, under his breath.

"It's not so much that you claim to be the leader, it's the fact you're completely incompetent." The Russian duelist approached the darkness sphere, stopping as he reached the steps the led up the dueling ring. A few bolts of darkness leapt out to hit him in an attempt to knock him away, but he barely felt their touch. "It won't stop you or me from entering, so let's go."

Ichigo nodded and pulled his deck out of his pocket. He fanned the cards out in front of him and had to smile a little at the sight of the four Final Shadow Gods lined up in a row. Since he had joined Duel Academy Ichigo had experienced so many things, but the most unique to him was the memories held by these cards. "Halo, Alahandra, Splinter, Ahran…all different people in their own right, but all of them found life through me." He felt a twinge of displeasure in the back of his mind. ("Eri, I know you want a crack at her but the Final Shadows…")

_("There's no need to apologize to me Ichigo, just get that thing out of my body.")_ The demoness sighed in his head and he could tell that she was rather depressed.

("Right.") Ichigo was about to step up to the sphere when he felt a tug on his jacket. He turned and came face to face with Masami. "Is something the matter, Masami-san?"

"I just wanted to offer you a couple of cards that I think will make things easier for you." The Ra Yellow held up a pair of cards and offered them to the half demon. "Take them, I promise they'll be useful to you."

Ichigo gently plucked the cards from Masami's grasp and his eyes widened. "These are rather…interesting effects. Are you sure?" He realized that Masami was dead serious. "Alright man, I'll trust you on this one." He shuffled the two cards into his deck and stepped up to the orb. "You ready Nikolai?"

"Let's just clear away this mistake. I don't need something else smearing the name of the Shadows." Then he stepped through the sphere, not hindered in the least. It was like the darkness was ready and willing to accept him into itself.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo followed.

------------------------------------------

They both entered into a gray and black void, the only thing remaining the same being the ground at their feet.

Ichigo looked down at his hand and realized that everything was in extreme shades of grey and black. "Nikolai, this isn't like any darkness game I've ever been in before."

"Of course it isn't," The Russian duelist frowned, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. "Don't you get it; we're standing in a Shadow Zone."

"What's a Shadow Zone?" Ichigo winced as he was whapped over the head by Nikolai's right hand. "Ow!"

"That's for not knowing important things." Nikolai glanced around the dull-colored void nervously. "A Shadow Zone is a pocket dimension saturated with the energy that is created from a Soul Shadow deck. Think of it as a field magic card in permanent effect."

"I can follow that idea, but what's the 'field card' do?" Ichigo felt a chill run down his spine and he heard a low hiss over his shoulder. For a moment he thought something had slipped behind him, but glancing back he realized that there was a little phantom image of Eri floating on his shoulder. ("So this is what's it like to have a devil sitting on your shoulder.")

_("You picked a dumb time to develop a sense of humor. She's coming.")_ The little phantom demoness let out a low growl as humanoid form slinked out of the throbbing void slowly.

"**_Welcome, my guests."_** The speaker was a young woman wearing a skin-tight black dress. Her black hair fell over one half of her face, and the other side of her face revealed a black and gold eye along with rather ashy pale skin. **_"In case the little girl on your shoulder hasn't told you already, my name is Solitude. Welcome to my little corner of the universe."_** Her wolf ears were combed back along with most of her hair. This gave her a very 'dark temptress' kind of look.

"_Thanks for making me look like a slut,"_ muttered the phantom Eri, sitting on Ichigo's shoulder in a huff because of her current inability to do anything about it.

Ichigo and Nikolai both lifted their duel disks at the same time, the devices activating and them drawing their opening hands immediately. They knew better than to listen to this thing. It was what their inner souls could have become, but because of differing circumstances they avoided that fate. Therefore it was time to show that a Shadow tamed was better than a Shadow wild.

Solitude lifted one arm and a duel disk appeared there, deck already in place. **_"I see neither of you want to speak with me about this. I guess that makes sense. Alright then, let's see just what you two can do!"_** She threw back her head and laughed loudly.

Nikolai- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Solitude- 4000

Nikolai looked down at his deck and then over at Ichigo. ("We can't rely too much on speaking to each other. In this place the only definite truth are the cards we are playing. Therefore you'll have to excuse me for not chatting too much if I can avoid it.")

Ichigo nodded. Thought he obviously didn't hear any of that, he got the basics of it just through the look in Nikolai's eyes.

"Draw!" The Russian duelist looked at his hand and nodded slowly. "I activate the magic card Chaos Planar Rip. By removing one card from my hand I can special summon a level four or lower Chaos Shadow from my deck to the field!" A demon-winged creature holding an enormous sword over one shoulder appeared on his field. "My choice is Chaos Shadow Daigren Blade!" (2200/1700) "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

"Draw!" Ichigo threw a card down onto his disk and a huge helmeted titan of a humanoid appeared on his field. "I summon Final Shadow Smash Brute in attack mode." (1800/1500) "Also I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Solitude drew, licking her lips. **_"Your Shadows look so delicious. I can't wait to consume them all!"_** She tossed a card onto her disk and from behind her a giant ghostly humanoid lumbered into play, its head hidden by the throbbing undertones of the Zone. **_"I summon Negative Soul-Consuming Apparition Type 1!"_** (1500/1200) **_"The effect of the Shadow Zone powers up all Negative monsters in play by 1000 points!"_** (2500/1200)

Both Ichigo and Nikolai grimaced at the sight of the monster that now overpowered even Daigren Blade. This changed their plans immediately, as they had both planned on having Smash Brute being the target of her attack.

"**_Apparition, swallow that foolish Daigren Blade!"_** She threw back her head and started laughing crazily as her giant punched downwards and grabbed the Chaos Shadow, bringing it up to its hidden mouth. Loud and disgusting crunching sounds could be heard for a few moments, and then the sound of an explosion. **_"Any monster defeated by my Apparition is removed from the game, and my monster gains 500 attack points."_** (3000/1200)

Nikolai- 3700

Ichigo- 4000

Solitude- 4000

Nikolai looked at his set Chaos Portal and scoffed angrily. ("So I see now that your strategy naturally counteracts my own. No matter, I will still win.")

"**_I place two cards face-down and end my turn."_** Solitude sneered at the human. **_"Go ahead; show me the actual power your so-called Shadows have. I can taste what they are now, and that just makes them the Shadow equivalent of a human drug addict. They've had a taste of the light and its left them changed for the worse."_**

Nikolai narrowed his eyes in anger and drew. "You are certainly a loud-mouthed creature, aren't you? From my removed from play pile the magic card Treasure of the Different Dimension returns to my hand and then all three of us will draw two cards." He looked at his hand once again. "I'll show you the mistake of underestimating the Chaos Shadows. From my hand I summon Chaos Shadow Wishmaster in defense mode!" The multi-seer of the Chaos Shadows appeared on his field in a crouching position. (1000/1200) "When this monster is summoned I remove the top card of my deck from the game. Also I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo drew. ("Nikolai is forced on the defensive, but the effect of his Wishmaster will let him recover all the cards it removes, so therefore I've just got to be patient and try to buy him time. I'm betting he's setting up for something big.") "From my hand I summon Final Shadow God Midnight Romancer in defense mode!" The tuxedo-wearing air attribute member of the Gods appeared on his field in a crouching position. (1400/1200) "I activate Gentleman's Aura! Solitude draws one card, but instead of me gaining life points I'll give the extra life points to Nikolai!"

Nikolai- 6700

Ichigo- 4000

Solitude- 4000

Nikolai's eyes widened slightly. "Why are you powering up my life points?"

Ichigo winked. "Don't worry about it." He pointed at his Smash Brute, the giant dropping to one knee. "I switch Smash Brute into defense mode and end my turn."

"**_I have to agree with the girl, you are rather cute when you do stupid things."_** Solitude drew. **_"Since Addict Shadow boy wants to let me draw cards so badly I suppose I'll thank him by attacking his Wishmaster! Go Type 1!"_** Her giant dropped one huge towards Nikolai's defense mode Chaos Shadow.

"Reverse card open!" The Russian duelist smirked slightly, the face-down card being a trap card with a picture of Wishmaster looking intently into one of his orbs. "Wish of Future can only activate when Wishmaster is on my field. I remove the top four cards of my deck and treat them as if they were removed by Wishmaster's effect!" The top four cards of his deck disappeared right before the giant phantasm flattened his monster under its fist. "When Wishmaster is destroyed as a result of battle all cards removed by its effect enter my hand!" His hand doubled in size as five cards appeared alongside his original five.

"**_You don't get such luck, not at all!"_** Solitude pointed at one of her set cards. **_"I reveal the trap card Curse of the Greedy Spirit! This card can only activate when three or more cards are added to your hand by an effect. You discard the number of cards added to your hand and then discard an equal number afterwards."_** Her dark features twisted slightly in perverse pleasure as she watched the color drain from the boy's face. **_"That's right, all of them."_** (3500/1200)

Nikolai made a noise of displeasure and slid his ten card hand into his graveyard.

Solitude slid two more cards into her disk. **_"I place two more cards face-down on my field. End turn."_**

Ichigo looked over at Nikolai worriedly. "Hey…"

"Don't pity me, Pilkington." He drew and held up Card of Sanctity. "My dueling skills go beyond what this thing can do." He drew six cards from his deck while Solitude drew two.

"**_Is that so?"_** Solitude's dark smile returned and her set card flipped up. **_"I reveal Null and Void. When players draw cards from a card effect those cards are discarded."_** She discarded the two cards she had drawn from the effect of Card of Sanctity.

"A one-trick pony huh?" Nikolai discarded his entire hand again. "End turn."

Ichigo drew and blinked in surprise at the card. ("Alright, now there's a plan.") "I activate the effect of Midnight Romancer, my target being Nikolai again!" A green glow fell around the Russian Duelist's body while Solitude drew a card.

Nikolai- 9700

Ichigo- 4000

Solitude- 4000

Nikolai gave Ichigo a sideways glance of confusion. ("Why are you still giving the life point gain to me? Stop underestimating my skills and guarding me, I can fend for myself just fine.")

Ichigo looked at his hand and then placed a card on his disk. "I summon Final Shadow Night Slasher in defense mode." (1100/800) A dramatic black-robed form appeared on his field in a crouching position. "Also I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Solitude started snickering right before she drew. **_"This will be amusing. I play the magic card Negative Chains."_** Black chains exploded out of the ground and wrapped around Ichigo's set cards. **_"And then I play the magic card Phantasmal Fear. This card can only trigger when my opponent has all defense position monsters on their field. One Negative monster on my field can attack directly!"_**

Ichigo's eyes widened as the Type 1 monster started stomping towards him. Sweat began building up on his forehead as it lumbered right past his monsters and stopped right in front of him. "Uhh….hi there big guy." The Apparition responded by stomping on him.

Nikolai- 9700

Ichigo- 500

Solitude- 4000

"**_HAHAHAHAHAHA!"_** Solitude nearly fell over at the noisy mix of a scream and a yell noise that came from the half demon's throat when he was crushed under the foot of her monster. **_"That was priceless!"_** The monster returned to her field slowly.

Ichigo stumbled to his feet with swirls in his eyes. "Stop the void from spinning mommy…" He twirled on one foot in a couple of circles before falling over again.

Nikolai rolled his eyes and drew. "I think Pilkington is made of the same stuff cartoons are made of, considering how indestructible he seems to be." He frowned at the drawn card and slid it into his duel disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo swiftly hopped to his feet, rubbing some dirt off of his cheek and grinning. "Don't worry too much about it, Nikolai." Then he drew, while the black chains holding down his set cards shattered. "I activate Gentleman's Aura again!"

Nikolai blinked as he started glowing green. "Ichigo stop giving me life points!"

Nikolai- 12700

Ichigo- 500

Solitude- 4000

Ichigo just winked again. "Trust me," then he placed a card on his disk and a shield-carrying Final Shadow appeared in play. "I summon Final Shadow Shield Guardian!" (0/6000) "This monster's original defense is equal to the number of defense mode monsters on my field times 1500. End turn."

Solitude drew. **_"I don't know why you keep sending life points over to that black-haired fool. I know you're setting up for something, and I refuse to let you accomplish it! From my hand…"_** She suddenly grew a rather uncharacteristic smirk like something had just happened. "Type 1, attack Shield Guardian!" Her voice suddenly sounded very familiar to Nikolai's ears.

Ichigo grinned as the giant lumbered over and punched the shield-carrier, getting thrown backwards by the backlash. "Nice one Eri!"

Nikolai- 12700

Ichigo- 500

Solitude- 1500

"Eri?" Nikolai realized that one of Ichigo's two set cards was face-up…and he nearly face-fell at the name of it. "Brain Switch Ray?"

"That's right." Ichigo giggled at the stream of enraged curses echoing in the back of his head. "Brain Switch Ray can only trigger when my life points are within 4000 of my opponent's. During this turn I switch places with my opponent, but I cannot set cards or surrender."

"But you're right here, so…" Nikolai turned and stared at Eri. "You mean she's back in her body?"

"For the time being, but it's only a short reprieve." Ichigo winced a little. "Eri, end your turn before this thing's screaming gives me a migraine!"

"Right, end turn." Eri smirked…and that smirk suddenly turned into a look of absolute rage. **_"You bastards! I'll tear your heads off!"_**

Ichigo stuck his tongue out at her. "Bleah! That body isn't yours to begin with!" Then he nodded his head slightly in silent thanks to Masami. ("You were right, that card was useful.")

"Draw!" Nikolai smirked coldly. "And now for the revival of the Chaos Shadows. I activate the magic card Buried Treasure of the Forgotten Kings! This card activates when I have four or more cards in my graveyard were sent to the graveyard directly after entering my hand. All cards that have been sent from my hand to the graveyard immediately after entering my hand are returned!" Sixteen cards slid out of his graveyard.

"Now let me repay you for your attempts to lock me down. From my hand I activate the field magic card Chaos City!" All around his and Ichigo's sides of the field giant twisted buildings rose into existence.

------------------------

Adriel, Chris, Masami and Steve all stared at the darkness orb, watching it throb and pulse rapidly.

("It's getting more violent.") Steve stood up and readjusted his jacket. "If you'll excuse me, I have some calls to make." Turning, he walked towards the exit.

"Hey Masami, what did you give Ichigo anyway?" Adriel blinked in surprise as the Ra Yellow grinned widely at the question. "What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing particular, I just think that Ichigo might get a little personal enjoyment out of this duel." Kicking up his feet, Masami let out a loud yawn. "Man I'm exhausted. After fighting with Rysel one on one I'm surprised I can still move."

"Well to be honest, Masami-kun, you pushed me rather hard in the beginning." A voice from behind the three of them said calmly.

All three of the students froze, turning extremely pale. All at once their heads creaked backwards to look behind them.

"What is up, yo?" The Blood Prince, looking absolutely fine despite his fatal-looking wounds from before, said while holding up a hand in greetings. When all three of them fainted he rubbed his chin. "Perhaps I should stop trying to learn earthling linguistics?"

A pair of slim hands wrapped around his chest gently. "I think it makes you sound very dignified, Rysel darling."

Rysel continued to smile calmly. "Thank you Amaeura. Now then, would you mind giving us a look at the goings-on in the sphere?"

---------------------------

Nikolai finally got his hand sorted out. "I activate the magic card Currency Exchange! I select one player and then may select to either shuffle cards from my hand back into my deck or pay life points in increments of 1000. I choose to shuffle cards." Then he pointed at Ichigo. "For every card I return the selected duelist gains 1000 life points." He shuffled seven cards into his deck.

Nikolai- 12700

Ichigo- 7500

Solitude- 1500

The Russian duelist threw a card onto his disk. "I summon Chaos Shadow Core Defender in defense mode!" A black-crystal covered warrior appeared on his field in a crouching position. (0/1000) "For every removed from play card I have this monster gains 700 defense." (0/2400) "From my hand I activate the magic card Soul Release, removing five cards from my graveyard!" (0/6400) "Before I end my turn I activate the magic card Upset Ground. One magic card that I played during this turn is added to the hand of a different player!" He flicked Currency Exchange to Ichigo. "I have a feeling you've got something planned. End turn."

Ichigo smiled widely. "Thank you Nikolai!" Then he drew. "And now to finish this game. I start with the magic card Currency Exchange, paying 4000 life points to draw four cards!" He threw the card back to Nikolai and drew four cards from his deck. (ILP: 3500)

Solitude scoffed loudly. **_"What will those pansies Final Shadows do? You've just been setting them up like bowling pins waiting for the clearing blow."_**

Ichigo grinned. "Let me show you right now." A black-robed humanoid wearing a bone mask and holding a black katana appeared on his field. "I summon Final Shadow Death God in attack mode!" (1900/1000)

"_**I'll admit he's got a bit of class compared to the rest of your monsters, but so what?"**_

"Take a look for yourself. I activate the magic card Hollow Awakening!" Ichigo snapped his hand out and pointed at his Death God. "I offer Final Shadow Death God first!" The monster disappeared into his graveyard slot. "And special summon Final Shadow Hollow God from my deck to the field!" An exact same version of the monster appeared in play. (2800/1300) "And now for his effects. First for every Final Shadow in my graveyard he gains a power-up of 300 points." (3100/1300)

"Second," Ichigo discard a trio of cards from his hand. "I may discard any number of cards from my hand. For every one discarded you must add one monster from your deck to your hand. I discarded three, two of which were Final Shadows." (3700/1300)

Solitude removed three cards from her deck. **_"What's the point?"_**

"Third effect!" Ichigo pointed at her hand. "All cards in your hand are revealed to me!" A spread of her hand's contents appeared in the air above her. "Fourth effect, the highest attack monster in your hand does battle with my monster!" The Hollow God let out an insane laughter as it leapt into the air and hurtled towards the strongest monster card in her hand. (Negative Soul Serpent: 2600/1000)

Solitude gasped as the cackling monster slashed her monster card to pieces. **_"An attack against my hand?"_**

Nikolai- 12700

Ichigo- 3500

Solitude- 400

Ichigo sneered, mirroring the expression of his apparently insane god. "It's not over just yet. The final effect is now all monsters in your hand that were a lower level than the destroyed monster are sent to the graveyard, their effects negated!" The other four monsters in her hand exploded. "For every one destroyed you take 500 points of damage!"

The Hollow God disappeared. "When Hollow God completes its effect I remove it from the game and special summon Death God from my graveyard to my field. I special summon him in defense mode." (1900/1000) The bone-masked warrior appeared in play, katana in front of it defensively. "Not that it matters, that was the…"

"**_I love it…"_** Solitude lifted up her head and sneered at the two of them. **_"I love it! I love the fact you think you can win against me, fools!"_** (SLP: Infinite)

"What?" Both Nikolai and Ichigo stared at her life point total in confusion. "How?"

"**_Reverse card…"_** Solitude held up one of her set cards. **_"The trap card Trap Rollout. This card activates if I have nothing but trap cards in my hand. All those cards are set and activated immediately. My first card was Empty Heart, which lets me remove cards from my deck to gain 500 life points. The second was Black Chained Heart, which lets me pay 300 life points to add one card from my removed from play pile into my deck. In other words…"_**

"A two card infinite life gain loop…" Nikolai narrowed his eyes in anger. "This creature is stronger than I thought."

"**_Third was the continuous trap card Separate Dimension Entity. This card lets me remove two cards of mine from the game, but their effects remain accessible."_** She held up her two trap infinite life gain combo. **_"Therefore you won't be finishing off my life points anytime soon. Also, I activate the fourth card, the trap card Return Trap. One trap, my Separate Dimension Entity, returns to my hand. This means you cannot destroy it and return my combo to play."_**

Both Nikolai and Ichigo stared at the creature standing before them with fear painted on their faces. This was the strength of a wild Shadow…so strong it could handle both of them. This duel was going to take all of their strength to win.

_To be continued…_


	73. Overcome the Shadowed Limit

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 73: Overcome the Shadowed Limit

"_**I love it…"** Solitude lifted up her head and sneered at the two of them. **"I love it! I love the fact you think you can win against me, fools!"** (SLP: Infinite)_

"_What?" Both Nikolai and Ichigo stared at her life point total in confusion. "How?"_

"_**Reverse card…"** Solitude held up one of her set cards. **"The trap card Trap Rollout. This card activates if I have nothing but trap cards in my hand. All those cards are set and activated immediately. My first card was Empty Heart, which lets me remove cards from my deck to gain 500 life points. The second was Black Chained Heart, which lets me pay 300 life points to add one card from my removed from play pile into my deck. In other words…"**_

"_A two card infinite life gain loop…" Nikolai narrowed his eyes in anger. "This creature is stronger than I thought."_

"_**Third was the continuous trap card Separate Dimension Entity. This card lets me remove two cards of mine from the game, but their effects remain accessible."** She held up her two trap infinite life gain combo. **"Therefore you won't be finishing off my life points anytime soon. Also, I activate the fourth card, the trap card Return Trap. One trap, my Separate Dimension Entity, returns to my hand. This means you cannot destroy it and return my combo to play."**_

_Both Nikolai and Ichigo stared at the creature standing before them with fear painted on their faces. This was the strength of a wild Shadow…so strong it could handle both of them. This duel was going to take all of their strength to win._

Ichigo looked at the other cards in his hand and frowned. "I activate the effect of Midnight Romancer, Gentleman's Aura! You draw one card and I'll gain 3000 life points!" A green glow fell over his body.

Nikolai- 12700

Ichigo- 6500

Solitude- Infinite

The half demon looked at that life point total and felt his hopes plummet. ("My deck's current version isn't meant to deal with these kinds of situations.") "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn." A card appeared face-down alongside his longest-lived set card. In front of him was a line-up of five of his Final Shadows. (Shield Guardian: 0/7500) (Death God: 1900/1000) (Night Slasher: 1100/800) (Midnight Romancer: 1400/1200) (Smash Brute: 1800/1500)

Solitude licked her lips and then licked along her fingers slowly, literally salivating at the thought of swallowing the souls of these fools whole. **_"I love it…your despair is like a fresh cake delivered to my door for dessert."_** She drew. (Negative Soul-Consuming Apparition Type 1: 3500/1200) **_"From my hand I play the magic card Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two."_** Pulling three cards off of her disk, she slid Separate Dimensional Entity and another card into her graveyard. **_"Now that the only way to access my infinite life gain combo is in the graveyard you two are out of luck. Now then, Type 1 attacks that annoying Death God!"_** She cackled as the titanic monster stumbled across the field and scooped up the robed warrior in one fist, biting its head off. (4000/1200)

Ichigo growled at the giant phantasm, but beyond that there was nothing he could do. ("Even if I did get an infinite attack monster out what would it accomplish? That life gain combo makes her literally invincible to all damage until it's dealt with.") "Nikolai, do you have an idea how to deal with that combo?"

The Russian duelist rubbed his chin. "Pull a pair of removed cards into the graveyard? That shouldn't be impossible. Do you have a way to get an infinite attack monster though?"

Ichigo nodded. "There's an answer to that problem waiting in my deck. I just have to draw the last pieces of the puzzle."

"**_You're both wasting your time trying to logically figure out a way to beat me here. I cannot be beaten!"_** Solitude slid two cards into her duel disk. **_"End turn."_**

"It's my turn, draw!" Nikolai looked at his hand. ("I leave this in your hands, friend.") "I summon Chaos Shadow Tear Devil!" A blade-covered demon warrior appeared on his field. (800/800) "Fist of Sorrow! Disappear from my sight!" His monster punched a hole in the sky that sucked the Type 1 out of the game.

"**_Pathetic attempt…"_** Solitude drew from the effect of Tear Devil.

"Shut up and watch. From my hand I activate the continuous magic card Dimensional Dumping Grounds. This card lets me once per end phase send one removed from the game card into the graveyard!" Nikolai pointed at Solitude. "This is the end of your…"

"**_Reverse card open, Dust Tornado!"_** The creature laughed wildly as a powerful blast of dusty wind shattered the magic card. **_"Sorry, but your continuous card's effect won't get the chance to trigger during your end phase."_**

Nikolai glanced over at Ichigo. "End turn."

Ichigo drew. ("It's alright, as long as…") He blinked as suddenly his view of his cards was rather blurry. "Eri, can you maybe float about three inches to the left or right?"

The little phantom demoness floated out of the way and peered at the cards Ichigo was holding. _("Ichigo, what's that one card you're pinching at the back of your hand? I've never seen it before.")_

The half demon grinned. "You'll see soon enough." One look at the drawn card told him that his friends were with him. "That's right. Even in this duel the Travelers are with us. I summon Infinity Traveler-Null Entity in defense mode!" (100/200) A humanoid made entirely of prismatic light appeared on his field in a crouching position. "End turn."

Solitude drew. **_"Good, I can get rid of your annoyances. I summon Negative Knight, and then special summon Negative Polaris."_** A grey-colored knight and a ball of grey light appeared on her field. (1000/1000) (0/0) **_"The effect of Negative Knight powers it up by 400 points for every monster on your fields. Also, the effect of Polaris copies the attack of a monster on my field. Combined with the 1000 point bonus of the Shadow Zone, my monsters are invincible!"_** (4800/1000) (5800/0)

Both Ichigo and Nikolai looked at their set cards…and did a double-take as they realized those cards were gone.

"**_I'm sorry, perhaps I didn't mention but my face-down Negative Nightmare card activates when I summon a Negative monster. During this turn for every Negative monster I summon a magic or trap card in play will be destroyed. Now by combining that with my other face-down card, Double Count, I am summoning two monsters per single monster. In other words both of your set pairs are gone."_** Solitude held up a card. **_"I activate the magic card Positron Strike! This card costs me one monster in play, but I can then attack all monsters on the enemy's field with one Negative Polaris I have in play!"_** Her knight exploded. **_"Also when my Knight is sent to the graveyard I can power up one Negative monster in play by 1000 attack points."_** (6800/0)

Nikolai couldn't believe it. ("It took her every card, but she will be able to get past Core Defender!")

"**_Battle!"_** Solitude sneered as the orb shot out a blast of grey light that pierced the chest of the Tear Devil and shattered it. Then it fired again, and again, and again, repeating the process until there was nothing left of the boys' fields except for Chaos City. **_"End turn."_**

Nikolai looked distressed for a moment, but then he remembered who he was. ("I am Nikolai Corben, master of the Chaos Shadows. I will not be defeated by some wild creature of darkness.") He swiftly drew. "From my hand I activate the continuous magic card Chaos Bunker. This card can only be activated when Chaos City is in play. All damage to me is halved. Also I summon Chaos Shadow God Dark Lord in defense mode." (1800/1500) A caped and hooded noble appeared on his field in a crouching position. "End turn."

Ichigo exhaled loudly. ("I'm so close to the combo too.") "Draw!" He tossed a card onto his disk. "I summon Final Shadow God Crystal Knight in defense mode." A crystalline warrior holding a sword and shield appeared on his field. (1200/1900) "End turn."

Solitude snickered at the two boys, already reduced to mere husks of their former selves. **_"You two are absolutely foolish to think you're ready for this kind of battle. Don't you know the truth behind a Soul Shadow?"_**

"I'd prefer if you just take your turn instead." Nikolai wasn't in the mood to have the true nature of a Shadow deck explained to Ichigo, since he already knew it.

She shrugged and drew. **_"From my hand I activate the equipment magic card Double Shot. The equipped monster, my Polaris, may now attack twice. However if its first attack destroys a monster its second attack may not be direct!"_** She snickered as a pair of grey beams leapt from her monster and blew both of their Gods to pieces. **_"That's not a problem though. End turn."_**

Nikolai brushed back an out of place piece of his hair and then looked to Ichigo. "I told you I would get those cards into the graveyard and I will right now." Then he drew. "During my standby phase the effect of Chaos Bunker allows me to send it to my graveyard along with Chaos City to send all removed from play cards back to their respective graveyards!" The twisted cityscape around them shuddered and disappeared in a flash. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo looked down at his deck and then at his hand. ("The stage is nearly set…but one crucial piece is missing.") Then he held his hand up, fanning the cards out. (Final Shadow God Rage Demon, City of Shadows, Light Factory of Selective Production?) The last card was the one that Eri had noticed, but he had kept partially hidden. ("My ace in the hole, my secret weapon.")

_("Ichigo…I don't want to push you forward until you're ready…but please…")_

Ichigo suddenly opened his eyes and smiled widely. "It's showtime! Draw!" The card left his deck, leaving an arc of light behind it. He held that pose for a moment, before flipping the card face-up. "Pot of Greed." Drawing two cards off of his deck, his smile grew wider. "It's time to summon him."

"Him?" Nikolai blinked at Ichigo. "Who's him?"

The half demon opened his field magic card slot. "From my hand I activate the City of Shadows!" The Shadow Zone shuddered and was changed as giant black-shadowed skyscrapers rose up all around them. "Nikolai, I'm hoping your set cards are what I think they are."

"Don't worry about me, I know exactly what you intend to do now." The Russian duelist had been not sure before, but now he knew exactly what Ichigo was going to do.

The half demon held up Light Factory of Selective Production. "This magic card lets me add two effect monsters from my deck to my hand. These monsters cannot be discarded manually or summoned while they're in my hand!" Midnight Romancer and Crystal Knight slid out of the graveyard and into his hand. "And now it comes…let the Pinnacle begin! From my hand I activate the magic card Pinnacle of Shadow City! This magic card can only be activated if City of Shadows is in play. From my hand and field I offer the four Final Shadow Gods to summon their ultimate fusion."

"**_What kind of nonsense is this ultimate fusion stuff you're spouting?"_** Solitude blinked as the four Final Shadow Gods appeared and then disappeared, pulling into a swirling vortex. **_"Whatever you summon won't be able to beat my infinite life points."_**

Ichigo pointed at his field. A black body-suited form landed in play. It stood up and from its forehead the ties of a long bandanna could be seen. _"It's been a long time, Ichigo."_

Ichigo continued to smile as he pointed at his new monster. "Ultimate Final Shadow God Solid Snake is summoned by the effect of Pinnacle of Shadow City!" (2000/1800)

Snake lifted his head up and met eyes with Solitude. _"So, what's the mission?"_

"The mission…" Ichigo pointed at Eri's body. "…is that we get to evict someone from my girlfriend. I activate the effect of Solid Snake!" He pulled three cards from his deck. "By removing the top three cards of my deck from the game I can power up Snake by 3000 points!" (5000/1000)

"Reverse card open!" Nikolai's set card flipped up. "Dimensional Inspector activates when cards are removed from the game. I may select one of those cards and add it to my hand." Three cards appeared in front of him, and he immediately took the middle card. "And then I trigger Trap Launcher. This trap card lets me play one trap card from my hand." The card he had taken from Ichigo appeared in play. "The one card that makes your life gain combo worthless. Life Equalizer!"

"**_Life Equalizer?"_** Solitude gasped as her life points dropped downwards rapidly.

Nikolai- 3000

Ichigo- 6500

Solitude- 3000

"This is the end for you." Ichigo pointed at Snake. "Solid Snake, while in play, negates the need for me to pay for the cost of City of Shadows! One random card in your graveyard will be removed from the game!" The Negative Serpent card from before appeared in the air. "If the removed card is a monster then you now select one monster on your field and return it to your hand!"

Nikolai smirked as the Polaris disappeared. "This is the end, just as Ichigo said."

Snake got ready to charge, but he suddenly felt it. _"Ichigo…she's setting it up so that if she's destroyed the body goes with her. Are you sure you want me to attack?"_

Ichigo closed his eyes…and then opened them with a smile on his face. "Sorry Solitude, but when I said this was the end I meant it. Snake, attack her life points directly!"

"What?" Nikolai leapt across the field and grabbed the collar of Ichigo's shirt. "You would destroy your girlfriend's body?"

"No." Ichigo watched as Snake leapt towards the creature. "Masami thought ahead…hence…" He looked at the single card sitting in his hand. "From my hand I activate the quickplay magic card Soul Injection! This card lets me pay life points to power up a monster on my field by half that amount!" (ILP: 100) (8200/1000)

"That's it?" Nikolai heard Solitude scream in pain as she was punched in the midsection. "It's over…Erika Amero's body is…" The screams of pain intensified. "What?"

Solitude clutched at her head, body trembling. **_"Get out of my head! This is my body now!"_**

"Oh, Soul Injection." Nikolai resolved he had spent too much time with Ichigo, and his normally razor-sharp wit was starting to dull severely.

"Exactly," Ichigo smirked as Solitude dropped to her knees. "Eri's ready and Solitude is weakened. She'll easily restore herself back to…" Then he was blinded by a brilliant explosion of both light and darkness energy that came from the demoness' body. "Huh?"

"What's going…" Nikolai didn't even get the chance to finish his sentence before they were overtaken by the light…and disappeared.

-----------------------

-----------------------

"And then I was like…" A golden-haired girl wearing a white sundress leaned forward and poked the person she was talking to a couple of times. "Are you listening, Halo?"

Halo straightened in his chair and looked out the window of the plane's cabin. "You feel it, correct? That sudden change in the universe's balance."

The goddess incarnate sat down in her seat and tilted her head to the side as she extended her energy into the darkness realm. "Wow, is this what it feels like?"

"Apparently the darkness realm has been disrupted by something…a leakage or some such thing is occurring." He closed his eyes. "Make sure the pilot lands the plane, and do not disturb me." Then he slipped into a trance, extending himself into the realm of his origins. ("I will find the source of this disturbance and deal with it personally.")

_To be continued…_


	74. Black and White Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 74: Black and White (Part 1)

"It seems that your friends have disappeared, Rysel darling." Amaeura, hidden behind her crimson veil, ran her hands over her crystal ball once more. "I sense their prescense, but it is very faint."

Rysel exhaled and snapped his blood sword through the body of another shadowy monster that leapt out of the hole in the air above the dueling ring. "They should be alright, and they left this amusing dimensional hole too. It just keeps spitting out practice monster after practice monster. I feel all of my muscles getting a workout from this."

A trio of shadowy creatures started to leave the hole, and then all three of let out howls of pain right before their heads exploded, spraying black blood around the ground at Rysel's feet. The Blood Prince waved his hand and the puddles of black blood swirled together and shot back into the hole, forming into spears that tore into the next few members of the endlessly swarming horde of monsters.

--------------------------------

"I think I'm going to be sick," Masami muttered while clutching his stomach gently. "How can he do stuff like that and not care?"

Adriel sighed quietly and held a finger up to his lips to indicate the Ra Yellow needed to be silent. All three of them had awoken to find Rysel and some weirdo lady talking, so they used that moment to hide underneath the stands.

Chris wasn't even looking, hands over her ears and eyes closed.

----------------------------------

Rysel stepped to the side of a pair of claws and chopped the owner of said claws in half with a flick of his wrist. "They're starting to get a bit more persistent now." He stabbed his sword into the ground and all around him spikes of blood exploded out of the ground, piercing through the next mob that landed around him. "I might actually have to start trying now."

------------------------------------

------------------------------------

Nikolai slowly unhinged Ichigo's nails out of his shirt and took a step back. "You can open your eyes now. We are alive, albeit in a very strange place."

The half demon's cat ears perked up and he risked opening one eye. "We're not dead yet?" All he could see was white as far as his vision reached. "I'm…not blind right?"

Nikolai grabbed Ichigo's shoulder and turned him around to face the other direction. "Not unless we can still see each other only…and one side of the world is black and the other white."

On one side of them was an endless black expanse. In the other direction there was an endless white expanse. They were standing directly in the middle of it.

"Well this is something I didn't expect to happen." Ichigo hopped to his feet. "Maybe we should go one way?" He started to walk towards the white side.

Nikolai's arm shot out and grabbed one of Ichigo's ears, stopping him cold and bringing a yelp of pain from his throat. "No. I've got an idea what this is, and going either direction without any prompt could doom Erika Amero."

The half demon immediately stood up straight, his pain forgotten. "Then what are we supposed to do?"

Nikolai sat down and crossed his legs, relaxing. "Even though the number of Soul Shadow and Soul Force users is very low, it is still a society. And that society has its experts and researchers. One such researcher speculated that in theory the souls of all those receptive to the darkness realm were split into two sections. These two sections can be anything, as long as they contrast properly. He called it The Crossroads."

Ichigo sat down and crossed his legs too, tail flipping into his lap. "So we're standing between these two sections?"

"I'm guessing that is the case." Nikolai exhaled sharply. "This is supposed to be impossible but ignoring that little fact, my guess is that Erika and Solitude's battle over the body has come to a stalemate. Neither of them can make anymore progress against the other. It's a perfectly even fight now."

He rubbed at his chin in amazement, as it sounded like he was theorizing while explaining. "We're here because apparently our own souls can help her. This isn't her soul, this isn't even her mind…this is something more."

"So we're supposed to help tilt the battle in her favor?" Ichigo grinned enough to show off a fang. "I'm not really one to be violent, but in this case I'll be glad to help."

"No," Nikolai chastised. "This is not our battle. I'm guessing that shortly we will be presented with a choice. Depending on which direction we go it will decide who gains the advantage."

"…." Ichigo's ears lilted. "So it rests on us now. If we blow it Eri may not be able to win?"

Nikolai held a finger up to his lips to signal silence. "I hear a bell. I'm assuming that's the signal. Alright then, we have to determine which color is…Ichigo?" The half demon had stood up. "Ichigo, where are you going?"

"To Eri." Without any hesitation in his voice he stepped towards the white side, everything becoming blindingly bright for a few moments…

------------------------------

When the light died down Ichigo and Nikolai were wearing a pair of kimonos and standing on a porch overlooking at beautiful Japanese garden.

Blinking at his sudden change to a grey kimono, Nikolai snapped his head up and glared at Ichigo. "Are you crazy? We should have spent a few moments at least thinking about which color represented Eri!"

Tugging on his strawberry red kimono, Ichigo grinned cheerfully. "Eri was white. There was no need to sit around and waste time." He adjusted his garment and slid into a sitting position appropriate for a kimono. "Anyway, I'm thinking we guessed right." He pointed out at the center of the garden.

On one end stood Solitude, wearing a black kimono, and at the other end stood Eri, wearing a pure white kimono. Both of them were wearing duel disks, and glaring at each other.

Nikolai sighed and copied Ichigo's sitting position. "Since it's a duel I'm guessing Eri won out. I still won't compliment you for doing what you did though, because that was dangerous."

"It is fine, Eri will win." Ichigo felt very calm now. "Besides, this'll be a good duel. I have a feeling that Eri's found something very powerful."

Nikolai nodded slowly, because he could feel it too. "Her aura is pure white now. She found something when she returned to her body, but I'm not sure what."

"Duel!" Both demonesses drew their opening hands.

Solitude- 4000

Eri- 4000

Solitude silently drew her card. She looked at it for a few moments and then her black eyes tilted upwards to look at Eri. "Can you really be serious about opposing me? I am your power."

"You're not my power." Eri thumbed at her chest resolutely. "If that was true you wouldn't be trying to kill me. You're something spawned from my power, but not the power itself. Your purpose is served, and now it's time for you to return to me. I will be a fractured soul no longer."

"Keh," Solitude grasped a card from her hand. "I am far more powerful than you. What makes you think you can win against things like this?" The card was placed onto her disk and a giant bone serpent appeared in play. (2400/2000) "I summon Ryu Kokki, along with discarding the magic card Undead Booster to take the place of the tribute needed to summon it. Also I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the summoned undead monster. ("That was one of Eri's trademark cards with her undead deck. Now I wonder though…if that is Solitude's deck then what is Eri running?")

Said demoness adjusted her white kimono and then drew. Fanning the cards out, she smiled peacefully. "From my hand I activate the omnicard White Shadow Fight." A pure white card with no text appeared in the air above her.

"Omnicard?" Both Ichigo and Nikolai asked at the same time. Then they looked at each other and shrugged.

"An Omnicard, upon activation, lets me declare magic, trap, or monster. I choose monster." The card suddenly gained text and stats, while a young woman wearing a blue martial artist's uniform appeared on her field. (1500/1300) "White Shadow Fighter, when it battles with an opponent's monster, gains 100 attack points per level star of the opposing creature."

Solitude snickered. "Your monster is a warrior, isn't it? I'm sure you haven't forgotten the effect of Ryu Kokki, have you?"

Eri held up another omnicard. "I activate White Shadow Power and select magic." A pink aura lit up around her Fighter. "One monster on my field gains 1500 attack points and during this turn when it battles with an opponent's monster that monster's effect is negated!" (3000/1300) "Battle!"

The Fighter performed a pair of front flips and sprang forwards, landing in front of the bone snake. (3600/1300) Yelling out, she kicked the creature's head in and it exploded.

Solitude- 2800

Eri- 4000

Solitude braced herself against the backlash, a sneer on her face. "Not bad, my little girl."

"End turn." Eri crossed her arms under her chest, still looking at peace.

"Draw!" The black-eyed demoness pointed at one of her set cards. "Reverse card open! Tomb of Rebirth activates during my next standby phase after an undead type monster on my field has been destroyed as a result of battle. By discarding an undead type monster from my hand this continuous trap can special summon a same named monster from my deck to my field. I offer Des Lacooda to special summon a new Ryu Kokki!" A second bone snake slithered out of the underbrush and onto her field. (2400/2000) "Also I summon Regenerating Mummy!" A legless mummy appeared on her field, floating in the air and moaning loudly. (1800/1500)

White Shadow Fighter turned and bowed respectfully to Eri, who returned the bow.

"Psh, pitiful…" Solitude pointed at the Fighter. "Go Ryu Kokki, Death Poison!" The monster hocked a blob of purple slime that struck the warrior and shattered her. (2100/1300)

Solitude- 2800

Eri- 3700

Eri barely flinched from the destruction of her monster, but she did bow her head again. "Thank you, Fighter."

Solitude growled and pointed at the other demoness. "Direct attack!" The mummy floated across the field and struck Eri in the chest with one claw. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Solitude- 2800

Eri- 1900

Eri took a deep breath and then exhaled softly. "It's my turn." She drew. "I play the omnicard White Shadow Wood, selecting monster." A beautiful green-bodied girl with leaves and vines for hair appeared on her field. (1200/1200) "When White Shadow Dryad is summoned one machine, undead, demon, or aqua monster in play can be destroyed."

Solitude gasped as a storm of vines exploded from the ground and pushed themselves into her Ryu Kokki, slowly forcing it apart. "Damn you! Reverse card open, Undead Tattoo! This continuous trap card lets me add a lower level undead type monster to my hand when one is destroyed by an effect." She removed a card from her deck. "I add Spirit Reaper to my hand." Then her Ryu Kokki shattered.

Eri held up another card. "I activate White Shadow Cloud and select equipment magic." Her Dryad lifted into the slowly as a cloud formed under the creature's feet. "The equipped monster may now attack directly, though all damage it does in battle is halved. Direct attack!"

Solitude growled as the Dryad flew right over her Mummy and then pummeled her with vines.

Solitude- 2200

Eri- 1900

Eri placed a card into her disk. "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

"You dare to make a fool of me?" Solitude snapped the top card off of her deck angrily, while the cherry trees around them started to rain their petals onto the field. "At this moment I discard Spirit Reaper and special summon another Ryu Kokki!" A third bone snake appeared on her field. "I will bury you, little girl!"

Eri's calm expression did not change.

"Ryu Kokki, attack that little plant! Death Poison!" Her bone snake hissed and spat out a blob of poison at the Dryad. "Die!"

"From my hand I discard White Shadow Bubbles." Eri held up the card. "I choose monster, meaning during this turn all battle damage is zero." A storm of bubbles filled the field and immediately dissipated the Death Poison.

Solitude glared at the girl in frustration. "End turn."

Eri drew. "From my hand I activate White Shadow Rain and select magic card. All face-up magic and trap cards in play are destroyed." White Shadow Cloud, Zombie Tattoo, and Tomb of Rebirth all shattered as rain fell down onto the field. The rain disappeared and left a beautiful rainbow in its place.

"My next card is White Shadow Return. I call magic and therefore return one omnicard in my graveyard to my hand." She removed a card from her graveyard and held it up. "I activate the magic effect of White Shadow Power." (2700/1200) "Dryad, attack Ryu Kokki!" The vine hair of her monster extended across the field and slapped through the last bone snake, shattering it. "And with that I end my turn."

Solitude- 1900

Eri- 1900

Solitude let out a feral growl before she drew. "Stop being so damned calm! What kind of Amero are you?"

"One who is confident of her skills and not afraid of her opponent?"

"Regenerating Mummy, shut her up!" Solitude sneered as her monster flew straight towards Eri's Dryad.

"Reverse card open!" Eri's set card flipped up. "I activate White Shadow Incarnate, with the only choice for this moment being trap. I select one monster on my opponent's field and prevent it from attacking or switching modes. Also, that monster loses 800 attack points!" A being made of living shadows appeared on her field and flew towards the approaching mummy.

Solitude threw back her head and laughed as her face-down card flipped up. "Your trap selects my monster, but my counter trap denies you! Tutan Mask activates when an undead monster on my field is targeted by a magic or trap card. That card is negated and destroyed!" The living shadow slowly broke apart, and the mummy punched through the Dryad. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

Solitude- 1900

Eri- 1300

Eri dropped to one knee, pain painted across her face. ("I can't feel my body…")

Ichigo nearly leapt to his feet, but stopped when he realized that Nikolai had yet to move at all. Reluctantly he dropped back to his kneeling position. ("Eri, I can't help you here. This duel is between two parts of you, so it's not a battle I can jump into. However, keep in mind that I'm right here…my strength is your strength…")

Eri slowly stood up, lines of white light coming from her deck and touching her chest. "I cannot lose here. The White Shadows understand this as well. You are unwanted as you are now, Solitude. Therefore you must be cleansed of the hate in your heart."

"You keep making noise, but I don't see you drawing any of your new omnicards to prove that you can even make me change my ways." The black-eyed demoness threw back her head and started cackling. "Come on, little girl, show me just what your so-called Shadows can do. They aren't anywhere near the strength I could have given you!"

"That's true, but it doesn't matter." Eri placed her hand on her deck. "I'd prefer to work harder and keep my heart than turn into you. Draw!"

_To be continued…_


	75. Black and White Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 75: Black and White (Part 2)

Rysel, black blood dripping from his chest and legs, slashed through another of the endless numbers of monsters coming from the dimensional hole. "It's starting to get rather boring now. Amaeura dear, would you mind so much throwing in a little bit of assistance?"

Nodding gently, the veiled seer closed her eyes and began chanting. The hole shuddered and was suddenly covered by a criss-crossing pattern of crimson red threads. A howl of confusion came from the other side of the hole in space, followed by a scream of pain as one of the monsters touched the threads and was instantly vaporized.

Wiping some of the black liquid from his trenchcoat, Rysel hopped down off the dueling ring and bowed deeply to his seer. "Thank you very much, my love."

"It is merely a pleasure that I can be of service to you, Rysel," She stood up and her crystal ball disappeared. The veil remained though. "Now then, I suppose it would be best if we addressed the three hiding under the structure behind me though."

"Ah yes, of course." The Blood Prince started walking towards the stands. "Just stay here and keep the barrier up for now. I will most likely get bored and need to use the endless supply of monsters for entertainment again."

He stopped right in front of the stands, looking up the rows of seats for the three students. "You can come out now, my friends. I have no intention of harming any of you."

Masami slowly stood up into view, adjusting his glasses with one hand. "We don't have any reason to trust you, Rysel. You're the leader of the group that intends to destroy the Travelers and our world."

Rysel nodded. "That is true; you have no reason to trust me. I can only offer you my word that I do not intend to harm any of earth's creatures or the refugees anymore. I'm sure the other two can attest to my dying words."

Masami sweatdropped at him. "You understand that the concept of someone's dying words means they're dead after they say them, right? And yet here you stand in a very alive fashion, so you'll have to excuse me for doubting you."

Rysel patted his chest and smiled. "I am alive, yes, but at that time there was a chance that I might have died. Therefore, it should count."

"You're mocking me, aren't me?"

---------------------------------

---------------------------------

_Eri slowly stood up, lines of white light coming from her deck and touching her chest. "I cannot lose here. The White Shadows understand this as well. You are unwanted as you are now, Solitude. Therefore you must be cleansed of the hate in your heart."_

"_You keep making noise, but I don't see you drawing any of your new omnicards to prove that you can even make me change my ways." The black-eyed demoness threw back her head and started cackling. "Come on, little girl, show me just what your so-called Shadows can do. They aren't anywhere near the strength I could have given you!"_

"_That's true, but it doesn't matter." Eri placed her hand on her deck. "I'd prefer to work harder and keep my heart than turn into you. Draw!"_

----------

Ichigo frowned and his tail started flicking back and forth in agitation. "Nikolai, something about this place is really irritating to my senses. What's going on?"

Nikolai was frowning as well. "For the first time ever you're sensing something better than I can. All I'm sure of is that this place is on the verge of changing again. At this point I'm willing to humor the idea we're somehow in Erika Amero's mind, because obviously she can't see us and obviously this surrounding area is influenced by her mind. It's strange though, I don't see the significance…" He threw up his arms as suddenly bright white light, like some kind of camera flashbulb, went off in his face.

-------------

When he opened his eyes Nikolai had his senses assaulted by new sensations. Rubbing the spots out of his eyes, he realized he could hear a crowd cheering now. ("Now where are we?")

The world around him had changed to that of the inside of a mediaeval castle, with the dueling field changed to a jousting arena. Crowds of men and women dressed in peasant garb surrounded the arena and were cheering wildly for the two battling.

"What the blazes…" Nikolai looked down at his clothing to see it had been changed to regal purple robes. Also, the area they were sitting in was a booth normally reserved for nobles during matches. "These are the clothes of a vizier or advisor, I believe. This definitely proves that this is her mind, though I find the sudden change of scenery rather odd. Ichigo, what about…" He turned to look at the half demon and he went slack-jawed.

Ichigo was wearing a red dress normally worn by princesses in most fairy tales. And the wearer was as red as the fabric of his new garment. "…Wha…wha….when…" He realized that Nikolai was looking at him. "I mean come on, this…I…she…" Unable to properly voice his thoughts, he propped an elbow on his chair's arm and rested his chin there unhappily.

Looking away and returning his gaze to the dueling field, Nikolai rubbed his chin seriously. "I see now why psychologists say that some of the inner workings of the mind would drive most viewers absolutely insane if they looked at it…"

-----------------

Down on the dueling field, Eri's clothing had changed to a suit of white knight's armor. Hanging at her side was a sword, and her hair was hanging over her shoulders and glittering in the light of the false sun. "Foul beast, I will slay you here and protect the fair princess Ichigo!" Her voice carried a heroic strength behind it. She turned to look over at the booth where Ichigo and Nikolai were seated and threw the half demon a wink, a glint of light coming from her smiling teeth.

-------------------

Ichigo waved half-heartedly to her. "I…I want out of Eri's mind now. Please?" He sounded rather scared.

"You are not alone." Nikolai sighed, doing everything in his power to avoid looking at Ichigo. "Unfortunately we cannot leave this world until the duel ends. Just tolerate it, I guess."

--------------------

Solitude, now wearing black armor, laughed crazily. "Interesting, apparently you're dueling me in a semi-dreamlike state."

Eri looked at her drawn card and then flipped it over. "My card is White Shadow Dream. I activate its magic effect and draw two cards." Pulling two more cards from her deck, she narrowed her eyes and looked at them both. "From my hand I activate White Shadow Libra. This card, when used as a magic card, lets me summon a level five or six monster from my hand without sacrifice."

"My second card is White Shadow Ocean! As a monster it becomes White Shadow Water Elemental!" A fish-tailed female monster made entirely of water appeared on her field. (2400/1200) "Battle!" Her monster swung its tail at Solitude's set card and the trap was pummeled by a torrent of water and shattered. "When Water Elemental battles one magic or trap card in play is destroyed without chain." Then her Shadow turned into a pillar of water that flattened the mummy. "End turn."

Solitude- 1300

Eri- 1300

Solitude drew, her armor clanking loudly. "It's my turn! I activate the continuous magic card Call of the Mummy. Once per turn, if I have no monsters in play, I can special summon a zombie from my hand to play!" A giant rotting worm monster appeared on her field. "Undead Lord of Nightsoil is special summoned!" (2700/2300) "Kill that ugly thing! Dark Corruption!" The worm opened its jaws and sprayed the watery monster with black smoke, destroying it. "A monster defeated by Undead Lord of Nightsoil is equipped to it, giving the Lord half of its attack in power!"

Solitude- 1300

Eri- 1000

"In this case you are wrong." Eri watched the White Shadow slide into her graveyard. "After being defeated an omnicard returns to being an omnicard. There are no other cards that affect omnicards except my own, so your equip effect is wasted."

Solitude sneered angrily, trying to keep her temper in check. "End turn."

Eri drew. "I play White Shadow Maze and select continuous magic. All battle damage to players is zero when a player is directly attacked. End turn."

Solitude scoffed and drew. "I play the magic card Destruction of Babylon. During the end phase of this turn all magic and traps on your field will be destroyed. For every one destroyed you draw one card. End turn." White Shadow Maze exploded. "So, you still think you can save your…" She had to stop herself from laughing. "…princess?"

"Of course." The demoness drew a card for the effect of Destruction of Babylon. "It's my turn, draw!" She held the cards up to her face and smiled. "I play White Shadow Sleep, selecting equipment magic card and equipping your Lord." The worm over on its side. "The equipped monster cannot attack. End turn."

Solitude placed a hand on her deck. "You're taking a pretty big risk with that. If I pull a strong enough monster card it's all over." She drew and spat on the ground. "Perhaps not. I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Eri drew again, her eyes still utterly calm. ("This isn't the card either.") "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw!" Solitude pointed at her set card. "I reveal Call of the Haunted and revive Ryu Kokki to finish you off!" One of her bone snakes exploded out of the ground…and then disappeared along with the Undead Lord of Nightsoil as the torn earth turned to quicksand that sucked them both out of sight. "What?"

"White Shadow Sand's trap effect destroys all monsters when a monster is summoned. Also during this turn all monsters summoned will be destroyed." Eri motioned to her face-up card.

"Damn you and your stupid cards…I set one card face-down and end my turn." Solitude glared at Eri in distaste. "You're just stalling for time now, I can tell."

"You would be right." The demoness drew. "I activate White Shadow Hope, selecting magic. For every omnicard in my graveyard I gain 200 life points." A holy glow fell over her body. "End turn." (ELP: 3400)

Solitude snapped the top card off of her deck, while around them the crowd picked up their fevered cheering. "It seems the audience is growing restless now to see some action. Let me give them what they want." Then she licked her lips. "Here's the downside to having a deck of cards that are outside the influence of the game…they're outside the influence of the game. From my hand I activate the field magic card Moon of the Undead Night!" Above them a giant moon with a ghastly face in it appeared in the sky. "Once per each of our turns we may revive one monster from our graveyards. I revive Ryu Kokki and end my turn, since the special summoned monster cannot attack the turn is it summoned." For the fifth time in the duel a bone snake appeared on her field.

("She's right, my omnicards are not monsters anymore so they cannot be special summoned.") Eri looked over at the booth gravely. "For the sake of my princess, I must win."

------------------

Ichigo started twitching, looking like he was about to start screaming.

"I'm not here to psychoanalyze Erika Amero, but I have a few theories." Nikolai noticed he was being glared at by the fact that his neck started burning. "I don't intend to start listing them, so calm down and watch."

--------------------

"Draw!" Eri glanced at her drawn card and smiled. "I play White Shadow Sword, summoning its monster version!" A floating sword appeared on her field. (1400/0) "When this card destroys a monster as a result of battle you take 700 points of damage."

"Keh, what can that do alone?"

The demoness placed a hand over her heart and closed her eyes, smiling contently. "Any true knight must wield their sword with skill, but they must also understand that holding the key to the door will save you a lot of time and effort."

"…" Solitude just stared at Eri, unsure what to say about that.

"From my hand I activate the continuous magic card Key of the Shadows!" An actual magic card, not an omnicard, appeared on her field. "This card, once per turn, lets me pay 500 life points to select an omnicard in play and trigger one of its effects. I choose White Shadow Sword, and select its equipment magic card effect! Battle!" The sword hurtled towards Solitude's monster rapidly. (ELP: 2900)

The black-eyed demoness frowned at the approaching weapon. "You're equipping it with itself?"

"More or less." Eri pointed at her monster. "When a monster equipped with White Shadow Sword battles an opponent's monster half of that monster's attack points are added to my monster's attack power!" (2600/0) "Knight's Blade Slash!"

Solitude screamed as the sword cleaved through her Ryu Kokki and then through her as its effect activated.

Solitude- 400

Eri- 2900

The crowd was almost deafening now, their cheers so loud Solitude couldn't even hear her own pained gasps for air. ("This little bitch and her White Shadows…unforgivable!") Leaping to her feet, the dark demoness screamed in rage. "I will not lose to a little girl like you!" Her hand rested on her deck. "It's my…"

----------------------

"…turn, draw!" Solitude stopped and looked around in confusion. They were back at Duel Academy, in a dueling ring. Around them there were crowds of cheering students, all of them calling the name of Kaiser. She noticed that she was wearing a black uniform and a slight snicker crossed her lips, rage temporarily forgotten.

Up in the stands Nikolai glanced down at his sudden change to back to his normal gray suit. "Good, those robes were stuffy and uncomfortable."

Ichigo exhaled loudly in relief, glad to be back in his Osiris Red uniform. "Oh man, I hope this duel ends soon. I'm not sure I can take much more of this. Eri's mind is a scary place…"

"I agree," The Russian duelist looked past the crowds and down at the dueling field. "From an explorer's standpoint though, this is intriguing. The first place, the garden, was a representation of Erika Amero's duty and heritage…or perhaps to her father? I don't know her well enough to come to a conclusion. However we were there because those are the thoughts going through her mind as she battles in this duel."

He rubbed his chin and looked to be deep in thought. "The second definitely had to do with you though. It was a childish fantasy setting, created to represent whatever she was thinking when her thoughts turned to the idea of you being in danger because of Solitude."

Ichigo sighed loudly and rested his head on the back of the chair in front of him, his actions unnoticed by the fictitious audience. A low whimper could be heard from him.

Nikolai crossed his arms across his chest and sat back in his seat, crossing his legs as well. "I know of her father, and of the way he acts…at least in general. Rikuo Amero isn't of this era, is he?"

Ichigo, not lifting up his head, waved a hand in the air dismissively. "He's from the samurai period of Japan or something weird like that."

"There you go then. It isn't your fault that Eri thinks of you like she does." He was connecting the pieces now, as he found this a very interesting and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity into the inner mind of a Soul Shadow user. "Why was the first setting the garden? It was because Erika Amero thinks of herself as being of the same time as her father before she thinks of herself as a member of this time period."

"That doesn't explain a thing though."

"You're not putting it in context to this situation. Back in that time period female members of society were not treated with anywhere near the prestige or respect that a man was given. Obviously that problem isn't present here, but for her father it must have still been a bit of a problem to adjust to." Nikolai noticed that Ichigo wasn't paying him much mind. "If you care about her feelings, listen. Otherwise I suppose I'll just stop talking and you can go on living your fractured relationship."

Ichigo turned to look at Nikolai. "I was listening, it's just you're trying to make it sound more complicated than it really is. Rikuo wanted a boy instead of a girl. With the lifestyle he exposed Eri to as a child, along with the remembrances of his old life as a demon general, she grew up thinking that the only way to gain respect was to be forceful and strong like the all-male samurais of her father's time."

Nikolai was a bit surprised by this. "It's times like this that I can't figure out how you make such an idiot of yourself so often. If you figured all this out on your own why not act on it?"

Ichigo closed his eyes and made a sound of exasperation. "Let's see...because one, I might be empathetic to people's emotions and circumstances but I can't apply it very well in an actual real situation, and two, I don't want to gamble on a theory that might cost me Eri." He opened his eyes and looked down at the field. "I love her as she is."

"Yet even now she is trying to change herself," Nikolai looked down at the field as well. "She is going to conquer the darkness of her heart…that will most certainly have an effect on her."

Ichigo had a little chest spasm as he stopped himself from laughing right in the boy's face. "Here's the point where personal experience beats your abilities of deduction, Nikolai. Eri is Eri, and she is merely conquering the darkness of her soul. That is self-improvement. She will still be the same girl after this ends just more whole."

Looking down at her in her Obelisk Blue uniform, Ichigo couldn't stop himself there. For the first time in a long while he had come back to his realizations about himself and Eri…stopping here was no longer an option. "I hope you're ready to play psychologist now, because I suddenly feel the need to make you understand something important about myself and Eri."

"It seems I don't have a choice." Nikolai closed his eyes and listened. "I'm all ears, Pilkington."

_To be continued…_


	76. Battle in the Darkness Realm Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 76: Battle in the Darkness Realm (Part 1)

The shadows reached out try and grasp his flesh. They craved the taste of something alive and warm. Like a wave the ghastly denizens of the Darkness poured towards the intruder, clamoring to consume him alive.

Standing alone in the darkness void, Halo watched the tsunami-like wave prepare to envelop him. "Pitiful wrenches, you don't recognize me do you?" His hair was swept up as the reality around him began to ripple. "I am the hand of the gods of darkness." Then the ripples expanded outwards, ceasing the existence of every creature it touched. "And I have no time to waste playing. There is something that demands my immediate attention."

"**_We KnOw WhY YoU aRe HeRe, DaRk EnFoRcEr."_** The voice shook the very reality of the dimension he walked in, its existence the chorus of screams and hellish pain that the was the essence of the Darkness Realm's power. **_"HoWeVeR yOu WiLl PrOcEeD nO fArThEr."_**

"Is that so?" Halo watched the sea of darkness around him slowly form into individual shapes, an endless supply of shadowed souls who had been lost to the darkness. Each one was wearing a duel disk, their red eyes staring at him mindlessly. "You would challenge me to a duel?"

"**_In AcCoRdAnCe WiTh ThE rUlEs PlAcEd By ThE gOdS, yOu CaNnOt DiSaGrEe."_**

"I had no intention of saying I would not duel." The enforcer of the Darkness Games lifted one arm and a duel disk appeared there, deck already in place. "Bring forth your souls then. I will cleave through them like a scythe through wheat."

Halo- 4000

Darkness Realm Souls- 4000x(Number: Unknown)

Halo drew his opening hand, looking out at the endless hordes of lost souls with an emotionless expression on his face. "From my hand I activate Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." Adding two more cards to his hand, he looked at them both and then slid a card into his disk. "And the game ends. I activate the multiplayer magic card Encumbrance of Time. For every duelist in this game all duelists in play take 500 points of damage. Also from my hand I activate the quickplay magic card Ring of Defense and then discard Time Padlock. When I discard Time Padlock from my hand after a card has been activated no other cards may be activated in chain, meaning any of your from hand defenses or life restoration cards mean nothing. Also Ring of Defense makes all effect damage to me this turn zero."

Encumbrance of Time released an endless torrent of energy that swept off into the distance, temporarily demolishing the sea of souls until there was nothing left.

Halo- 4000

Darkness Realm Souls- 0 (Number: 0)

"As to be expected of the Dark Halo, the one without peer in the darkness games." A single form slowly approached his position through the smoky blackness, the light of a duel disk on their arm. "However the duel isn't over yet."

Halo knew this, hence why he hadn't put his cards away. "As soon as I realized the nature of the hole I knew that you would be here."

"Oh my," the approaching voice said, "I'm afraid I don't have the pleasure of knowing who you are, young sir. I can tell you're the new Dark Halo, but unfortunately the gods do not tend to deem one such as myself worthy of being updated on important things like that."

"My name is Halo, which is all you need to know." The night-haired boy was completely unsurprised as a black trenchcoat-wearing night-haired man stepped within range of being visible. "The other gatekeeper…"

"The Dark Blight. Indeed," The gaunt-faced and much older enforcer bowed slightly to his younger counterpart. "It has been a long time since I've seen another living soul in this place."

"I have no time to deal with you, I must plug the hole." Halo narrowed his eyes at the man. "Your purpose is to keep the peace on this side, and yet here you stand against me. Are you betraying the gods that created you?"

"Not really." Blight ran a hand through his hair, fingerless black gloves glistening in the purple-black darkness. "I am here to make sure you're up to caliber as the Dark Halo. Therefore I joined in the duel as one of your countless opponents."

"Therefore you should be obliterated with the rest of them." Halo watched the man hold up a pair of cards. "The Mirror of Prism trap card, hm?"

"Indeed." Blight held up the card and then discarded it along with another card from his hand. "This trap card can be discarded from my hand during a standby phase, along with one card as its cost. During that turn all effect damage I would take is instead dealt to my opponent, but since Ring of Defense is still in effect you are preserved from that."

Halo- 4000

Blight- 4000

"It seems I have no choice then." Halo opened his field magic card slot. "I activate the field magic card Steel Plant." A giant factory erupted into appearance behind him. "I discard one machine monster from my hand to draw two cards once per turn." He added two cards to his hand after discarding his War Razor Dragon. "I place one card face-down and activate the magic card Behold the Birth, discarding one monster from my hand to special summon one monster from my hand regardless of summoning requirements." The last card in his hand was thrown down onto his disk and a giant howling robotic dog appeared on his field. "My choice is Mechanical Hound." (2800/1500) "While I have no cards in my hand you cannot activate magic cards. End turn."

Blight chuckled at the dead serious expression on Halo's face. "Kid, you need to lighten up a little. Enjoy this duel, why don't you?" When he got no reaction he sighed and drew. "Even the ancient gods at least have a sense of humor. Anyway, from my hand I offer two cards to special summon Solar Core Dragon!" A giant golden machine dragon appeared in play, wings spread out on both sides of it. (2900/1000) "When this monster is summoned all face-up cards on your field are destroyed!" The dragon sent a propelled blast of burning winds that utterly obliterated Halo's field magic card and Mechanical Hound.

The dark-haired boy pointed at his set card. "Reverse card open, Junk Shield. During the turn that a machine type monster on my field is destroyed all damage to me is zero."

Blight's pleased expression disappeared and he sneered. "At this time I activate Divinity of the Dark from my deck. This magic card instantly wins me the game. Sorry boy, you lose."

"Now you're just playing me for a fool." Halo held up his own Divinity of the Dark that he had removed from his deck. "By discarding my own Divinity of the Dark from my deck I counter yours. Did you actually expect me to forget about it just because I didn't feel that those pathetic creatures were worthy of being obliterated by the power of the darkness?"

"Nope," Blight slid a card into his disk. "I place one card face-down. I was actually expecting you to do that, but I might as well get it out of the way so neither of us draw Divinity of the Dark, no? End turn."

Halo drew. "I activate Card of Sanctity." Both of them drew six cards. "I activate the magic card War Machine Catapult. From my deck one machine type monster with War in its title will be special summoned if I have no monsters in play." He removed a card from his deck and threw it down. "My choice is War Machine Flare Angelus!" A giant silver angel-like mecha appeared on his field, bright golden light coming from its body. (2500/2100) "For every machine type monster in my graveyard this monster gains 300 attack points." (3400/2100) "Battle! Shining Buster!" The angel mech lifted a huge energy rifle it was holding and fired a single streaming blast of power that slammed into the Solar Core Dragon and destroyed it.

Halo- 4000

Blight- 3500

"It's not over yet. When Flare Angelus destroys a monster as a result of battle you take that monster's attack in damage to your life points." His gold and silver mecha exploded loudly, spraying smoke across the darkness.

Blight pointed at his set card. "Then I'll just trigger Solar Land Mine. This card triggers when the opponent's monster activates its effect. That monster is destroyed."

Halo discarded a card from his hand and his Flare Angelus reappeared in play. (3400/2100) "I discard War Mecha Pilot to revive a War Mecha type machine monster that is destroyed. Also I cover one card face-down and end my turn."

Blight drew with a pleased smile on his face. "It's been so long since I've met an opponent I can actually not defeat in an instant. I hope you prove to be this entertaining up until I crush you. I play the magic card Tribute to the Doomed, discarding one card from my hand to destroy your Mecha!" The Flare Angelus exploded again, and then reappeared. (3400/2100) "Ah, you had another Pilot in your hand then?"

Halo held the card up to verify that and then discarded it into his graveyard.

"Not bad boy," Blight tossed a card down onto his disk. "The card I discarded with Tribute to the Doomed was Solar Battery Dragon, which while in the graveyard lets me once per game summon a Solar Dragon type monster from my hand to the field without sacrifice." A giant winged golden machine dragon appeared in play, its angular beak opening as it screeched at Halo and the Flare Angelus. (2600/1900) "This is my Solar Edge Dragon, and during the battle phase he can cut his attack in half to attack you directly. Also when he deals you battle damage one monster on your field is destroyed. Solar Edge Cutter!" The dragon flapped its wings rapidly and released a storm of golden crescents that hurtled towards Halo.

"Reverse card open." The night-haired boy's War Mecha disappeared and was replaced by a War Mecha surrounded by a series of green crystals. "War Drive lets me sacrifice a War Mecha on my field to special summon a same level War Mecha from my graveyard. My choice is the War Mecha Force Guardius that I discarded earlier. (0/3500) "While this monster is in attack mode all attacks are negated." The green crystals started glowing and quickly formed a dome of light that blocked the storm of crescents.

"Another good save on your part." Blight slid a card into his disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw." Halo held up a card. "I activate Pot of Avarice, shuffling the five monsters in my graveyard back into my deck to draw two cards." He did this quickly. "The second effect of Pot of Avarice lets me draw two cards after its first effect completes."

Blight crossed his arms across his chest and looked at the Force Guardius. ("My Solar Dragons versus his War Mecha…this definitely will promise to be a good duel.")

Drawing two more cards, Halo held up a different card. "I activate Times of Peace. When there are no monsters in my graveyard I draw two cards." Two more cards left his deck and were added to his hand. "I place one monster face-down and one card face-down. End turn."

Blight drew and held up a monster. "I activate the effect of Sun Crescent. By discarding this card from my hand while there is a Solar Dragon in play I may switch the mode of a monster in play, counter one trap, or revive one Solar Dragon from destruction. My choice is obviously to switch your Guardius to defense mode." The War Mecha folded in on itself, encasing its body in a near-impenetrable shell. "Solar Edge Dragon, attack his life points directly!" (1300/1900) His monster flapped its wings again and blasted Halo with a storm of golden crescents.

Halo- 2700

Blight- 3500

The night-haired man pointed at the Guardius. "Disappear!" A loud screech came from the monster right before it exploded violently, spraying smoke from the cracks in its encased shell.

Halo's face-down monster revealed itself as some kind of mobile base on wheels. "The effect of Mobile Repair Vehicle flips itself face-up at this time, and revives one War machine type monster that was destroyed." His Guardius appeared on the field in attack mode. (0/3500)

"You're definitely the Dark Halo that much is certain." Blight shrugged off his lost attempt to destroy the boy's machine. "End turn I guess."

("I don't have time for this,") Halo had his duty, and yet this fool was in his way. "Draw." He looked at the drawn card and then added it to his hand. "End turn."

Blight drew. "Heh, it looks like you're about to lose a lot of resources. From my hand I activate Monster Reincarnation, discarding Solar Shield to return Sun Crescent to my hand." Flame shot out of his graveyard and struck Halo in the chest. "The effect of Solar Shield is that when it goes to the graveyard my opponent loses 700 life points."

Halo- 2000

Blight- 3500

"And then I discard Sun Crescent!" He smirked as Force Guardius shifted itself back into defense mode. "Attack his life points directly, Solar Edge Dragon!" The golden glider-dragon flapped its wings again and pounded Halo with another storm of golden crescents. "And then your War Mecha is finished!" For the second time the Guardius' shell bulged strangely as it exploded inside the hard coverings.

Halo- 700

Blight- 3500

Halo discarded his third War Mecha Pilot. "I revive Guardius." The giant robot reappeared, and exploded just as violently as last time.

Blight laughed and motioned to his face-down card. "My set card was Solar Inferno. It triggers when a monster is special summoned. All monsters in play except for Solar Dragons are destroyed." The Mobile Repair Vehicle exploded as well. "From my hand I activate Solar Hurricane. This quickplay magic card activates if there is a Solar Dragon on my field. One magic or trap in play will be destroyed and you will take 500 points of damage." His Edge dragon flapped its wings and sent a burst of burning wind across Halo's set card, blowing it apart.

Halo- 200

Blight- 3500

"And finally I'll set one card face-down." His trenchcoat blowing out behind him, Blight smiled at the scowling Halo. "What's the matter, boy? You seem rather upset about something."

Halo undid his tie and shoved it into his pocket. "Not upset, but perhaps surprised. I didn't think I was going to have to use much more of my strength than what I've used so far." Suddenly he sneered, fangs showing. "You've earned my full attention; now enjoy what comes with it."

Blight clapped his hands together. "There we go, now you're lightening up!"

"Lightening up?" Halo drew. "I'd think my opposite enforcer would know this. Very well then, I'll tell you." He added the card to his hand as black lightning sprang to life around his body. "There's a reason I avoid using emotions in my battles. It is because emotions are unwieldy and tend to hurt as much as they help. However in my case that's wrong."

He looked around the darkness, and then at himself. The black lightning emanating from him was sending ripples through the Darkness Realm. "It's because my form is that of a half demon. They are one of the most emotionally dangerous kinds of creatures known to even the gods…" The lightning picked up in frequency, and his sneer grew deeper. "I live in a world where if I experience pleasure I could cause thousands of unintentional deaths merely because my power releases itself and creates a hurricane that destroys the coast of a country. That is the maddening pain of being a deity-power being on earth. Here though, I hold no such restrictions."

Blight's eyes reflected his surprise, the raw power coming from the Dark Halo's body amazingly intense. ("This is far beyond what it should be. Where is all of this power coming from?")

"I should thank Ichigo one of these days," Halo flexed one hand and smiled in pleasure. "Because I was birthed from him my powers far surpass that of what they should be able to. In fact, when at full power I overshadow some of the gods who oversee the Darkness Realm."

"That's ridiculous," Blight waved his hand dismissively at such a notion. "You and I are mere tools of the gods, nothing more."

"Is that so?" Halo's hair whipped behind him as the lightning around his body increased in intensity once more. "Then I'll show you…just what it's like when I let loose and really drop the emotional barriers."

_To be continued…_


	77. Black and White Part 3

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 77: Black and White (Part 3)

_Looking down at her in her Obelisk Blue uniform, Ichigo couldn't stop himself there. For the first time in a long while he had come back to his realizations about himself and Eri…stopping here was no longer an option. "I hope you're ready to play psychologist now, because I suddenly feel the need to make you understand something important about myself and Eri."_

"_It seems I don't have a choice." Nikolai closed his eyes and listened. "I'm all ears, Pilkington."_

"I suppose it's been awhile since I've thought about it, but the fact that I'm seeing inside Eri's mind and seeing just what she's fighting for…" Ichigo laughed helplessly. "My dad once told me that without someone to protect he would have no purpose. The same can be said for my grandpa."

"That's a lot of people's purposes in life, is someone else." Nikolai rolled his eyes. "You aren't anyone special just because Eri has become your purpose."

"I'm not saying that I'm special because of it," The half demon suddenly got a dreamy look in his eyes as he looked down at the field and saw just how happy Eri looked now. "It's just..."

Nikolai soundly cuffed the side of his head. "Snap out of it and hurry up."

"Ow…" Ichigo rubbed his skull to ease the pain out of it. "Okay, okay, I'm getting to it. Eri is obviously not normal, neither am I. But…she's…" He struggled to phrase this correctly. "…really not normal. Do you get me?"

"I understand I'm on the verge of punching you in the face if you don't be a little clearer."

"Well, it's just that Eri…" Ichigo flushed red and twiddled his thumbs nervously, muttering something.

"I don't have super sensitive hearing. Unlike you I'm a normal human being with normal human weaknesses and faults. Speak up."

"I think she…really likes me when I'm a girl." Ichigo blurted out the last part, and got only silence as a reply. ("I shouldn't have said anything, I shouldn't have…")

"And?" Nikolai kicked his legs up. He knew where Ichigo was already going, and intended to skip the whole process and kill this beast before it reared its head. But first, he needed to know something that had been bothering him since the moment Ichigo had started talking. "Pilkington, I'd like to ask you something. Have you ever taken an IQ test?"

Ichigo nodded. "I fell asleep during it though. It was boring. Apparently when I woke up the test ended and they told me I got a 65." He rubbed the back of his head and blushed. "I remember that dad stared at the paper for a few seconds before yelling at me because I fell asleep before getting it even halfway done."

"Is that so?" Nikolai chuckled. "Well I suppose you…"

"The next week was weird though. I kept getting randomly challenged by people on the street to stuff, duels and puzzles and other kinds of fun stuff. It was a really cool adventure. The duels were the coolest though, because the guys ran all these weird monsters called Thought Prospectors." Ichigo put a finger under his chin, and pondered, trying to remember what else about that week was worth mentioning.

"Thought Prospectors?" Nikolai's eyes widened in immediate realization of the name. ("Those cards…were created as a type of IQ test for duelists.") "Pilkington, at the end of the week the last person gave you a very hard duel, didn't he?"

"Yeah, I remember that duel really clearly. There were all these really tough cards that had these really crazy effects…it used a lot of numbers and stuff that I wasn't used to." Ichigo glanced over at Nikolai. "Wait, how did you know that?"

The Russian boy grabbed Ichigo's shoulders. "At the end of the week that man should have announced a number to you, what was that number?"

"The number?" Ichigo snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, he said in a really dramatic voice 'Ichigo Pilkington, if I were to give this duel a rating it would be a 45845 out of ten!' Then he ran off. It was really weird." He noticed that Nikolai was pale white. "What's the matter, Nikolai?"

Nikolai's right eye started twitching, and deep down inside he wasn't sure whether to hold Ichigo in the highest regard or hit him as hard as he could. ("The Thought Prospector test gives a score to the unknowing recipient at the end. That score, divided by 265, equals their supposed IQ…") "173…"

"Yeah, if you divided 45845 by 265, that's what you would get." Ichigo leaned in and blinked at Nikolai in curiosity. "Ne, what's the matter?"

Nikolai turned away and pinched the bridge of his nose. ("He's one point short of being considered in the same range of people like Newton and Shakespeare. That…that…") Nikolai's own IQ was clocked at 132, which meant that Ichigo was supposedly far above him on a mental level. ("This…that doesn't…") "Pilkington, if my head explodes right now then it is your fault, understand?"

"I can't see how that would happen, but okay." Ichigo started to turn back to the duel but stopped when he realized something. "Wait, I didn't tell you about…"

Nikolai pulled a deck of Duel Monsters cards out of his pocket. "Pilkington, I want to duel you right now. We don't need Duel Disks, just…just…" His eyes twitched again and he suddenly wished there was something metal and blunt nearby so he could bludgeon some of those points out of the half demon's head. ("He's a genius when it's something he actually cares enough about to work on. That…that…") "By the way, I hate you. Don't ask why; just know I will make you pay one of these days for something you do not even understand. Now get out your deck." He started to make some adjustments to the deck he was holding. ("I was worried you wouldn't be able to figure out your problems if you played this deck, but now I'm worried you'll see through the test too easily. It looks like I'll have to turn up the difficulty a bit."

"But what about the…" Ichigo pointed out towards the duel and nearly face-fell as he realized that everything but himself and Nikolai had stopped moving. "Why..."

"Because I have a feeling like there's been a lull in the spiritual combat between Erika Amero and Solitude. That's why I started talking, because I knew we'd have some time on our hands." With the deck complete he slid down onto the floor and crossed his legs. "Come on Pilkington, we'll play right here."

Ichigo joined him and placed his deck face-down on the ground at his side. "Okay, I guess. Duel."

Nikolai- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Nikolai drew six cards from the deck and fanned them out in front of him. ("Alright Ichigo, consider this a gift in thanks for the defeat of Rysel.") He took a card from his hand and placed it on the ground past his deck. "I summon The Lover 1 in attack mode." (1000/1000) "When The Lover 1 is summoned The Lover 2 is summoned from my deck to your field in attack mode. The Lover cards cannot battle." He removed a card from his deck and offered it to Ichigo.

The half demon took the card and blinked in surprise at the picture. ("The Lover 2 is just a normal guy?") He placed the card on his field. (1000/1000)

Nikolai placed two cards face-down alongside his deck. "I place two cards face-down. End turn."

Ichigo drew, finding the lack of elbow room a bit uncomfortable. "I summon Final Shadow Death God in attack mode." (1900/1000) He lifted his hand away from the field. "Death God attacks The Lover 1."

"Reverse card open." Nikolai flipped one of his cards over. "I activate the continuous trap card…"

---------------------------

Ichigo suddenly was standing on a flat plane of stone. "Huh? How'd I get…" He looked forward and his eyes widened as he saw Final Shadow Death God diving towards Erika, katana raised. "Stop! I order you!" The Shadow did not stop. "Leave Eri alone!" He ran across the field and shoved her out of the way right before the Death God's sword slashed through him and forced him to his knees.

Nikolai- 3100

Ichigo- 4000

The Death God leapt away, landing a good distance from the two of them and turning to face them silently.

Ichigo placed a hand on his chest and then rubbed the back of his head. ("If that's Death God then I'm The Lover 2. That would mean…") He turned around and gaped at the giant face-up continuous trap behind him. ("I don't see Nikolai or myself, so this is some kind of illusion. It has to be.")

His head tilted over to look at Eri, and he lifted an eyebrow at the fact that she wasn't moving at all. She was just standing there like some kind of zombie. ("It's not the real her.")

"…**Love in Danger, which activates when The Lovers 1 and 2 are on different sides of the field and the one under my control is attacked. The one under your control comes to my side and takes the hit for his partner. Also, these monsters cannot be destroyed as a result of battle while in face-up attack mode."** The booming voice above was Nikolai's, though there was no source to follow.

"**Hmmm, interesting guard."** The second voice was Ichigo's, which freaked the half demon out considering he was standing right there on the field. **"I place one card face-down and end my turn."**

"**Draw."** Nikolai's voice echoed above Ichigo's head. **"I summon Exiled Force."** Alongside Ichigo a group of ragged men in patchwork armor appeared. (1000/1000) **"By sacrificing this card I can destroy one monster in play."** The warriors ran across the field and mobbed the Final Shadow Death God, the group of them exploding as a whole. **"Now I attack directly with The Lovers 1 and 2!"**

"**Trap card open!"** The floating set card across the field opened and black mist poured out of it. **"Dark Mist activates during the turn a Final Shadow is destroyed. All battle damage is zero."**

Ichigo sat down. "I'm so confused! What is going on?"

"**End turn."**

"**Draw."** Ichigo's own voice could be heard again from a short distance away. **"I summon Shield Guardian and set one card face-down. End turn."** The heavy-shield carrying Final Shadow appeared on the field in a crouching position. (0/1500)

The half demon pinched himself a couple of times, but to no avail. If this was a dream, pain wasn't going to wake him up. "Fine, I guess I'm dueling myself…or something."

"**Draw."** Nikolai's echoing voice made a little hmph noise. **"I activate Polymerization, fusing The Lovers 1 and 2 together."** A swirling vortex appeared above Ichigo's head.

"Wait what?" Ichigo scrabbled to try and grab onto something, but the ground was perfectly smooth. "Wait! GAH!" Then he was pulled upwards into the air and into the vortex along with the Eri replica. A bolt of lightning crashed through the vortex and then it dumped out a brown-haired female half demon wearing an Osiris Red uniform.

She rubbed his backside and winced in pain at the rather painful landing. "Ow…" Then she looked down at herself and groaned in displeasure. "I knew it! Damn you Nikolai, what was the point of that?" (2000/1000) She looked at the stats floating over her head. "Oh…"

"**When The Lover 3 is fusion summoned I may revive one The Lover monster from my graveyard."**

Ichigo jumped to her feet. "Revive the second one! Don't bring the zombie Eri back!"

"**I revive The Lover 1."** The seemingly mindless demoness appeared on the field once more. (1000/1000)

Ichigo sighed and her ears lilted. "And you can't hear me apparently…" Then she yelped loudly as she was suddenly tackled by Eri. "WAH!" She landed in a heap with the demoness atop her and cuddling up against her. ("Alright, this tears it, I've finally snapped completely.")

"**For every The Lover in play besides itself, The Lover 3 gains 1000 attack points."**

Ichigo squirmed and tried to wrench Eri off of her, cheeks bright red. "Get off of me already!" (3000/1000)

Eri suddenly pouted and rubbed cheek to cheek with the half demon. "What's the matter, Ichigo? Don't you want to be close with me?"

"Yes…I mean no…I mean…" Ichigo tried hard to calm down. "…not like this! There, that's it, not like this! I'm a girl right now, or have you not noticed?"

The demoness purred deeply and hugged Ichigo. "I noticed, very cute."

The half demon's head canted to one side, cheeks still semi-blushing. "What did you say?"

"I said that I noticed and that you were very cute. Why?"

"Just verifying that my eardrums were working," Ichigo then proceeded to stand up with the demoness hanging off of her and looked away. "Now get off me, whoever you are."

"Whoever I am?" Eri lifted an eyebrow in confusion. "Ichan, you…"

"You are not Eri. This isn't how Eri acts…" Ichigo locked her eyes on the Shield Guardian. ("It looks like whatever this is won't end until the duel is over, so sorry buddy but you need to be defeated.")

"Who are you to determine how I'm supposed to act?" Eri slipped away from the half demon and glared at her in anger. "I determine how I act because I'm me. You're my property too, so what's with all this back-talk? And what's the matter with you? I thought as a guy you'd love some girl on girl action!"

("Welcome to the Twilight Zone, Ichigo Pilkington. I hope you enjoy your stay, because we don't intend to make it very enjoyable.") Even though the though was sarcastic, Ichigo felt like it held a very strong ring of truth to it. The half demon turned and returned the glare. "I'm not sure what is more surprising…the fact that you'd think so little of me as a man or the fact that you still think of me as a piece of your property!"

"**The Lover 3 attacks Shield Guardian!"**

Still matching glares with Eri, Ichigo turned to glare at the Final Shadow. "I suggest you not make me have to come over there." The monster exploded in a burst of pixels and she returned to her glaring match. "I'm sick of it! I can't believe you would think of me like that! Do I really seem like some kind of pervert?"

"**The Lover 1 attacks directly."**

Eri stomped her foot once and the ground shook like it had been hit by an earthquake. (ILP: 3000) "What about what I want, huh? You said it yourself, that I like your girl form. How can you come to a conclusion like that without any proof unless there were perverted thoughts in your head? Besides, does it really scare you that much that there's a possibility I might be bisexual?"

Ichigo looked like she was on the verge of exploding verbally, her lower lip quivering and tears in the corners of her eyes. "…."

"Well?" The demoness leaned in close to the half demon that looked like she was about to start crying. "Are you afraid because you don't understand the problem? Are you homophobic? Well?" When no reply was forthcoming she leaned in even closer. "Well?"

"YES!" Ichigo screamed, the mental dam crashing down and her voice exploding out as a shrill yell. "I'm afraid for all those reasons and more! I came to Duel Academy after living a life that was safe and warm! It was all fine though! I could deal with everything, even the darkness game and the penalty game you placed on me! I could live with those things!"

She dropped to her knees. "Then I dueled you the second time, and the Seal of Luna was unlocked. I became a girl for the first time and I was so confused…so afraid because I didn't know what to do. Griff and Krieger tried to help me, but they couldn't help my mind. When I dreamt I had dreams where I had grown up as a girl instead of a boy…" Her nails scraped along the stone ground slowly. "I was terrified because I was starting to doubt just who I was."

Eri stepped back, waiting patiently for the point.

"I finally got it under control; I got my center when I could just brush the idea that I was a girl off as a curse, as a life-long problem I'd just have to deal with." She started sobbing loudly. "Then Starlight Savior became a girl, but even then I could brush it off…albeit was hard to do so!"

"Now though, I'm in a position where I can't isolate it from myself! I have to deal with the fact that at this point I'm a girl and a boy, that my life is changed in a way I cannot ignore or get any reprieve from! If you love me as a girl and a boy I can't bring myself to just ignore that…I love you too much to just say that I don't care about what you like!"

"So why are you afraid?" She asked evenly.

"It's because you're forcing me to face my problem head-on!" Ichigo's sobbing stopped instantly, and she stared at the floor. ("Wait a second…") She slowly stumbled to her feet and glared at 'Eri'. "Nikolai, stop it here. I want off of this right now."

The false demoness sighed. "And you figured it out."

----------------------

Ichigo blinked repeatedly, and then looked up at Nikolai. "What was that? Where was I?"

The Russian duelist scooped up the cards and reshuffled the deck. "That was merely your own mind working itself out. The deck you just played was meant to be used in situations for people such as you. More or less, I needed to get your head into a dueling mindset before I set up the situation where you were forced to face what scared you so much. It wasn't Eri that was the problem here, it was that you were worried that to continue being with her you'd have to face your own problems."

Ichigo shakily shuffled his deck and returned to his seat. "Nikolai, does the fact that I'm afraid of something silly like this make me a bad person? I mean, it's not like I'm not adjusting to the whole concept of being both a boy and a girl…but it's just…just…"

Nikolai smiled slightly. "Pilkington, it doesn't make you…"

"…I don't want to have to wear tacky stuff like that one dress I was in earlier."

"…." The Russian duelist stood up. "Ichigo, stand up please."

The half demon did so.

"Now, please pull your seat out of the ground." He watched as Ichigo did so, the seat screeching in protest as its fastenings gave out and allowed Ichigo to lift it above his head. "Good." He jabbed Ichigo in the ribs with a pair of fingers and watched as the half demon's arms gave out, gravity slamming the whole chair onto his skull and flooring him instantly.

Sitting back down, Nikolai removed a soda from out of nowhere and opened it to take a sip. ("I'm sure he was serious, but that doesn't give him immunity to the fact that I claim divine right to strike down idiocy.") Suddenly he remembered Ichigo's supposed IQ. "…that makes no difference, stupidity is still stupidity."

As if on cue, the scene around them picked up to normal speed as the duel continued.

_To be continued…_


	78. Battle in the Darkness Realm Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 78: Battle in the Darkness Realm (Part 2)

_Halo undid his tie and shoved it into his pocket. "Not upset, but perhaps surprised. I didn't think I was going to have to use much more of my strength than what I've used so far." Suddenly he sneered, fangs showing. "You've earned my full attention; now enjoy what comes with it."_

_Blight clapped his hands together. "There we go, now you're lightening up!"_

"_Lightening up?" Halo drew. "I'd think my opposite enforcer would know this. Very well then, I'll tell you." He added the card to his hand as black lightning sprang to life around his body. "There's a reason I avoid using emotions in my battles. It is because emotions are unwieldy and tend to hurt as much as they help. However in my case that's wrong."_

_He looked around the darkness, and then at himself. The black lightning emanating from him was sending ripples through the Darkness Realm. "It's because my form is that of a half demon. They are one of the most emotionally dangerous kinds of creatures known to even the gods…" The lightning picked up in frequency, and his sneer grew deeper. "I live in a world where if I experience pleasure I could cause thousands of unintentional deaths merely because my power releases itself and creates a hurricane that destroys the coast of a country. That is the maddening pain of being a deity-power being on earth. Here though, I hold no such restrictions."_

_Blight's eyes reflected his surprise, the raw power coming from the Dark Halo's body amazingly intense. ("This is far beyond what it should be. Where is all of this power coming from?")_

"_I should thank Ichigo one of these days," Halo flexed one hand and smiled in pleasure. "Because I was birthed from him my powers far surpass that of what they should be able to. In fact, when at full power I overshadow some of the gods who oversee the Darkness Realm."_

"_That's ridiculous," Blight waved his hand dismissively at such a notion. "You and I are mere tools of the gods, nothing more."_

"_Is that so?" Halo's hair whipped behind him as the lightning around his body increased in intensity once more. "Then I'll show you…just what it's like when I let loose and really drop the emotional barriers."_

------------------------------------------

"Hurry everyone, file out of the building in an orderly fashion!" Professor Midas King watched the Duel Academy students pour out of the Obelisk Blue dorm and down the roads to make room for the students behind them. ("I never thought I'd be missing last year's events, but at least those didn't cause constant damage and make our beautiful school look like some kind of war zone.")

He had been in the middle of making the class schedule for his Advanced Dueling Tactics Third Year class when an earthquake had hit the entire island. They were already in the process of making sure that all of the students in the dorms were cleared out, but that didn't make the fact any less painful. ("This place is becoming dangerous for the students.")

--------------------------

Amaeura let out a cry of pain as black lightning crashed against her red-thread barrier and shattered it. However no flood of monsters came, because they had all been obliterated by the sudden storm as well.

Rysel winced as another lightning bolt slammed into the crimson barrier surrounding him, his love and the three young Saviors in the stands. "I see that someone within your world's other realm is going to pwn their opponent." He glanced back at Adriel, Masami, and Chris. "I'm curious though, who is it?"

Masami and Chris both shrugged, but they noticed that Adriel was sweating profusely and shaking. "It's…Halo." When his friends shrugged he cleared his throat and tried to collect himself, despite the fact that he felt like the hole in the sky now represented instant death to them all. "Dark Halo was once part of Ichigo. He is the enforcer of the Darkness Games, and as such is considered a tool of the gods to pass their will down upon earth. However, this isn't the Halo I remember. The Halo I remember was never this powerful. It's like…it's like staring at the face of a god where there was once just a large animal."

Rysel rubbed his chin, deeply in thought. ("The Dark Halo, eh? I must meet this person soon, he sounds interesting.")

--------------------------------

The Darkness Realm around them was shuddering, unable to properly keep its normal shape while the disturbance remained within it. The storm of black lightning had ended, condensing itself to a certain section near the deeper areas of darkness, but even then the upsetting source of power was sending pain-inducing ripples throughout the entire plane.

Blight didn't need to be told this by the Darkness Realm, his home. He knew firsthand just how impossibly powerful this opponent was. After all, the Dark Halo was standing no more than twenty feet away from him.

His business suit was billowing and blowing around him as it was caught in the throes of his condensed energy. ("It's been so long…") His normally long and straight hair was sticking straight out near the top; the dark lightning his body was creating already having formed an aura of it around him as he pulled it inside his body to quell the storm. ("…since I've even pondered awakening my absolute maximum…") One black eye looked down at his hands and he clenched it slowly into a fist. ("…and now I remember why.")

The Dark Blight quelled his fear and reached into the Darkness Realm, borrowing its power to bolster himself. ("I will crush this blasphemer who would dare to call himself a god. Perhaps the next Dark Halo won't be so…")

"Won't be so what?'" The night-haired half demon sneered as the face of his fellow enforcer paled noticeably. "Don't look so surprised. You are a tool of the gods, as you've said. Your thoughts are easily readable when you extend them into the darkness like you are right now."

Withdrawing his energies, Blight quickly condensed his own power and sealed away his thoughts behind layers of his own energy.

"Can he still read them?" Halo mocked.

Blight glared and pooled all of his power around blocking his thoughts.

"There you go," Halo said encouragingly. "Now I can't read you like a book. It's more like a book in a language I don't understand. You must be tired after using all of your energy just to obscure a skill of mine that takes little to no effort to use. Maybe you should take a break?"

"It's your turn." Despite the exhaustion that wracked his body, Blight would not fail in his duty. Whenever an enforcer carried such thoughts that they might be stronger than the gods they served, they were to be destroyed. "I suggest you make it count."

Halo removed a card from his hand, a fountain of black lightning erupting from the piece of spiritually created cardboard. "Indeed it is. I play the magic card Remnants of War. By removing machine type monsters from my graveyard I can special summon a War machine type monster from my fusion deck to the field that is equal level to the total levels of the monsters removed. This effect surpasses the selected monster's summoning requirements and costs. Therefore I remove Force Guardius and Mobile Repair Vehicle from my graveyard to special summon the level twelve War Mecha Apocalypse Catapultis."

From behind him a giant two-legged mecha with an advanced catapult system for a body appeared on his field. (0/4000) "When this monster is summoned I would have to sacrifice all other cards on my field and 2000 life points, but the effect of Remnants of War bypasses that cost. All cards on your field are destroyed!"

The catapult fired a single missile that hit Blight's field and instantly obliterated his Solar Edge Dragon and set card with enough force to bend the reality of the Darkness Realm temporarily, leaving the essence of the other enforcer fractured for a split-second. "It must hurt to have your atoms spread across infinite space in a straight line, huh?"

The man collapsed to his knees, unable to even force a scream out of his throat. The pain from that one effect and its repercussions alone had nearly driven him insane.

"End turn." Halo watched the Dark Blight slowly stumble to his feet. "You're quite determined, even for an enforcer. Perhaps you think that me having this much power is wrong?"

"I…" Blight drew. "…draw. From my hand I play Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." Two cards left his deck, and he held one of them up. "Research on the Pot of Greed lets me draw an additional two." A pair of cards appeared face-down on his field. "I set two cards face-down and activate the magic card Mass Production of the Pot of Greed. This magic card can only be activated during the same turn that both Pot of Greed and Research on the Pot of Greed have been activated. I draw until I am holding four cards." Sliding four cards off of his deck, he slid two of them into his disk. "I activate the ritual magic card Synthetic Creation Tube and chain the quickplay magic card IOU. This card, when chained to a card with a cost, lets me gain 2000 life points in two turns."

"A ritual?" Halo shrugged his shoulders, little arcs of black lightning crackling between some of the end points of his hair. "Most tend to be costly, but I'm guessing this one surpasses such a thing."

"You'd be right." Blight held up a card. "I offer the level ten Solar Master Dragon in my hand to ritual summon this other hand monster, the Five Elements Treasure Dragon!" A golden dragon with five different colored streaks (red, blue, green, orange and yellow) running down its body appeared in play. (2800/2800) "When this monster is summoned I draw until I am holding six cards in my hand." He drew six cards, feeling a bit more comfortable about the duel now. ("He's only got 200 life points anyway, all it will take is one well-placed damage card and I'll win.")

Halo stretched his neck nonchalantly and undid the top button of his dress shirt. "Just waiting on you to finish, don't mind me…" His fangs showed themselves as he snickered. "I mean, you seem so intent of drawing cards that I thought maybe you had forgotten just what we were doing. We were dueling, if you remember correctly."

Blight was about to tell Halo just what he was about to do, but then he remembered his job. "I end my turn for now, since I cannot defeat your defender."

"Here we go…it's my turn, draw." He added the card to his hand and his War Mecha made a loud loading noise as it prepared to fire. "Once per main phase I may discard two cards from my hand and pay 1000 life points to destroy all cards on your field, just like I did before. I set one card face-down and play Emergency Provisions." His set card vanished. (HLP: 1200) "And then I discard the two Repayment of Losses magic cards in my hand to destroy all cards you have in play!" Reality shifted again as the War Mecha unleashed its field-clearing blast and Blight was once more exposed to the sheer insanity that was the holes between realities. "Oh my, that looked like it hurt even more than the last one."

"I am…" Blight narrowed his eyes. "I am fine! Hurry up and draw!"

"I'm impressed you haven't cracked yet," Halo remarked as two cards left his deck from the effects of the Repayment of Losses cards he discarded. (HLP: 200) "I place one card face-down. End turn."

"Draw!" Blight's seven card hand held a lot of promise, but many of his options were useless until he could deal with the field-destroying cannon under Halo's control. "I activate the magic card Silent Prayers. From my graveyard one effect monster will be revived it defense mode, its effect sealed!" A giant metallic golden dragon with a trio of huge golden rings floating around it appeared on his field. "I special summon Solar Master Dragon in defense mode." (1000/3000) "This monster's effect normally lets me pay 500 life points to special summon a Thermal Ring from my deck, but since its effects have been sealed I'll use the effects of the Thermal Rings in my hand."

Two of the dragon's giant rings broke away from it and floated down to settle on both sides of their controller. (600/600)x2

"Thermal Rings can be special summoned from my hand to the field if Solar Master Dragon is in play. Also, the effect of Solar Master Dragon normally powers it up by the number of Thermal Rings in play times 600, but that effect is also sealed." Blight pointed at his three monsters and they all disappeared. "I offer these three to summon Solar Nuclear Dragon!"

A giant glowing ball of golden fire appeared high above them both, filling the Darkness Realm with blazing light. "This monster, when summoned by sacrificing three light attribute machine type monsters, destroys all monsters on your field!" Halo's War Mecha was bathed in the glow of the fireball, and it slowly melted down into the puddle of bubbling molten-red steel. (3000/3000)

Halo discarded the single card that was in his hand. "I activate the magic card Hidden Opponent. This card activates when my opponent destroys a monster on my field. I may discard this card from my hand to special summon a monster from my hand without sacrifice."

"You have no cards in your hand."

"So I don't." The night-haired boy's set card flipped up. "Mirage of the Different Dimension can only be activated when I have no cards in my hand. Two cards in my removed from play pile are added to my hand." A pair of cards appeared in his grasp. "And then with the effect of Hidden Opponent I summon Force Guardius back to play!" The crystal-matrixed guardian War Mecha appeared in play in attack mode. (0/3500) "If you've forgotten its effect already, while it is in face-up attack mode no monsters in play may attack."

"So you still refuse to face me in combat, huh?" Blight suddenly smirked. "That's fine. I activate the magic card Solar Howl Cannon! I select one Solar Dragon in play and you take its original attack in damage. Solar Nuclear Dragon, roar his last life points into oblivion!" The fireball started to grow brighter and larger…

"At this moment…" A card slid out of Halo's graveyard. "I activate the effect of Ion Matrix. This equipment magic card can be equipped to one 2500 or more defense machine monster on my field if it is in my graveyard. During this turn all effect damage is zero." A barrier of blue light appeared before him just as the fireball erupted, emptying its power against the guard.

"You're a stubborn bastich," Blight slid two cards into his disk. "I place two cards face-down. End turn."

Halo drew and the Ion Matrix disappeared. "I can feel that my full power is starting to have very bad backlashes in the living world. Therefore I have to end this quickly." The card he had drawn started glowing. "I discard my returned Repair Vehicle to pay for the cost of Treasure of Dark Halo."

"Treasure of Dark Halo?" Blight blinked as the magic card appeared, its picture that of black lightning wrapped around a treasure chest.

"That's right, parrot." The night-haired boy drew ten cards. "The effect of Treasure of Dark Halo has no limits on the number of cards I can draw, but I must then discard twice that number I drew from my deck." Twenty cards were slid into his graveyard, leaving his deck nearly empty.

Blight stared at Halo for a few moments before his fist clenched close. ("It's fine…") His face-down cards would protect him, and also leave this smug fool with nothing but a nearly empty deck.

"I set two cards face-down and activate the magic card Scrap Reconstruction." Halo's two set cards faded. "These cards take the place of monster sacrifices, as well as letting me draw a card." He slid another card from his deck and then tossed down a monster. "My level eight War Mecha Flare Angelus returns." The gold and silver angel mech appeared above him, light pouring from it. (2500/2100) "For every machine monster in my graveyard this monster gains 300 attack points." (5500/2100)

Blight glanced at his set cards nervously. ("It's fine, despite his power his deck did not change.")

"I activate Polymerization." Halo pointed at his two War Mecha monsters. "Combine yourselves." Both monsters were sucked into a swirling vortex of darkness, emerging as an angelic mecha covered in huge ornate shields that covered its body. "War Mecha Guardius Angelus is special summoned to my field." (1000/0) "For every card in my deck this monster's defense increases by 500." (1000/3500) "For every machine monster in my graveyard this monster gains 300 attack points." (4600/3500)

("And now he attacks into his doom…") Blight unconsciously got ready to hit the button to activate his traps.

Halo slid a card into his disk. "I place one card face-down and activate Secret Santa. This card means that both you and I select one set magic or trap on our fields and exchange control of them." His face-down card and one of Blight's set card switched positions. "I now activate Bait Doll, targeting the card I gave you. That card activates and Bait Doll is shuffled into my deck." (4600/4000)

Blight pulled the card out of his disk and flipped it over. "Altar for Tribute?"

"That's correct." Halo looked up at the fireball. "Altar for Tribute sacrifices a monster on your field when activated and you gain that monster's attack in life points." The fireball extinguished.

Halo- 200

Blight- 6500

Halo held up Graceful Charity. "I draw three cards and discard two." He did so. "I discard two machines." (5200/2500) "I activate Bait Doll once more." The card shuffled itself back into his deck and Blight's other face-down card flipped up. "Dimensional Trap…"

"That's right." The enforcer suddenly sneered. "Dimension Trap triggers when the opponent triggers or destroys it. All monsters in your graveyard are removed."

(1000/3000) Halo pulled all of his machines out of his graveyard. "I set one card and activate Treasure of Slashing Life." He drew all but the last card of his deck. (1000/500) "I activate the magic card Awakening the Reaper. This card lets me sacrifice a level ten or higher machine monster on my field to special summon War Mecha Forbidden Reaper from my deck to the field." His fusion disappeared into the graveyard and he pulled the top card off of his deck. "Obviously, this is my Reaper."

The darkness tore open and a giant black and silver mecha holding a giant metal scythe appeared on his field. (10000/10000)

"What?" Blight stared at the machine monster in confusion. "That can't be possible…10000…"

"For every card in my deck Forbidden Reaper loses 400 attack and defense points." Halo held up his disk to show his deck was empty. "For every card in my graveyard this monster gains 100 attack and defense points." He held up a quickplay magic card. "Dimension Burial will be returning all of the monsters you removed back to my graveyard."

Another card appeared on his field. "I activate Bait Doll on my set card, Rising Energy. This trap card lets me discard one card from my hand to power up a monster on my field by 1500 attack points." (11100/9600)

Blight frowned. ("It doesn't matter. I have the trap card Radiation Poisoning in my deck. When you attack you'll take half of your monster's attack in damage if my field is clear. You'll lose before you can land the final blow!")

Halo sighed. "You understand that after my first field destruction effect you've been broadcasting your thoughts as clear as day, right?"

Blight scowled, but then suddenly smiled. "Yeah, that was a mistake. So what, will you not attack and very quickly deck out?"

"Reverse card open." Halo's card that had been taken from Blight's field flipped up. "Solar Buildup. This card allows me to destroy a number of attack mode monsters on my field equal to the number of Solar Dragons in play, and afterwards I may discard any number of cards to draw the same number." He slid the last card in his hand into his graveyard and drew Bait Doll. "Forbidden Reaper, when there are no cards in my deck, is sacrificed and War Mecha Ultima Imperius is special summoned."

The Reaper monster exploded and the Darkness Realm shuddered as an orb of white light lowered onto Halo's field. (0/0) "At this time my graveyard is shuffled back into my deck." Halo clicked his full deck back into place. "I return one card from my hand back into my deck to activate Ultima Imperius. Your deck becomes my hand."

Blight's eyes widened as his deck disappeared. "You can't…"

Holding the thick stack of cards in his hand, Halo fanned them out in front of his face. "Now, what is your ultimate monster? Ah, here it is." Ultima Imperius dissolved into dust. "I remove Ultimate Imperius and discard the rest of my hand to special summon a monster from my hand while ignoring its requirements and costs." He tossed the Dark Blight's deck behind him, sending a spray of cards into the darkness. "Emerge now, Solar Purgatory Dragon." His field shook and a giant white and gold machine dragon snaked out of the darkness. (0/0) "All cards in your graveyard are removed from the game. For every one removed Solar Purgatory Dragon gains 800 attack and defense points."

Blight stared at his empty disk, and then at the cards that Halo had thrown away, all of which were dissolving into ash. (31200/31200) "By the name of the gods…"

"Dark Halo will suffice, thank you." He pointed at the Dark Blight. "Show your ex-master why he is a fool." The inferno dragon exhaled its full flaming breath onto the Dark Blight, instantly obliterating him.

Halo- 200

Blight- 0

Halo walked straight through the smoke. "I hope for your sake the next being you are born from isn't such a pitiful weakling." Then he continued on his way towards the hole, straightening his tie and relaxing his power back into its dormant nature. "And now then, back to my job."

_To be continued…_


	79. Black and White Part 4

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 79: Black and White (Part 4)

"…_turn, draw!" Solitude stopped and looked around in confusion. They were back at Duel Academy, in a dueling ring. Around them there were crowds of cheering students, all of them calling the name of Kaiser. She noticed that she was wearing a black uniform and a slight snicker crossed her lips, rage temporarily forgotten._

Eri bowed to all of the students in the crowd before lifting up one hand to point at her dark half. "Solitude, I am Erika Amero; Kaiser of Duel Academy! For the pride of Duel Academy, I will defeat you!"

"No, you'll just stand there and run your mouth." The black-eyed demoness drew, her black uniform jacket billowing from the wind created by the force of her energy mixing with her deck. She glanced at the card and placed it horizontally face-down on her disk. "I place one monster face-down. End turn."

Eri drew and pointed at the set monster. "White Shadow Sword, attack her monster!" The floating Shadow sword adjusted so its point was aimed at the set monster. (2000/0) "When it destroys your set monster you'll take 400 points of damage, meaning it will be the end."

"Keh, I'm not that easy to finish off." Solitude's set card flipped. "I reveal the continuous trap card Defensive Restoration. This card activates when a defense mode monster on my field is attacked. I gain 500 life points."

Solitude- 900

Eri- 2900

Then the flying sword on Eri's field fell through the set monster and blew it apart, spraying Solitude with shards of itself.

Solitude- 500

Eri- 2900

"Heh, you walked right into it." Solitude's graveyard started to glow. "The effect of Pyramid Turtle activates now! From my deck I special summon Darkness-Nightmare of the Foreboding!" A shadow exploded out of her field, spreading out like a living curtain. From the top of that curtain a bleached white skull slowly extended itself forwards. (1400/1400)

"Darkness?" For a few moments the white demoness stared at the massive monster, unable to belief it. Then the shock wore away and she was able to form words. "That can't be! That was a card I created years ago in my head!"

"Oh can't it? This is but a plane of the mind, so such cards are easily creatable." Solitude threw back her head and cackled loudly as the curtain monster's skull opened and let out a black mist that gathered around their feet. "I love it! I'll destroy you with a card your own imagination created back in your darker days! Won't that be deliciously ironic?"

The black mist washed over her three cards and shattered them all. "When Darkness-Nightmare of the Foreboding is summoned all other cards on my field are destroyed, but in return I may draw one card per destroyed card." Three cards left her deck in one swift draw. "Afterwards my graveyard is shuffled into my deck, and I then draw until I am holding five cards in my hand."

She proceeded to do so, black energy rising from her deck. "It's finally complete, my Necro Puppet Show Deck. It's filled with cards created by you in your dark childhood. All those cards formed by your resentful, Negative-filled self! Won't it be fun to be eaten alive by cards created by the little girl's little girl?"

Eri drew four cards, scowling in displeasure of the idea that those accursed cards were being used against her. "Death lets me draw until I'm holding five as well, but it's an optional effect so you didn't have to tell me." She added the cards to her hand. "Don't underestimate the power of the Kaiser, or else you'll be crushed."

Solitude snapped two cards off of her deck. "It doesn't matter that you remember the effects of some of the cards, Kaiser." The word left her mouth along with a low snicker. "Because I made a few adaptations to this deck to make it suit my purposes!"

Her five card hand suddenly was two. "At this time I activate the trap card I drew, called Restart the Dream's Torture. This card costs two cards from my hand to be activated from my hand, but at this time I select one type of card. All types of that card in your hand, on your field, and in your graveyard are shuffled into your deck. I call your oh-so-precious omnicards!"

Eri removed her graveyard, picked up her White Shadow Sword, and slid her hand onto her disk. She shuffled the cards back into her deck rapidly and then returned it to its slot. "My Key to the Shadows still remains in play though, so I can make use of its powers. Also, at the end phase of this turn I may draw two cards by the effect of Restart the Dream's Torture. End turn." She drew twice and kept the cards at her side as she got ready. This was where the real battle began.

A sick smile crossed Solitude's face. "Here we go, little girl! This is the moment of shining truth where you meet your demise at the hands of me. I refuse to relinquish control of this body to you, and I refuse to compromise either. By the end of this duel either you or I will be gone." (1700/1400) She drew. "I activate Black Lightning, discarding a demon card from my hand to destroy a monster in play! My choice…" She lifted her hand to point at her own monster. "…is obvious." Black lightning crashed down on her dark curtain monster and it exploded.

Eri looked taken aback and shocked. "You're destroying yourself?"

--------------------

Up in the stands Nikolai narrowed his eyes at Eri's obvious mistake. ("No, you fool! There's more to it than that!")

---------------------

Solitude screamed as the black lightning ricocheted into her body. "Half of the destroyed monster's attack is deducted from my life points." Her insane laughter started again.

Solitude- 0

Eri- 2900

The Kaiser frowned at this. "You lost then…"

"Not quite…" Solitude's hair was blown behind her as a flood of darkness launched forth from her graveyard slot, swallowing her up and filling her entire side of the field. It quickly condensed into a giant stage made up of bloody bones. Even though she could not be seen, Solitude's laughing voice could be heard.

Slowly the sickening curtain of muscle tissue rolled back to reveal Solitude standing near the back of the black stone-floored stage wearing her temptress dress from before, her face and hair back to the way it was when she dueled Nikolai and Ichigo. "I'm tired of playing by your rules. Therefore, let's change the stage! From my graveyard Necro Stage activates when my life points hit zero and Darkness is in my graveyard!"

"Necro Stage…" Eri's memories of it came flooding back to her. "That card was incomplete. You finished its effect?"

"More or less. While Necro Stage is in play I cannot lose because I have zero life points." Solitude licked her fingers, savoring the taste of her own flesh. "From my graveyard all demon type Puppet monsters are revived. Bone Puppet and Muscle Puppet revives themselves!" A skull-faced puppet made entirely of bone lowered from the top of the stage onto her field. (400/400)

Next to it a puppet made completely of blood-red muscle tissue lowered into play limply, both of them hanging by strings made of tendons. (600/600)

Eri slowly narrowed her eyes, arms trembling in anger. "You would dare to use these cards?"

"Oh, not only would I dare…I do believe I am using them!" Solitude sneered and shuffled the single card in her hand back into her deck. "At the time that Necro Stage is activated I shuffle all cards in my hand back into my deck." Returning her deck to place, she licked her lips and pointed at the demoness. "Puppets! Attack her directly and make her dance to my music!" The two monsters rocketed forward. "And I'm sure you know, but for the audience I'll grant them the benefit of the doubt. When a Puppet deals you life point damage you take 1000 points of additional damage!"

Eri held up one of her hand cards and it appeared on her field. "I discard White Shadow Glow as a monster to make all effect damage during this turn zero!" Her Key to the Shadows card started glowing and the White Shadow card changed to a trap. "At this time I activate the trap effect of White Shadow Glow! All empty monster zones on my field will be filled with Glow Tokens!" (0/0) Five balls of light appeared in front of her, two being popped by the puppets' attacks.

Solitude- 0

Eri- 2400

Solitude held up her deck. "At this time the effects of Muscle Puppet and Bone Puppet trigger. When these monsters destroy a monster on your field as a result of battle I can activate one continuous magic card from my deck that is either called Necropotence or has Necro Stage in its title!" A pair of continuous cards appeared on her field. "I choose Necropotence and Necro Stage Bloody Curtain!"

The first called card had a picture of a robed skeleton looking out over a destroyed city while ghosts floated around it. "Necropotence skips my draw phase. During my standby phase I may take 800 points of damage to draw a card from my deck, and I may draw up to three cards. And Bloody Curtain selects one continuous magic card I have in play and makes it unable to be destroyed until this card leaves play first. End turn."

"At the end phase of the turn they're summoned Glow Tokens destroy themselves." Eri's tokens disappeared and she drew. "I play White Shadow Sword!" The animate sword reappeared on her field. (1400/0) "Battle! White Shadow Sword, attack Muscle Puppet now!" The weapon threw itself across the field and pierced the creature, blowing it apart. "Damage doesn't matter to you while Necro Stage is in play. I end my turn."

"Here we go!" Solitude pointed at Necropotence. "While this card is in play I skip my draw phase. During my standby phase I draw up to three cards, for each one I take 800 points of damage!" She drew three cards from her deck and slid them all into her graveyard. "While Necro Stage is in play all cards I draw go to the graveyard."

Her graveyard slot started glowing and Muscle Puppet reappeared in play. (600/600) "During my standby phase all Puppets in my graveyard revive. Speaking of which…" A blob of blood exploded out of her graveyard and formed into a humanoid shape. "The Blood Puppet I discarded revives itself!" (200/200) "During my standby phase Darkness activates its effect, powering up one selected Puppet in play by 300 attack points times the number of Puppets in play!"

Her Muscle Puppet swelled huge in size. (1500/600) "Kill that annoying sword!"

Eri's Key to the Shadows activated. "I pay 500 and trigger White Shadow Sword's trap effect, destroying your attacking monster and dealing you 200 points of damage for every level star it has!" The animate weapon stabbed into the puppet and shattered it.

Solitude- 0

Eri- 1900

Solitude snarled and pointed at the sword. "Bone Puppet!" The white-bodied creature clattered across the field and was cut down. "When Bone Puppet is destroyed as a result of battle one Puppet in my graveyard is revived." Muscle Puppet reappeared. (600/600) "When Muscle Puppet is revived by a Puppet effect it gains 400 attack points." (1000/600)

Her bloody humanoid creature exploded, splattering itself all over the Muscle Puppet. "I can sacrifice Blood Puppet during a battle phase to power up one Puppet in play by 500 points!" (1500/600) "Battle!"

Eri was forced sliding backwards by the backlash as the Muscle Puppet limply slammed into her monster and destroyed it.

"And don't forget," Solitude sneered. "When a Puppet deals you life point damage you take an additional 1000 points of damage."

The white demoness screamed in pain as a black aura lit up around her when the damage hit.

Solitude- 0

Eri- 800

Solitude removed a card from her deck and inserted it into her disk. "Go Necro Stage Spotlight." A hellish black and red-colored circle of light fell over her Muscle Puppet. "One selected Puppet powers up by 700 attack points." (2200/600) "End turn."

Eri nearly fell, but a line of white came from her deck and attached to her chest. After a few seconds she smiled, the pain completely gone. "I can't fall here. As the Kaiser of Duel Academy, I cannot fall to you!" She drew. "I summon White Shadow Create." (0/0) A white-bound book appeared on her field and then disappeared. "When this monster is summoned it is removed from the game. End turn."

Solitude drew three cards through Necropotence and then discarded them all. "Revive yourselves!" A new Muscle Puppet, two Bone Puppets, and the Blood Puppet all appeared on her field. (600/600) (400/400)x2 (200/200) Her selected Muscle Puppet exploded in size. (3700/600) "Kill her!"

"From my hand I discard White Shadow Bubbles, selecting its monster effect!" A storm of bubbles filled the air. "During this turn all battle damage is zero."

Solitude had already known that was coming. "End turn."

Eri looked down at her deck. ("The White Shadows…the proof that I am deserving of being the champion of Duel Academy.") She looked up at the cheering crowds of her fellow students. "I am their king, and therefore I cannot fall to you! Draw!"

The drawn card was held up in front of her face as she started talking. "At this time White Shadow Create, while removed from the game, special summons two Create Tokens to my field." (0/0)x2 A pair of white books appeared on her field alongside each other. "And now I activate White Shadow Little!" A speck of yellow light appeared on her field. After a few moments the light faded to reveal an inch-tall yellow-skinned girl wearing yellow robes and holding a little wand. (0/0)

"Zero attack points?" Solitude burst out laughing. "What's that short little speck going to do to my mighty Puppets?"

A vein bulged out of Eri's forehead. "You just had to, didn't you? You just had to mock her height didn't you?" She pointed at the Puppets. "White Shadow Little activates her effect when battles with a monster on your field. That monster's attack becomes zero!" The tiny monster flew across the field and landed on the bulked up Muscle Puppet. It shuddered and suddenly was no bigger than the creature that had attacked it. (0/600)

Solitude frowned in anger. "I get it. Since both monsters have zero attack they do not harm each other. Also, since it activates when they battle I essentially can no longer get to your life points." She drew three cards and discarded them all. "However, I'm far from beaten! Bone Puppets, attack the Tokens!" The two bony creatures clattered across the field and slammed into the books, shattering them. "At this time the effects of my monsters let me activate two more Necro Stage continuous magic cards in my deck."

"I activate Necro Stage Strings and Necro Stage Trap Door! These cards can only be activated if there at least two other Necro Stage cards in play, along with the field magic card itself. I can now, once per turn, take 2000 points of damage to activate a trap or magic card in my graveyard. Necro Stage Strings is for magic and Trap Door is for traps, so now I've got the ability to use the cards I discard. End turn."

Eri closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ("Her field is completely packed, but now she is capable of using all of the cards she has been dropping into the graveyard.") Then she started to draw.

"_Damn it Nikolai, why did you do that? That really hurt!"_

Her eyes opened and she looked up into the stands to see Ichigo standing over Nikolai and yelling at him. "Ichigo..." A tingle ran up her spine. ("That's right, I forgot…you as well. You most of all.") The ring and stands disappeared in a flash of white light.

------------------------

Ichigo felt the flash, and had immediately shut his eyes to preserve his poor retina. ("If I open my eyes and I'm wearing a dress, I swear I'm killing someone.") He opened his eyes and sighed in relief to see that he was wearing a tuxedo. "Whew, that's…" He twitched as he realized that he was standing inside a church. "This can't be good." At the moment he was standing in the center aisle. "Nikolai…please tell me you're not dressed as a priest. Please?"

"Fine, I won't tell you." Came the Russian's voice from somewhere out of sight.

"Okay, hang on! This…" His eyes bugged out as his brain adjusted to the change of scenery. Before him was the Necro Stage covering one side of the front of the church's interior and on the other side stood Eri, the latter dressed in a beautiful white wedding gown. "I really want out of Eri's mind now! Someone! Anybody?" His shouts fell on deaf ears apparently, because he was still there.

Solitude narrowed her eyes at the little girl's sudden change in attire. "Hmmm, so this would be where you actually have normal thoughts like most girls do, huh? It probably won't last long, considering how little you actually think about stuff like that."

Eri looked over at Ichigo. "It would be such a glorious wedding, don't you think?"

"….." The half demon twitched. "Y…yeah it would. You know what else would be great? If you somehow teleported me out of your mind before I see too…"

"Though I still can't decide on a few things," The demoness started pacing, the duel apparently forgotten while she rubbed her chin with one white-gloved hand. "Maybe it'll help if I list them." She started ticking things off on her finger. "What kind of cake should we have, what kind of decorations should we get…who will design the dress?"

-------------------------

Masami sneezed loudly right in Adriel's face, not even getting a chance to react before he was punched in the head.

--------------------------

Solitude stomped towards Ichigo, as Eri was no longer paying her any mind. "Damn it, come here a second!"

Ichigo gulped and prepared to run, only to find her standing right in his path. "When…how…"

"I'm very fast…" She grabbed the collar of the half demon. "I know just what I can do to you to get her attention on the duel." She flexed her claws and snickered at the white color he turned. "Awww, afraid I'm going to hurt you? Don't worry…in fact, you might enjoy it…" She leaned in to kiss him.

Ichigo proceeded to head butt her full-force in the nose. "I'll have to decline, sorry."

Solitude's head snapped back, and she just stayed like that for a few moments. "A pity…" Her head lowered to show she was unharmed. "Oh well, goodbye lover boy." Her claw lifted back to cut his head off.

"Eri!" Ichigo screamed, hoping the fact that he was in danger would bring the demoness back to reality.

"Or maybe I could wear the tuxedo and Ichigo could wear the dress." Eri clapped her hands together, stars in her eyes. "That's it! A reverse wedding, it would be glorious!" A clap off to her side caught her attention.

Nikolai, dressed in the black finery of a priest, coughed to clear his throat. "And where might the groom be?"

"He's right over…" The demoness looked over at the aisle and her hair stood on end, murder in her eyes as she realized just what was going on. "Let go of my man, bitch!" Despite the restrictive nature of her wedding gown she flew across the expanse with incredible speed, landing a jump kick that knocked Solitude backwards and left an indent where the white stiletto heel of her shoe had connected right into the collarbone of her dark half.

The dark-eyed demoness slid back a couple of steps and sneered, showing she was unhurt. "There you go, I was wondering if you were going to protect him or not. After all, in this place only you and I are the ones with any real power."

Eri glanced over at the rather paralyzed Ichigo. "Hey Ichan, how do you feel?"

"I feel like I can't move my body." Ichigo strained himself, but his body refused to obey his commands. "Grea…GAH!" He yelled out in surprise as Eri suddenly threw him over her shoulder. "Eri, wait a second!" His eyes squeezed shut as she leapt back to the dueling arena with him in tow.

Nikolai smiled slightly to Ichigo. "Welcome to the party Pilkington."

"Oh shut up." Ichigo let out an 'oof' noise as the demoness deposited him at her side.

Solitude was back to her side of the field, snickering at the little girl. "Alright then, shall we continue this duel?"

"Of course." Eri placed a hand on her deck. "Draw!" The card was thrown down onto her disk. "I play White Shadow Big, selecting monster and summoning White Shadow Titaness!" An opposite of her Little appeared in play, a giant woman of at least ten feet in height wearing light blue robes. (2500/1900) "This monster may only attack once per every two of my battle phases. Attacking would be pointless though, since I cannot beat you with damage. End turn."

Solitude drew the top three cards of her deck and discarded them all. "It's rather surprising that you're not more mad about what I tried to do to your little boy toy. What if I had scratched up his cute little psyche forever and ever? He might have wound up crazier than daddy-dearest. Oh, that would have been fun…"

Ichigo snarled, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. "You don't know how much that would have screwed us all. I'm not one to brag, but in this case it's a warning…"

"If you're talking about the Dark Halo and what an insane you could do with that kind of power under your control…stuff it." Solitude suddenly gave Eri a rather smug smile, but something about it said that smugness wasn't directed at her lighter half.

"What, you don't mind the possibility of unleashing something with the power of a god on the planet? Don't you even care about what could happen to reality?" Ichigo's anger was diffused as Solitude exploded into crazy laughter again. "That is it then, you don't care if you destroy us all?"

The dark-eyed demoness' laughter died down and she met eyes with the half demon. "Bring him out." She snapped her fingers and Ichigo could suddenly move. "Or you can just tap into the power pool on your own. Either way, show me Dark Halo. I dare you…in fact…" A card left her graveyard slot and stopped right in front of the boy's face for a few moments before returning to the graveyard. "Get it?"

Eri narrowed her eyes. "What are babbling about? This duel isn't over yet."

"Necro Stage Puppet Strings activates now!" Solitude removed a card from her graveyard. "This card activates the magic card Hell Comet. You, my dear, take 2000 points of damage while I take 1000." An arrow-shaped blast of red and black appeared in the air above her. "Ichigo, you know what I want. Do it and I'll be more than glad to preserve your dear Eri's life."

"Ichigo…" The white demoness turned to glare at him. "Don't you dare interfere!"

The half demon narrowed his eyes, sweat on his cheeks. "Eri, I won't lose you here. I'm sorry, and I know I'm not supposed to be interfering…but it looks like Solitude gets her wish." His eyes and hair started to darken. "Besides, it seems like Halo wants to personally speak with this creature."

Eri got ready to bust his skull in…except she suddenly disappeared, her empty duel disk collapsing the ground and then disappearing as well.

Solitude popped her neck as the church setting disappeared, leaving herself standing in the darkness realm. "Oh, we get to meet here? How cozy…"

Halo glanced down to double-check that he was wearing his business suit. ("Sorry Ichigo, I just needed you to open the door by accessing my power. For your own sake I had to kick you and Corben out of the darkness.")

Solitude lifted up her arms, duel disk still in place and field still cleared. "Shall we?"

Halo's duel disk appeared, deck already in place. "Duel!"

-------------------------

"He's coming to…" Adriel stepped back as Ichigo's eyes opened. "Pilkington, what happened? Why did another darkness game appear?"

Ichigo stood up, realizing he was back in the dueling arena. "We…we were kicked out? Eri!" He turned and exhaled loudly in relief to see the demoness unconscious, sprawled out next to an unconscious Nikolai. "She's okay…" Had this been Solitude's plan? Did she just want Halo's attention?

"Pilkington!" Adriel slapped Ichigo in the back of the head. "What in the nine hells is going on?" He motioned to Masami and Chris. "And obviously we all want to know this."

Rysel was sitting up in the stands with Amaeura, watching the occurrences within the darkness sphere through her crystal ball. "Well this is interesting," he called down to them all. "It seems the one you call Halo and a rather scary-looking lady in black is about to duel."

Nikolai groaned and sat up, rubbing the side of his head. "I remember Solitude and something about a Dark Halo, whatever that may be. Now, why are we outside of Erika Amero's mind?"

Adriel frowned and crossed his arms across his chest. "So the crazy lady was after Halo this whole time? She didn't even want Eri's body?" Suddenly he snickered. "That's a rather elaborate method of suicide, I'll give her that much."

Ichigo's eyes widened in terror as his mental link to the Dark Halo established itself once more, but what he felt there was wrong. It didn't make sense, but then again considering what had happened today none of this made sense. "I…I can't believe this. It's something I've never seen or felt before."

"Hmmm?" Adriel glanced over at Ichigo. "What? What did the crazy lady-thing reveal about her?"

"Nothing…it's not her that I can't believe. It's Halo." The half demon shared in the enforcer's emotions, thoughts, feelings, everything… "He's scared of her."

_To be continued…_


	80. Chains, Fangs, and Fur Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 80: Chains, Fangs, and Fur (Part 1) 

_Ichigo's eyes widened in terror as his mental link to the Dark Halo established itself once more, but what he felt there was wrong. It didn't make sense, but then again considering what had happened today none of this made sense. "I…I can't believe this. It's something I've never seen or felt before."_

"_Hmmm?" Adriel glanced over at Ichigo. "What? What did the crazy lady-thing reveal about her?"_

"_Nothing…it's not her that I can't believe. It's Halo." The half demon shared in the enforcer's emotions, thoughts, feelings, everything… "He's terrified of her."_

Adriel stared at Ichigo, and after a few moments cracked into a smile. "Alright Pilkington, you got a laugh out of me with that joke. Now what's the real deal?"

"I'm…I'm not kidding…" Ichigo started trembling. Halo was the strongest duelist he knew of. He was supposed to be as strong as a god. Why was he scared of Solitude? "This…this doesn't work in my head. He's the Dark Halo, she's just a soul created by Eri, right?"

-----------------------------

Halo- 4000

Solitude- 4000

Solitude was smiling at the enforcer, her eyes narrowed slyly. "So who would you like to go first?"

"I'm first, draw!" Halo yanked the top card off of his deck and glared at the dark temptress figure before him. "From my hand I activate the magic card War Machine Catapult! If I have no monsters in play I can special summon a War Mecha type monster from my deck to the field!" A giant gold and silver angel mecha appeared in the air, bright gold light coming from its body. "War Mecha Flare Angelus is special summoned!" (2500/2100)

Solitude kept her eyes locked on Halo with that perverted smile still on her face. The appearance of one of his strongest machines hadn't even caught her attention. His reactions were far more interesting.

"Go Bury the Dead!" A magic card appeared on Halo's field. "I select three monsters from my deck and place them into my graveyard!" One by one the selected cards slid into his graveyard. "I select War Mecha Force Guardius, Mobile Repair Vehicle, and Metal Boost Core." Light flowed out of his graveyard slot, the energy infusing into his War Mecha. "For every machine type monster in my graveyard Flare Angelus powers up by 300 points!" (3400/2100)

Solitude fanned herself with her hand of cards absent-mindedly, eyes still calmly narrowed and locked on Halo.

A drop of sweat on his forehead, the enforcer slammed another card into his disk. "I activate the magic card Fame of the Hunter! If there are twice as many cards or more in my graveyard than yours I may activate one normal magic card from my graveyard." Bury the Dead reappeared on the field. "I send War Mecha Forbidden Reaper, War Razor Dragon, and Heavy Mech Support Platform from my deck to my graveyard! Therefore, the power of my Flare Angelus increases by 900 points!" (4300/2100)

----------------------

Eri had not woken up, so Ichigo was sitting by her side down near the darkness sphere. Besides, he didn't need to join everyone who was crowding around Amaeura's crystal ball to see what was happening in the darkness game. The stands didn't have that much room for people to mob around comfortably anyway. ("Halo, I've never seen you so serious or worried about a duel before. If she's that terrifying then use Divinity of the Dark and beat her right now.")

The thought seemed to refuse to flash through the enforcer's mind though. He knew something about Solitude that Ichigo apparently did not and whatever that thought was definitely came with the connotation that if he used Divinity of the Dark right now he would be defeated.

------------------------

"From my hand I activate the equipment magic card Satellite Buster!" A huge rifle appeared attached to the shoulder of Halo's Flare Angelus. "This card can only be equipped to a War Mecha in play. Once per turn I may discard a card from my hand to deal the equipped monster's attack in damage to your life points!"

He discarded a card from his hand. "I discard Mobile Repair Vehicle! Take this, Satellite Buster Shot!" (4600/2100) Then the darkness lit up with bright blue light as the rifle released a beam that was bigger than its target, the attack swallowing up Solitude whole like some kind of terrible serpent.

-------------------------

Except for Adriel, Rysel and Amaeura, everyone who was watching the crystal was absolutely amazed at how powerful Halo was. He had just destroyed his opponent without even giving a chance to counterattack.

--------------------------

The smoke from the explosion cleared to reveal Solitude unharmed. (SLP: 4000)

Halo gritted his teeth roughly, the single drop of sweat on his forehead having turned into two.

"That was pretty good." Solitude's head was still hidden by the floating clouds of smoke. "However," The black haze withdrew to reveal that there was a white mask made of bone on her face, the image on it that of a scowling strong-chinned man. "It was all for nothing. From my hand the trap card Mask of Stern Guard can be discarded to make all damage during this turn zero." The mask then shattered, revealing her calm smile.

Halo let out a low growl of anger, little arcs of black lightning crackling around his body rapidly. ("I may have no choice but to open the barriers again.") "I place one card face-down on the field. End turn."

"Draw." Solitude looked at the card she had pulled and then at Halo. "It's a shame that I have to kill you. I will admit, you're cute like that Ichigo idiot but definitely not as cheerful or stupid. Oh well, I guess I'll try to make it quick." A card appeared on her field. "I activate the equipment magic card Mask of Heart-Wrenching Tragedy, targeting your Angelus."

Halo tilted his head up to look at his monster. A mask made of white bone appeared and latched to its massive chest, the picture on the mask that of a screaming tortured soul.

"The monster equipped with Mask of Heart-Wrenching Tragedy will be destroyed at the end phase of this turn. For each of its level stars the controller of that lost monster will also lose 200 life points." Solitude was fairly emotionless, her normal insane demeanor rather tranquil. Unfortunately that just made it all the more eerie. "I place one monster face-down and one card face-down. End turn."

A loud screeching noise came from the angelic machine right before it exploded, the shockwaves from the blast forcing Halo to one knee and shaking the very fabric of the Darkness Realm.

Halo- 2400

Solitude- 4000

------------------

"Halo!" Ichigo yelled out loud at the darkness sphere. "This isn't the time for pride! Use Divinity of the Dark on her before you lose!"

Everyone in the stands was looking down at him now, confused.

-------------------

"Reverse card open." Halo forced himself to stand up. "Scrap Converter activates when a machine on my field is destroyed because of one of your card effects. For every two level stars of the destroyed monster I draw one card." Four cards were slid off of his deck. "It's my turn, draw!" Then he was holding five cards.

Solitude laughed quietly to herself, finding the mix of anger and panic on the boy's face very cute. "Dear Dark Halo, even now I'm having second thoughts about obliterating you from existence. Thank whichever god you believe placed you in Ichigo Pilkington's body and placed me in Erika Amero's body. Otherwise I'd be much more intent on killing you right now."

"You were not placed there!" Halo's eyes, along with his body, nearly broke into a fit of trembling in both anger and fear. "Only enforcers and some other beings reincarnate! You are not a reincarnation of anything, just a measly dark spirit!"

"I know who I am." She closed her eyes and blew him a kiss. "Believe what you wish though, Cutie."

"Silence!" Halo held up a card. "Remnants of War activates now! From my graveyard I remove Force Guardius and one Mobile Repair Vehicle from my graveyard to special summon War Mecha Apocalypse Catapultis!" A giant bipedal cannon appeared behind him, bracing itself to fire. (0/4000) "Remnants of War bypasses its costs upon being summoned! All cards on your field are destroyed!"

The War Mecha fired a single howling missile that slammed into her field and exploded like a nuclear warhead, sending a billowing mushroom cloud into the darkness. "Also I activate the equipment magic card Shield Attack on my War Mecha, switching its attack and defense!" (4000/0)

The War Mecha shuddered as it reloaded. "Direct attack!" Then it fired another missile, creating another shockwave of explosive repercussions that shook the Darkness Realm around them.

--------------------------

"My, my," Rysel readjusted his trenchcoat and sat down. "I see someone is quite intent on winning this. He doesn't seem to be holding back, Ichigo. What makes you think this dark-haired boy is not taking this duel seriously?"

"Because he hasn't used the single card that would end this duel right now and leave him as the winner." Ichigo looked angry, but he was also covered in a cold sweat. ("Halo, why don't you crush her with it! This isn't the time to satisfy your pride! She's a danger, so use the power of the gods to smite her!")

---------------------------

The smoke cleared to reveal Solitude wearing that same stern-faced mask. "In response to your field destruction effect I activated my set trap card. It's called Masquerade of the Black Court, and it lets me add two Mask named cards from my graveyard to my hand upon activation. Therefore I returned Mask of Stern Guard and Mask of Heart-Wrenching Tragedy. And when you attacked I discarded Mask of Stern Guard to make the damage zero." The mask she was wearing shattered to reveal her calmly smiling face. "Good try, another one turn kill on your part that might have actually gotten me."

Halo sucked in his breath and slammed a card into his disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn." His eyes flicked to the cards in her hand. ("One of those is that mask from before that destroyed Angelus. Therefore when she targets my monster I'll use my Raremetal Morph to not only power up Catapultis but negate the effect of her magic card.")

Solitude pulled the top card off of her deck and smiled enough to reveal one fang. "Sorry Cutie, your set card won't stop me. In fact, it'll only help me." She held up Mask of Heart-Wrenching Tragedy. "Catapultis is my target, care to chain?"

("Logistically I shouldn't listen to what she says. If I don't activate it now I'll lose anyway!") Halo pointed at his set card. "I reveal Raremetal Morph!" A silver sheen appeared around his monster. "My monster will gain 500 attack points and the first magic card to target him is negated!" The Mask appeared and landed on his monster. "Therefore when it activates during the end phase of this turn it won't work."

"From my hand I activate the continuous magic card Mask of Mistaken Apathy." Solitude's new card created a mask that had the face of a bored-looking man on it. "I select one face-up magic or trap card in play and select it." The mask flew across the field and latched onto Raremetal Morph. "The selected card's effect is negated. Also, when the targeted card leaves the field this card is sent to the graveyard and I draw a card. End turn."

Halo bit back a scream as Apocalypse Catapultis exploded violently at its top, spraying him with shards of blazing hot metal. Its body-less lower torso fell over on its side and melted into the darkness.

Halo- 4000

Solitude- 4000

Solitude shrugged her shoulders lightly. "That should have been the end, but I guess you have a defense against the damage then?"

"From my hand," Halo gasped out, the burning metal on his body searing his skin. "I discard Essence Giver. When this monster card is discarded from my hand I can gain the attack or defense of a War Mecha in play in life points." Catapultis reappeared in play in defense mode. "I also discard War Mecha Pilot to special summon the destroyed War Mecha back to the field." (0/4000)

Solitude drew one card from her deck and added it to her hand. "You're adorable when you're semi-smoldering."

He growled at her and then drew. After a few moments of looking at the card he frowned. "I end my turn."

"It's my turn then," The dark-eyed demoness drew and added the card to her hand. "From my hand I activate the magic card Persona Change. I discard one demon type monster from my hand to draw two cards and add one mask card from my graveyard to my hand."

The card she recovered was inserted into her disk. "You already know what it is." The Mask of Heart-Wrenching Tragedy appeared on Catapultis. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Halo disappeared within a swirling tornado of explosive power as his monster went up like some kind of high-tech firework, spraying his field with flames and metal shards that cut through his suit and skin.

Halo- 1600

Solitude- 4000

---------------------

"She's picking him apart," Adriel said numbly, staring at the image in the crystal and wishing this was a bad dream. "Please tell me I'm dreaming. After what I sensed earlier from him, Halo should be beyond defeat now. Yet she's casually pulling him apart like a cat playing with a mouse."

Everyone else watched the crystal silently, unsure what to say in response to that. This wasn't a dream, and yet it didn't seem possible. How was she this powerful when Nikolai and Ichigo had defeated her before? Had she just been playing with them at that time?

"Halo!" Ichigo screamed at the top of his lungs in both his mind and out loud. "Use it now before you die, you idiot!"

----------------------------

"From my hand," Halo muttered weakly, smoke coming from the cuts in his suit and body shaking from the pain, "I discard War Mecha Pilot. Revive yourself, Catapultis." The giant robot appeared in play again. (0/4000)

"Hmmm," Solitude licked her lips. "Even when dying you're stubborn, and still just as adorable. Go ahead Cutie, it's your turn."

"Silence…" Halo muttered under his breath while he drew. "I activate Pot of Greed. Draw…" One of the drawn cards was slid into his duel disk. "I activate the magic card Vampire Cannon. If there is a Forbidden Reaper in my graveyard then I select one War Mecha on my field. I gain life equal to either its original attack or original defense, while you take the same amount in damage. Therefore I choose the defense of my Catapultis." An aura of black energy appeared around him.

-----------------------

"Incredible," Masami shook his head in amazement. "This guy is too much. A third one turn kill effect."

Chris shivered at the thought of having to duel either of them. "They're both really scary…"

-------------------------

Solitude's face-down card flipped up. "Persona Force selects one Mask card in my graveyard and activates it now." The scowling Mask of Stern Guard appeared in one of her slim hands. "During this turn all damage is zero."

Halo- 5600

Solitude- 4000

Halo's scowl matched that of the mask that had become the one he hated the most. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn." Though the wounds from before had closed and healed, he still looked absolutely wrecked.

"Draw." Solitude was expressionless again. "You still have some fight in you, but not too much. Apparently you've let out a bit of power before this encounter?" When he didn't respond she bowed slightly to him. "Well, I can't hold back too much against you but I respect that you probably used that power to stop the living world from being swallowed by the darkness."

"Shut up and make your move," Halo's anger was overwhelming the fear he had of her. ("I can win this, and I will win this! I am the Dark Halo! And all she is a lucky dark spirit, she is not what she thinks she is!")

She looked at her hand and then a dark smile crossed her face. "Very well, Cutie. Let me finally summon a monster, since you are so intent on making me try to beat you." A spinning tornado of black energy rose out of the ground in front of her. "I drew a monster, but I still wonder just what it does."

"Are you making fun of me?" Halo glared at her. "You can't sit there and lie like that. Or are you serious? You have no idea how your own deck works?"

"Who's lying?" She feigned being offended, and then her angered look slipped into a smile. "I am not sure what I once was, but now am something new. Isn't it great though…"

"What are you talking about?" The lightning around Halo's body began to build as his anger started to forcefully lower the barriers he had implemented on his power. "Or do you just like to babble to hear yourself talk?"

"I'm talking about this feeling of power." She took a deep breath of air in through her nostrils, and then exhaled loudly. "After all of it, I'm still alive and things are definitely looking up for me. Look around you, Dark Halo. This is the world you're supposed to control with an iron fist. However here I stand, once a creature of that darkness. Now I am above it and above you. I am something old and something new at once."

"And you're delusional about what you are." Halo pointed at her. "All I see is a dark spirit that has gotten lucky draw after lucky draw from a deck she apparently doesn't even understand."

"You still don't believe that I am who I am?" A deep sigh escaped her lips and she gave him a look that said she thought he was the delusional one. "Open your eyes, Cutie. You stand before an equal, if not one who surpasses you in power. You at least accept that much of a truth, don't you?"

"I haven't even started to bring my real power, and yet you stand here and declare yourself the winner by foolish belief." The lightning around Halo was gaining in intensity and frequency. "It seems I'll have to show you just how stupid you are for thinking that I will be defeated. That is not possible except by beings that would crush a creature like you merely by speaking a little too loud."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm sure that our viewers are growing bored and confused by our talking. All it is so far is logic by me and vehement denial by you. Then you pound your chest like some kind of primate to affirm your own importance in your own little mind."

The black tornado condensed and started to stop spinning, revealing that it was actually a humanoid creature twirling at incredible speeds. "Reveal yourself now, Bone Mask Driller!" The twirling monster stopped moving to reveal a black-caped skeleton with bone drills for hands. (1600/1600) "Battle! When Bone Mask Driller battles with a defense mode monster that monster is destroyed without damage calculation!"

"Reverse card open!" Halo's set card flipped up. "Mirror Force will negate your attack and destroy that thing! Go Mirror Force!"

Solitude inserted a card from her hand into her duel disk. "I activate the quickplay magic card Mask of Brutish Force." A bone mask with the face of an enraged man appeared in front of her monster right before it hit the glowing barrier of reflective power. After a moment of struggling Mirror Force and the mask exploded, while the Driller landed in front of Catapultis and slammed its drills into the machine's joint, bringing the whole thing down in one hit. "This card activates when I attack and you trigger a trap. That trap is negated and battle continues unaffected by your trap's effects."

Halo was crouching slightly as the powerful winds caused by his monster's destruction whipped around him violently.

"I end my turn there, Cutie." Solitude lifted her lips into that same light-hearted smile. "I wonder if you can pull off another one turn kill. After all, I'm wide open."

"Draw!" Halo looked down at the drawn card and then held it up. "I activate Card of Sanctity!" Holy light fell down over both of them. "Both duelists draw until they are holding six cards in hand." Six cards slid off of his deck while Solitude drew four. "I activate another War Machine Catapult! This time I launch War Mecha Shooter Artemius from my deck to play!" A giant humanoid mecha holding a laser bow in one hand appeared behind him. (2200/1300)

"When this monster is summoned one monster on your field is destroyed!" His monster pulled back the laser line of its bow and released a spear of light that disintegrated the Bone Mask Driller and then flew past Solitude's side, hurtling off into the night. "You're wide open. Direct attack!" The War Mecha strung back its bow again and fired another arrow of light, this one enveloping the dark-eyed demoness.

Halo- 5600

Solitude- 1800

--------------------------

"He got her!" Chris yelled in excitement, hopping up and down with a grin on her face.

"At what cost though?" Nikolai asked quietly, pointing at the image in the crystal ball.

----------------------------

Halo narrowed his eyes at the card that appeared in front of the smoke cloud. "The trap card Dark Reverb can be discarded from your hand when you take battle damage to destroy a monster in play with attack equal to or less than the amount of damage you took." His War Mecha exploded, pieces of it raining down around him.

The smoke cleared and Solitude was revealed with a calm smile on her face. "I believe they call that justice."

"And I call this victory." Halo held up a card. "I discard War Mecha Pilot from my hand to revive Shooter Artemius!" The War Mecha appeared once more. (2200/1300) "And because it was revived, it can attack again! Shooter Artemius, attack her life points directly!" It snapped back its arm, pulling the laser line taught.

Solitude narrowed her eyes slightly. "Nice attempt, however I suppose I should stop letting you just see the spirit shell formed by the little girl." She folded her hand of cards up and stuck it in her cleavage to free up her fingers. _"Kaisetsu Houkou!"_ A circle of black energy swirled to life around her, slowly embracing her like a living cloth.

"Experience the power of the Dark Halo, fool!" The enforcer's monster unleashed another arrow of light that engulfed Solitude and exploded, creating a thick layer of smoke that filled the surrounding darkness and stole absolutely all sight.

---------------------

"Did he do it?" Masami leaned in a little closer to the orb right before he was pushed back by Adriel. "Sorry."

Ichigo was silent, his fists clenched tightly as he tried to diffuse the anger he was feeling towards the Dark Halo. ("Why? Why won't you finish her off using the Divinity card? Halo, she's a danger to all of us!")

"No…"

He glanced behind him. "Eri?"

The demoness let out a low groan and rolled over onto her side, still unconscious. "The black is overwhelming…I can't fight it like this…." She curled into a ball, sweat dripping down her forehead.

"The black? Do you mean Solitude?" Ichigo closed his eyes and looked through Halo's eyes once more. ("Something's…") The rest of the thought was blown out of his mind as the darkness sphere warped and belched out a circular shockwave of black energy that hurled him head-first into nearby wall below the stands. The cement cracked slightly and the half demon fell limp to ground, a bloody gash on his forehead and his eyes closed.

"My, my, today's full of big explosions of energy." Rysel lifted up one hand to create his barrier…and then was hurled backwards as the crimson forcefield was torn open instantly. "WTF?" Then, like Ichigo, he was hurtled backwards into the wall at the top of the stands.

Adriel dropped low in the wake of the shockwave, clutching at his head and whimpering in pain. A similar reaction was drawn out of Nikolai.

Masami clutched at his head and let out of a low groan, the shockwave having passed through him without any violent reactions. "God it feels like I'm got a splitting headache now. What was that explosion?" His eyes crossed for a moment and then his vision returned to normal. "It was like a scream of some kind."

"A scream?" Chris looked up at the stands and realized that Amaeura and Rysel were both unconscious, while Nikolai and Adriel weren't responding to her shaking them. "I didn't hear anything though."

"It's just an analogy." Masami rubbed his temples to try and clear the headache away. "It felt like the Darkness Realm just tried to vomit…" Considering his current physical condition that probably wasn't a good analogy either, as he turned a little green in the cheeks a moment later. "Okay, I can't really explain it. Let's just say that the Darkness Realm violently reacted to something in that game."

----------------------

Halo stood with his body wreathed in black lightning, his barriers having instantly dropped so that he could properly shield himself from whatever had created that dimensional ripple, as well as counter what could have been the catalyst for a tear in the dimensions. ("Its power was like that of an enforcer, but on a different kind of wave-length. Something similar to what I create, but when inspected closer absolutely different.")

"**_It seems…"_** The Darkness Realm shuddered with each word spoken by the voice. **_"…that I apparently still need a bit of work with Kaisetsu Houkou. Sorry if I forced you to protect the dimensional barriers, Cutie."_** A pair of golden irises sat in the ultra-thick darkness, glowing like a pair of beacons in the sea of otherwise black. **_"Do you need more proof of what I am? Or is common sense finally going to reign in your skull?"_**

"You are nothing." Halo thumbed at his own chest, the full release of his powers bringing that amused sneer to his normally calm face. "And I'll prove that right now. I like the voice trick though; it makes you sound like you're stuck in a blender, which is very pleasant imagery considering how much of a pain in the ass you are."

"**_I sense a bit of ego showing now that you've fully released your energy."_** The glowing irises narrowed slightly in line with the sarcastic nature of the reverberating voice, the bright light coming from them dying down just a bit. **_"On that note, my life points are safe. From my hand I discard Fur Guard Technique; Shielding Spread of the Wings to negate all damage during this turn."_**

"That is inconsequential." Halo snapped up one hand and sneered. "I'll prove that you're wrong right now with this! From my deck I call upon the power of the gods to smite you!" A magic card appeared on his field. "Divinity of the Dark activates now. You lose imposter."

"**_Do I?"_** A black chain with a metal spike attached to its leading end shot through the darkness, stabbing through the magic card and then stabbing into the stomach of the very surprised Halo. **_"From my deck I activate the effect of the magic card Fang Spike Technique; Inverse the God Hammer. This card activates when the opponent activates an effect that declares they win the game. The source of that effect is negated and destroyed, as well as being removed from the game. Also, the player who activated the card takes 4000 points of damage as their own 'divine' strike reflects back at them."_**

Halo- 1600

Solitude- 1800

The enforcer coughed up a few drops of blood, his body bending around the piercing weapon as pain started to take over his thoughts. And then that pain became blinding as the chain withdrew itself, the spiked end slithering back into the darkness in a way that should have been impossible had it been a normal weapon. It left behind a hole in Halo that could not seal despite the fact his energy was trying to do exactly that. "How?" He placed a hand over the hole to try and stop the rather painful blood flow.

"**_How, I wonder?"_** Solitude's voice echoed. **_"Well let's see, I inflicted a wound that you, a god-level being, cannot heal. Plus you can't quite read my energy…hmm, I wonder what I could be."_** She said sarcastically. **_"You must really be dense. Even Ichigo would have got it by now, and you've even got knowledge on the subject. Stop trying to hide from the truth, Cutie, because the ignorance act is killing my patience and when my patience dies then so do you."_**

"Don't sound so smug, beast." Halo, using all of his willpower not to scream, stuffed a piece of his torn suit into the opening of the hole just hard enough to plug it. ("It's times like this I wish I had actually bothered to learn about medicine.")

"**_Beast?"_** Solitude scoffed, the glow of her eyes in the darkness growing brighter. **_"I suppose you might be right. After all, wasn't that the name they gave us?"_** Her voice suddenly gained a bit of a snigger to it. **_"Oh yes, they called us the Kusari Kemono."_**

A low chuckle shook the darkness. **_"It was insulting, but appropriate. Of course then they got smart, wanting to learn all about us and our abilities. It was a fine deal, until one of them got rather uppity and dared to capture one of our people and try to torture the secrets of our people out of him. That was where it began…back in the time before the demon wars of Japan started. It was at that time it started. The Shinpou no Zansatzu."_**

"For the last time," Halo asserted. "You were not there! You are nothing but…"

The black chain snapped out of the darkness and cracked into the side of his head with blinding speed, sending him stumbling sideways. **_"I could have sworn I warned you about killing my patience. Face it, Halo. Your opponent is Kodoku of the Fang Slayer Wolf Demon Tribe. Of course, I'm sure the name of the tribe doesn't interest you as much as our alias…the Shinjinbukai Shukaku, the only mortals who possess the power and skills to kill divine beings."_**

_To be continued…_


	81. Chains, Fangs, and Fur Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 81: Chains, Fangs, and Fur (Part 2)

"_Divinity of the Dark activates now. You lose imposter."_

"_**Do I?"** Suddenly a black chain with a metal spike attached to its leading end shot through the darkness, stabbing through the magic card and then stabbing into the stomach of the very surprised Halo. **"From my deck I activate the effect of the magic card Fang Spike Technique; Inverse the God Hammer. This card activates when the opponent activates an effect that declares they win the game. The source of that effect is negated and destroyed, as well as being removed from the game. Also, the player who activated the card takes 4000 points of damage as their own 'divine' strike reflects back at them."**_

_Halo- 1600_

_Solitude- 1800_

_The enforcer coughed up a few drops of blood, his body bending around the piercing weapon as pain started to take over his thoughts. And then that pain became blinding as the chain withdrew itself, the spiked end slithering back into the darkness in a way that should have been impossible had it been a normal weapon. It left behind a hole in Halo that could not seal despite the fact his energy was trying to do exactly that. "How?" He placed a hand over the hole to try and stop the rather painful blood flow._

"_**How, I wonder?"** Solitude's voice echoed. **"Well let's see, I inflicted a wound that you, a god-level being, cannot heal. Plus you can't quite read my energy…hmm, I wonder what I could be."** She said sarcastically. **"You must really be dense. Even Ichigo would have got it by now, and you've even got knowledge on the subject. Stop trying to hide from the truth, Cutie, because the ignorance act is killing my patience and when my patience dies then so do you."**_

"_Don't sound so smug, beast." Halo, using all of his willpower not to scream, stuffed a piece of his torn suit into the opening of the hole just hard enough to plug it. ("It's times like this I wish I had actually bothered to learn about medicine.")_

"_**Beast?"** Solitude scoffed, the glow of her eyes in the darkness growing brighter. **"I suppose you might be right. After all, wasn't that the name they gave us?"** Her voice suddenly gained a bit of a snigger to it. **"Oh yes, they called us the Kusari Kemono."** A low chuckle shook the darkness. **"It was insulting, but appropriate. Of course then they got smart, wanting to learn all about us and our abilities. It was a fine deal, until one of them got rather uppity and dared to capture one of our people and try to torture the secrets of our people out of him. That was where it began…back in the time before the demon wars of Japan started. It was at that time it started. The Shinpou no Zansatzu."**_

"_For the last time," Halo asserted. "You were not there! You are nothing but…"_

_The black chain snapped out of the darkness and cracked into the side of his head with blinding speed, sending him stumbling sideways. **"I could have sworn I warned you about killing my patience. Face it, Halo. Your opponent is Kodoku of the Fang Slayer Wolf Demon Tribe. Of course, I'm sure the name of the tribe doesn't interest you as much as our alias…the Shinjinbukai Shukaku, the only mortals who possess the power and skills to kill divine beings."**_

"And that's where you're wrong." Halo said through gritted teeth, the blemish on the side of his head refusing to heal despite how much of his energy was flowing through it. "That tribe died out long ago, according to my faded memories of the previous Dark Halos. You are nothing but an imposter with a chain similar to the ones used by that doomed tribe."

"**_So the whole 'Soul Reincarnation' thing that has happened all over the world for the last thirty or so years has no possible way of being involved in this?"_** Her voice was very sarcastic and exasperated sounding. **_"You are really adamant about not accepting this possibility, aren't you?"_**

"It's because it isn't a possibility. That tribe is dead, and with it goes those techniques of theirs." Halo gasped out and dropped to his knees, his patchwork plug for the hole her spike had created in his stomach starting to find itself unable to stop the flow.

"**_It won't heal by any means other than mine or those of another member of my tribe."_** Her voice echoed out of the darkness with a tone to it that showed that should have been obvious. **_"Regardless of what you say, I am Kodoku of the Fang Slayer Tribe. We are the ones you and your gods feared because our techniques not only made us more than a match for you divine beings, but it also allowed us to deal crippling injuries in one single hit. That is why you are terrified of me, and that is why you refuse to accept the obvious truth."_**

"You are Solitude, created by the mind of Erika Amero!" He shouted back, the lightning around him gathering and building a protective barricade in case she attacked again. "That is all!"

"**_No. Solitude is in here, and she is part of the girl. I am my own soul."_** Her voice grew soft as she recalled those moments of silence and darkness. **_"I awoke to a baby's crying. I was floating in a void of darkness. Nearby there was a small orb of energy that seemed to be alive, that was Solitude. That was the gestating Shadow of Erika Amero. So I floated there, using one of the techniques of my people to avoid detection by the occasional intruder or spell. It wasn't too hard to avoid detection."_**

"If what you say is true," he growled out. "Then you'll have to excuse my disbelief. I still don't believe you're telling the full truth. Why not reveal yourself, by the way? Afraid your hideous true form will scare me?"

"**_Hideous?"_** The ultra-thick darkness started to fade away, revealing the owner of those brightly glowing eyes. **_"Cutie, your attempts to bait me into getting angry are as pitiful as you are."_**

Halo's eyes widened as she appeared from within the blackness. ("Those robes…")

The first thing that stood out was that she still had the same look about her face that she had as the dark temptress. Her eyes were still black where there should have been white, with a pair of golden irises sitting in the middle of that black sea like a beacon in the middle of a stormy night. Where she had long strands of black hair covering the left half of her face though, she now had half of a black mask that wrapped around that side of her face completely. The image on the mask was that of a growling wolf.

The robes themselves were merely black silk that covered her from head to toe, creating a comfortable though rather ineffective-seeming kind of fighting clothing. Around her shoulders and hanging down her back were a thick black-hooded cloak, intricate white runes and golden lines running down its outside. Around her arms and body were the black lengths of the chain that was her weapon. However the ends of it could not be seen yet. **_"What's the matter, Cutie? Were you expecting something scarier?"_**

The enforcer narrowed his eyes at her. "I might be willing to accept it now, just because you got the garb of that accursed tribe correct. However, what is the deal with the half-mask?"

The uncovered side of her face lifted into a slight smile. **_"That would be thanks to Erika's Shadow, Solitude. The creature seemed to have a big mask motif, and after I absorbed it I found this to be my appearance when I use Kaisetsu Houkou. As of yet I haven't used Hakunetsu Houkou, so I have no idea what I look like under its influence. Maybe if you stop being stupid I'll show you it though."_**

Halo remembered those names. ("The first is Opening Howl, the second Climax Howl, the third Ending Howl…those were the forms of their skills. If she was powerful enough to force me to lower my barriers in just Opening Howl, then beyond that would probably be something I would not be able to stand against for very long as I am now.") His scowl deepened. "Be overjoyed that you're actually putting me in this position."

"**_And what position might that be?"_** Suddenly her eyes widened as she realized that the enforcer was tearing away the upper portions of his dress shirt. **_"While I don't mind the eye candy, any particularly reason you're stripping yourself?"_**

"There's no point in unnecessary things in my way." Halo flexed his hands a couple of time, the sharp pain in his midsection telling him all he needed to know. "I've never attempted this before because it has never been necessary. However, you've put me in a position where as I am I will lose. Therefore…" He closed his eyes. "Awaken, my Shadows."

She licked her lips in anticipation. **_"Oooo, so that's it. You're going to awaken your own Soul Shadows to try and counteract me? I'm flattered…and more than a bit excited. Come on, Dark Halo, let's see what…"_**

His eyes opened. "Done."

"**_That's it?"_** She sighed loudly and exaggeratedly. **_"I'm disappointed. I was expecting something…"_** Suddenly she was a moving blur as a cannonball of black lightning flew past the area she had been standing.

Halo lowered his hand and cracked his neck, the wounds on his body gone completely. "Unlike some other creatures I don't care much for flashy. I am the Dark Halo; I am flashy enough as it is."

"**_I can tell…that was significantly stronger than your earlier energy."_** She landed and smirked at him. **_"Alright then, let's continue the duel and see just what comes up."_**

"I agree." The enforcer slammed a card into his disk. "I activate Do Over! This magic card shuffles our fields, hands, graveyards, removed from play piles and decks together. After which we both draw five cards." Their disks shimmered and changed, now with fully replenished decks. "Of course this effect ends my turn, so go right ahead."

"**_Draw."_** She held the card up and then looked at him with a dark smile on her face. **_"It's practically a whole new game, Cutie. I summon Fang Slayer Warrior in attack mode."_** (1800/1800) A female wolf demon wearing clothing similar to Kodoku's appeared in play. The biggest difference was that her cloak was brown and her chain a normal steel gray. **_"Fang Slayer Warrior, attack Halo's life points directly!"_**

"From my hand I activate the effect of King of the Darkness." Halo discarded the card from his hand. "By discarding this magic card I can special summon one level four or lower dark monster from my hand to the field. Therefore I summon my level four Kaiser Shadow Nova Bomber." A black-colored cylindrical-bodied humanoid machine appeared on his field. (1300/1600) "When this monster is special summoned it is destroyed, along with all monsters in play." Letting out a whine of protest, the machine monster exploded with enough force to shake the darkness.

Kodoku narrowed her eyes and slammed a card into her disk. **_"I activate Fur Guard Technique; Embrace the Shield! This quickplay magic card switches all Fang Slayer type monsters in play into defense mode and during this turn they cannot be destroyed."_** Her monster dropped down and the Slayer's cloak wrapped around her tightly right before the flame from the explosion engulfed it. **_"I'm not that easy to defeat, Cutie. I place one card face-down and end my turn."_**

Halo drew. "I summon Kaiser Shadow Nexus in attack mode." (1800/1800) A cyborg with a glowing crystal in the center of its chest appeared in play. "For every Kaiser Shadow in my graveyard this monster's attack and defense is increased by 300 points." (2100/2100) "Nexus, attack now!" The cyborg launched across the field and punched through the female demon, shattering her.

"**_Reverse card open!"_** Kodoku's set card flipped up. **_"Ties of the Tribe triggers when a Fang Slayer on my field is destroyed. A same-named Fang Slayer is special summoned."_** Another Fang Slayer Warrior appeared in play. (1800/1800)

"I place one card face-down and activate the continuous magic card Forceful Glare of the King." Halo pointed at her. "Sorry, but this card promises I'll be hurting you for the rest of this duel. During the end phase of a turn a monster on your field is destroyed by the effect or attack of a Kaiser Shadow you take 500 points of damage per destroyed monster. End turn." The card released a blast of black energy that crashed into her chest roughly.

Halo- 1600

Kodoku- 1300

"**_Draw!"_** Kodoku placed a card onto her disk and a male wolf demon wearing a much lighter cloak than the heavy one used by the Warrior and herself appeared on her field. **_"I summon Fang Slayer Assault in attack mode."_** (1300/1500) **_"For every Fang Slayer monster in my graveyard this monster may attack one extra time during a battle phase."_**

She pointed at her Warrior, who started glowing. **_"Warrior activates her effect now. For every Fang Slayer in my graveyard she gains 400 attack and defense."_** (2200/2200)

Halo glanced at his set card. ("By all means, attack. I'll love using this on you.")

A card left her hand and was inserted into her disk. **_"I activate the magic card Fang Spike Technique; Disrupt the Hidden Prey. This card activates when there is a Fang Slayer in player. One magic or trap in play is destroyed and its controller loses 1000 life points."_** Her Warrior launched her chain across the field, the spiked weapon piercing the set card on Halo's field and shattering it.

Halo- 600

Kodoku- 1300

The card reformed on Halo's field. "I activate the trap card Guards of the King. From my deck two level three or lower Kaiser Shadows will be special summoned. Also one trap card from my deck can be placed face-down on my field, during this turn it can be activated." A card appeared face-down on his field.

"And my monsters are Kaiser Shadows Steam Freak and Flow Disruptor!" The first monster was a cyborg with huge steam pipes coming out of its back, and the other was a cyborg with a pair of giant speakers on its back. (700/700) (500/900) "Steam Freak's special ability activates now! I select three magic or trap zones on your field and while it is face-up in play you cannot use those zones or the cards in them!"

His attention switched to his Flow Disruptor. "Flow Disruptor prevents you from attacking with more than one monster during each of your battle phases." A vibrant series of sounds came from the machine-man's speakers, echoing across her field. "Also I reveal Barrier of the King. While this continuous trap is in play I can negate one attack by discarding a Kaiser Shadow from my deck to the graveyard."

"**_I place one card face-down and end my turn."_** She narrowed her eyes at him. **_("His power has increased. At this rate I will be locked down and will lose.")_**

"Draw!" Halo looked at the drawn card and then placed it onto his disk. "I summon Kaiser Shadow Velocity Charger." A jet-equipped cyborg appeared on his field. (1500/1500) "This monster's ability prevents you from activating traps when it attacks. Also it may attack twice during a battle phase! Velocity Charger, your target is the Assault!" The machine-man launched across the field with incredible speed and slammed through the body of the male wolf demon, shattering him.

Halo- 600

Kodoku- 1100

Kodoku braced herself against the backlash and growled at him. **_"You didn't attack with Nexus because you were worried about the set card? Your mistake, Cutie!"_** Her face-down card flipped up. **_"My trap is Tribal Sacrifice. This card activates when a Fang Slayer on my field is destroyed. From my deck I send two Fang Slayers to my graveyard to draw two cards. My choices are Fang Slayer Assault number two and Fang Slayer Warrior number three."_**

She drew two cards and then pointed at her field Warrior. **_"The effect of my monster is that for every Fang Slayer in the graveyard its attack and defense increases by 400. Therefore the four in there equals 1600 total."_** (3400/3400)

Halo slid the last card in his hand into his disk. "I set one card face-down. You will lose this duel, fool. I am at my strongest now. Go Forceful Glare of the King!" His continuous magic card released a blast of black energy that slammed into her chest. "End turn."

Halo- 600

Kodoku- 600

Kodoku looked down at her deck and then at the cards in her hand. **_("If I attack I will only fuel the power of Nexus. Also, his set card is more than likely a trap.")_** The visible part of her face frowned slightly. **_"It seems I have no choice. Well Cutie, it looks like this duel ends here."_**

"I'm glad you agree." Halo held up his disk to show off the field of cards there. "You are locked down, and in the next turn I will start ripping you apart while you only stand there helpless and watch."

She folded up the three cards in her hand and slid them up her sleeve, the chains near her wrist binding them there. **_"I suggest you get ready to die, Dark Halo. This is your last turn, regardless of whatever cards you may have."_**

The black circle from when she had transformed last time appeared around her, white runes slowly inscribing themselves along the outer ring of it. **_"Hakunetsu Houkou is the awakening of the second level of my abilities. I haven't used it for a very long time, so I wonder just how much more powerful I will become as I am now. It might be a small increase; it might be a massive one. Shall we find out together?" _**Then the circle exploded to life, swallowing her up and creating an orb of darkness with those same white runes floating along its surface.

Halo was surprised. He had expected another massive explosion of power, but instead he didn't feel any changes. "Hmm, so I suppose it was a small…" The orb collapsed downwards and his hair was blown backwards by a sudden blast of released force.

"**_Now then,"_** Kodoku's head was completely covered by the snarling wolf mask, the only visible part of her skull being the long black hair covering and going down the back of her head. There were white runes all over the ebony black surface of the face-piece. **_"Let's get to it, shall we?"_** With a flick of her wrist the three cards that made up her hand were back in her grasp.

Halo clenched his teeth at her, fangs bared. ("I don't detect any change in power at all. Yet the confidence in her voice is undeniable.")

"**_Draw."_** She pulled the top card off of her deck, her eyes flicking up to look at him. **_"I'm above you, Cutie. Sorry, but it's time to exterminate a certain night-haired pest that thinks he can control me. I thought about keeping you alive, but now…I remembered my own name. I am Solitude, I am Kodoku, and they mean the same. I am always alone."_**

"I hear a lot of talk, but I don't even sense a change in power." Halo pointed at her. "Having a full mask doesn't mean a thing."

"**_That's where you're wrong."_** The growling expression of her mask matched the ferocious look in her eyes. **_"The mask is a representation of Solitude, the being I have bonded with to make myself part of Erika Amero. It represents the increase to my power that apparently you cannot sense. Let me help you then. You will soon sense my power."_**

She drew. **_"I activate the magic card Heavy Storm. All magic and trap cards in play will be cleared."_**

"Foolish." Halo's set card flipped up. "I activate Laws of the King. At the cost of 500 life points this continuous trap negates your magic card." A blast of energy shot from his card into her magic card and shattered it.

Halo- 100

Kodoku- 600

The ferocious look in Kodoku's eyes grew stronger. **_"And now it ends. I activate the magic card Tail Chain Technique; Control the Heart's Power. One monster on your field equips to a Fang Slayer monster on my field. The equipped monster's attack is added to my monster, and the effects of the equipped monster become added to the powers of my monster. In other words, your Velocity Charger is mine!"_** Her Warrior's chain launched across the field and embraced the Kaiser Shadow, pulling it to her. (4900/3400)

"I still have my…" Halo's eyed widened in realization. "The effect as well…that means…"

"**_You can't use traps in response to its attack."_** She pointed at Kaiser Shadow Nexus. **_"Disappear, you fool. You would dare try to fight me when you are as incomplete as you are? You don't even have one part of your collective along with you, and you expect me to lose? Fang Slayer Warrior, attack his Nexus now!"_** The female wolf demon hurled her chain across the field, the weapon shooting straight through the cyborg and then stabbing directly into Halo's chest, stopping when it pierced into his heart.

Halo- 0

Kodoku- 600

The enforcer grabbed the chain and let out a low hiss of pain. "I…am…the Dark Halo…I will not…fall to…you…"

"**_You are not the Dark Halo, idiot. Take a notice of something…and try to locate your power."_** Her visible mouth twisted into a slight sneer at the confused look on his face. **_"Don't you get it? You're a piece of Ichigo Pilkington. All that power you constantly throw around thinking it's yours? All you're doing is tapping a source of water that the owner doesn't even know is on their property. Ichigo Pilkington's power is far above yours, just like Erika Amero's power is above mine. We are but pieces of a pair of children who don't know their real power yet."_**

"You lie!" Halo glared at her, his body trembling as the spike in his heart dug deeper. "I...I am the Dark Halo! Ichigo simply was my bar, my starting point…"

"**_Argue with truth all you like, fool."_** Then she tugged roughly and the chain tore itself out of his chest, hurling his body forwards to the ground. **_"Not that it matters. You die here, and Ichigo is going to start having a very difficult time manipulating all of his power."_** Then his body faded away. **_"Even your body is created by his power, and here you lie by saying that you and he are not directly connected. Oh well, sleep…"_**

"Exactly right," a voice from behind her said. "He's merely sleeping now. You will not hurt anyone, Kodoku or Solitude, whoever you are."

"**_Heh,"_** She turned to face a frowning Ichigo. **_"How did you get here? Last I sensed you hurt your head pretty badly outside."_**

"My body is injured right now, but that's unimportant compared to you being stopped." He smiled cheerfully to her. "Besides, I can project myself just like my other parts can. Anyway though, it looks like it's come down to a standoff between the three of us."

"**_The three…"_** She chuckled as she noticed who was standing right behind the half demon. **_"Oh my, dear little girl has come back for another fight?"_**

Eri stepped past Ichigo and sneered. "He and I listened in on your little conversation with the stupid jerkwad. That's a pretty interesting thought, that I've got more power than Ichigo and that apparently I've got more power than you. So I wonder, just what's to stop me from stopping you from drawing in my power to charge yourself?"

"**_Not a thing, except the only way to really stop me with your level of energy control is to kill yourself."_** Kodoku glanced over at Ichigo. **_"I don't intend to bend over backwards for a pair of kids. Let's finish this up so I can take command of Erika's body. I dislike having my source of power being an outside…"_**

"You aren't leaving until I show you that you are mine to command." The demoness cracked her knuckles. "I will crush you both physically and in the common method of our people for determining conflicts. I will gain my right to be called both Kaiser of Duel Academy and the daughter of Rikuo Amero, the Wolf Demon General."

"**_Rikuo Amero?"_** Kodoku's eyes widened slightly. **_"I suddenly feel like the biggest idiot in the world. Tell me, Erika, your father wields the weapon known as the Howling Sword, does he not?"_**

"Yeah, what about it?" She continued to smirk confidently, sure that she could do this.

"**_It seems,"_** Kodoku smiled slightly at both of them. **_"That we're at a rather interesting pass then. Rikuo Amero, the patriarch of the Fang Slayer clan who was declared dead along with his family. I should have gotten it from the name alone, though I guess you can excuse my moment of stupidity."_**

Dropping to one knee, she bowed her head slightly to Eri. **_"Before we continue then, I have to apologize for not showing the proper respect to the rightful princess of the throne of the whole Wolf Demon race."_**

Eri and Ichigo blinked a couple of times before they both pointed at the demoness. "Bwha?"

"**_Now then,"_** Kodoku stood up and stretched. **_"I suppose now is the time for you two to prove yourselves. Alone you'd both be obliterated, but separately you might have a chance. As you said, Princess, you wish to beat me down both physically and in a duel? One after another would kill you, and I am fair enough to see that with your training it would be a slaughter in my favor. Therefore I offer you both a winning chance."_**

"I said I would do it alone!" The earlier princess comment brushed aside for now, Eri growled at the black-robed Wolf Demon. "I am your opponent in both aspects!"

"Eri, she's right." Ichigo placed a hand gently on the demoness' shoulder. "As much as I want to let you handle this problem, I don't want to see you die." Then he looked over at Kodoku. "It's a double challenge, correct? One of us has to beat you physically and the other has to beat you in a duel."

"**_Very astute, not-so-cute one. One of you has to beat me in a fight, and the other has to beat me in a duel."_** She lifted up her duel disk arm and shuffled her deck. **_"If you do not mind though, I'd like to have the duel first. Alright then, who will be my opponent?"_**

Eri glared at Ichigo. "I guess since I've got at least some combat training I'll…"

"…be the one dueling." Ichigo patted her on the back. "Good luck, Kaiser. She's going to be a tough one to beat with those Fang Slayer cards in her deck."

"…" The demoness glared at him even harder. "Are you nuts? You don't know how to fight at all!"

"True!" Ichigo declared. "However, you owe her for last time so this makes the most sense." When he realized that she was trying to burn holes in his skull with her eyes, the half demon chuckled nervously. "Yeah…I know I might get massacred, but so might you. Besides, I've got a plan!" With that declared he turned and walked off into the darkness. "Good luck Eri, I'll be back when I sense the duel about to end! Until then it's off to figure out how not to die in a fight with the scary chain woman!"

("Is he really going to be okay?") Eri sighed loudly and a duel disk appeared on her arm. "You heard the kitty; it's you and me who will be dueling." She removed her deck from her pocket and inserted it into its slot. "Are you ready?"

"Obviously," Kodoku said, the mask around her face having disappeared. Her robes remained though. "I doubt I'll need the power of _Kaisetsu Houkou_ since you're my source of energy. It would be rather counterproductive to the whole thing." Her duel disk activated.

Eri exhaled and then looked down at her deck. ("Ichigo, I'm confident I can pull off a win this time. However, how do you intend to beat her? I can only guess you plan on fighting her as Starlight Savior, because otherwise she's going to tear you apart.")

"Bring your head into the game, Princess." Kodoku chastised. "You're wandering in your thoughts, and that will lead to defeat. Duel!"

Eri- 4000

Kodoku- 4000

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: The Kaiser Shadows used by Dark Halo were all created by the readers of my forum. Of course in a couple of cases I had to change some effects to represent Halo's level of power, but they're pretty much the same. Except for the bomber card, that was originally Nega Shadow-Blitz Bomber.


	82. Duel of Heritage Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 82: Duel of Heritage (Part 1)

_Eri exhaled and then looked down at her deck. ("Ichigo, I'm confident I can pull off a win this time. However, how do you intend to beat her? I can only guess you plan on fighting her as Starlight Savior, because otherwise she's going to tear you apart.")_

"_Bring your head into the game, Princess." Kodoku chastised. "You're wandering in your thoughts, and that will lead to defeat. Duel!"_

_Eri- 4000_

_Kodoku- 4000_

"Here we go, draw!" The demoness pulled the top card off of her deck, finding it rather strange that for the second time today she was dueling what looked to be an exact copy of herself. "I activate the omnicard White Shadow Fight! Come out now, White Shadow Fighter!" (1500/1300) A blue-dressed female martial artist appeared on her field and struck a fighting pose. "Also I place one card face-down on my field. End turn." A card appeared in play behind her monster. "Now show me this Fang Slayer junk of yours."

"You shouldn't be so condescending. If you truly are THE Rikuo Amero's daughter then these monsters are your people's representations! Draw!" Kodoku looked at the cards in her hand and then at the monster on Eri's field. "The White Shadows…deep down inside me Solitude is growling at them. She hates them because she could have promised you something stronger. However I hold no hatred towards them or you, but I will fight them with my best."

"I wouldn't want it any other way." Eri smiled gently. "I hope this duel earns your respect, and teaches you to fear me at the same time. You are both Solitude, who I am have to crush under my feet, and apparently a member of my father's tribe, whose respect I must earn."

Kodoku smirked and placed a card onto her disk. "Indeed I am, so let's see where this duel goes. I summon Fang Slayer Warrior!" (1800/1800) A female Wolf Demon wearing clothing similar to her own appeared in play. "I could attack White Shadow Fighter, but the power-up effect would make your monster a 1900. Therefore I'll have to activate this magic card, Foolish Burial."

Eri narrowed her eyes at the card. "That lets you send a monster from your deck to your graveyard."

"Correct." Kodoku removed a card from her deck and slid it into her graveyard. "I discard one of my Fang Slayer Warriors into the graveyard." Her field Warrior started glowing. "For every Fang Slayer in the graveyard my monster gains 400 attack and defense points." (2200/2200) "And now I attack!"

"Fighter gains the level of your monster times 100 in attack!" (1900/1300) Eri then braced herself as her monster was crushed beneath a powerful swing of the Warrior's chain.

Eri- 3700

Kodoku- 4000

The Wolf Demon frowned slightly. "Your monster was easily trounced, Princess. I place three cards face-down and end my turn."

Eri suddenly smiled. "That was my whole plan. You were so focused on my Fighter you forgot my face-down card! Reverse card open!" Her face-down card flipped up. "White Shadow Lock's special ability, upon activation as a trap, lets me select any number of set magic or trap cards in play. It becomes a continuous trap card and as long as it is face-up in play those cards cannot be activated!"

"Heh," Kodoku smiled slightly. "Alright, I admit I fell for that one."

"That you did, draw!" Eri slid three cards off of her deck and inserted them into her graveyard. "The cost of White Shadow Lock is that for every card it is sealing I must discard one card from my deck during each of my standby phases. And then from my hand I activate White Shadow Voice as a magic card. From your graveyard one normal magic card will be activated. I choose Foolish Burial, discarding a monster card from my deck."

"A monster? Isn't your deck made entirely of omnicards?" Kodoku smirked a little as she watched the demoness discard a card from her deck. "I guess not entirely."

"That's right, it is mostly omnicards. However, normal cards tend to come in handy when they support the effects of my omnicards." Eri's graveyard started to glow. "The card I discarded was the monster card White Cataloger. (300/300) When this monster is sent to the graveyard I can add one omnicard from my deck to my hand." An additional card left her deck and was added to her hand. "And this card's effect as a monster is going to tear you to shreds! I activate White Shadow Twin and therefore summon White Shadow Warrior!" A white-robed version of the Wolf Demon appeared on her field. (1800/1800)

"A cloning card?" Kodoku snickered. "Princess, the effect of my Warrior only helps if you've got Fang Slayers in your graveyard."

It was Eri's turn to snicker. "The effect as a monster is different. My monster gains the name of your monster, but if a certain set of words is shared in both the name and text then it changes to White Shadow. Therefore," An explosion of white energy came from her graveyard and flew into her new monster. "For every White Shadow card in my graveyard White Shadow Warrior gains 400 attack and defense points!" (3800/3800) "Battle!" The female monster tossed a white chain through its counterpart, instantly destroying her.

Eri- 3700

Kodoku- 2400

Kodoku braced herself against the violent backlash with a smile on her face. ("She's good when she's determined. I wonder why she did so terribly against Solitude.")

"I place two cards face-down and end my turn." Eri had a smile on her face as well. ("I've never felt this way before. I'm not holding back, and yet the pace of this duel is so refreshing.")

Kodoku drew. "You look pretty pleased with yourself, Princess. However, you're about to realize that the pleasure you're experiencing is just the pleasure of winning. See how quickly it disappears when facing one like myself. I am a master of the art of our people, of _Kasuramai_." She held up a card. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon." A blast of wind slammed into White Shadow Lock and shattered it. (4200/4200) "And then reverse card open! Lost Moment activates when in the last three turns the conditions for set cards on my field have been reached but they were not activated. During this turn they can be activated."

One of her other cards flipped up. "Tribal Sacrifice activates now. This card triggers when a Fang Slayer on my field is destroyed. I discard two Fang Slayers from my deck and draw two cards." She held up a pair of monster cards. "I discard a pair of Fang Slayer Assaults into my graveyard and then draw twice."

Eri crossed her arms under her chest, her tail unfurling behind her as she felt herself relaxing. This duel didn't feel like some kind of harrowing challenge anymore, it felt like a duel she could enjoy. What was most surprising about this was the fact that she never felt that way about any duel. ("Maybe it won't be so bad earning Kodoku-san's respect.")

"From my hand I activate Call of the Wild Moon." The Wolf Demon removed a card from her deck. "I add one level four or lower Beast-Warrior type monster from my deck to my hand." The card she grabbed was thrown onto her disk. "I summon Fang Slayer Assault!" (1300/1500) A male Wolf Demon wearing a very light cloak on his body appeared in play. "For every Fang Slayer in my graveyard this monster may attack one additional time past his normal attack during each battle phase. Also I activate the magic card Tail Chain Technique; Control the Heart's Power. Your monster becomes an equipment magic card on my monster!"

Eri removed the card from her disk and the clone disappeared. "When an omnicard would change card types it simply goes to the graveyard." She inserted the White Shadow Twin card into her graveyard.

"It still accomplished exactly what I wanted it to accomplish!" Kodoku pointed at Eri. "Go Fang Slayer Assault; attack the Princess' life points directly!"

"Reverse cards open!" Eri pointed at her two set cards. "I reveal White Shadow Loop and Magical Conveyor Belt! The trap effect of White Shadow Loop activates during a battle phase. I select one monster on your field and that monster switches to attack mode. For every monster on your field besides itself it may attack an additional time during this turn! Also, during this turn that monster is the only allowed attacker. Finally, it must attack!"

Kodoku narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Fang Slayer Assault, attack her life points directly!" The Wolf Demon hurled his spike chain across the field, but right before it hit Eri it clanged against an invisible barrier. "The effect of Magical Conveyor Belt?"

"That's correct," Eri said, the trap card starting to glow. "During this turn I select one monster on your field. That monster deals zero battle damage and every time it attacks I draw one card." She pulled the top card off of her deck. "Also because of the effect of your Assault and White Shadow Loop, you must attack an additional four times!" The Wolf Demon's weapon clanged against her barrier four more times total and she drew four cards.

Kodoku slid the single card in her hand into her disk. "I place one card face-down, end turn."

"Draw!" Eri held the card up in front of her face and smiled slightly. "I activate the continuous magic card Key to the Shadows." The card appeared on her field. "This card, once per turn, lets me pay 500 life points to activate one of the effects of an omnicard I play. Now I play White Shadow Sweet as a magic card to gain 1000 life points. Key of the Shadows lets me pay 500 life points to use its trap effect, letting me gain 500 life points for each magic and trap card in play." A pink light fell around her at the card started to glow.

Eri- 6200

Kodoku- 2400

"And then from my hand I activate White Shadow Shot!" Another omnicard appeared on her field. "I play it as a monster!" (1000/1000) A glowing spark of light appeared on her field. "For every monster you have in play this monster gains 500 attack points." (1500/1000) "When this monster attacks it attacks all monsters you have in play at once! Fire!" A dart of light came from the card that pierced the chest of the male Wolf Demon and shattered him.

Eri- 6200

Kodoku- 2200

One of Kodoku's set cards flipped up. "I activate Tribal Sacrifice!" She removed two cards from her deck and discarded them before drawing two cards.

The demoness pointed at her monster. "When the battle phase ends White Shadow Shooter removes itself from the game until my next battle phase." A pair of cards was slid into her disk. "I set two cards face-down on my field and end my turn."

Kodoku drew and flipped the card up. "I activate Pot of Greed." Two more cards left her deck and she added them to her hand. "And now I play this card." A magic card appeared on her field. "It's called Peaceful Pasture. I may special summon any number of Goat Tokens (0/0) to your field in defense mode I wish. For every token summoned I gain 500 life points!"

Five round little goat creatures appeared on Eri's field.

Eri- 6200

Kodoku- 4700

"And now I summon Fang Slayer Assassin!" (1000/1000) A black-haired male Wolf Demon wrapped in black robes appeared on her field. "When this monster is summoned for every two Fang Slayers in my graveyard one monster in play can be destroyed!" Four of the Goat Tokens exploded. "Every time a monster is destroyed by this card you take 400 points of damage!"

Eri cried out in pain as four daggers found their way into her stomach. Though they left no real damage, it felt real enough not to matter.

Eri- 4600

Kodoku- 4700

Kodoku pointed at the last token. "Assassin, finish the last of them!" The Wolf Demon leapt across the field and slashed through the Goat Token with a knife.

Eri- 4200

Kodoku- 4700

"And with that I'll end my turn." The Wolf Demon smiled slightly at Eri. "Princess, I'm hoping that didn't hurt too much."

"Draw!" Eri ignored the jibe for screaming out loud. "I activate White Shadow Power as a monster!" A little girl wearing a pink and red dress appeared on the field, her most noticeable feature that she was wearing a pair of extremely heavy-looking spiked bracelets. (1200/1200) "I enter my battle phase!" White Shadow Shooter returned. (1500/1000) "Shooter, attack Assassin now!" The spark of light released a blast of energy that pierced the body of the Wolf Demon and destroyed him.

"Reverse card open!" Kodoku's set card flipped up. "My card is Ties of the Tribe special summons a same name Fang Slayer from my deck to the field!" Another Assassin appeared in play. (1000/1000) "I may destroy up to four monsters in play, and my only two choices will be your monsters!"

Eri screamed as a pair of daggers shot through her monsters and then pierced her stomach.

Eri- 3400

Kodoku- 4200

Kodoku sighed loudly. "The longer you draw this duel out the stronger this deck becomes, Princess."

"I know that!" Eri yelled angrily, slamming a card into her disk. "I activate the magic card Omnicard Return. One Omnicard on my field returns to my hand and I gain 1000 life points." A white glow came to life around her and one of her set cards appeared in her hand.

Eri- 4400

Kodoku- 4200

"And then I activate White Shadow Silent!" The card she returned appeared on Eri's field. "As a magic card this card lets me activate one normal magic card in your hand!"

Kodoku chuckled and flipped her hand over to show that she was holding two equipment magic cards. "Sorry Princess, that didn't work."

Eri growled something under her breath about lousy luck. "End turn."

Kodoku drew the top card off of her deck slowly. "Princess, at the beginning you were on fire. However the longer this duel is drawn the worse off you seem to be doing." A card appeared on her field. "I activate the equipment magic card Heart Chain. This card equips to Fang Slayer Assassin and changes his effect to the effect of one Fang Slayer monster in my graveyard. I choose Assault, meaning that he can now attack ten times per battle phase." She pointed at Eri. "Assassin, strike her down with ten strikes!"

"Reverse card open!" Right before the monster could reach Eri it was stopped by a vortex of energy. "I activate Negate Attack! During this turn your attack is negated and your battle phase ends."

Kodoku shrugged it off as unimportant. "The last big combo you got off was your combo that used the power of my Assault to let you draw five cards. Is that the extent of your power, Princess?" A card appeared face-down on her field. "I set one card face-down. End turn."

Eri closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I will earn your respect, and I will ignore your words in this duel." She looked down at her deck. "My White Shadows will defeat Solitude's black power, and I will defeat you." She snapped the top card off of her deck. "Let's continue!"

_To be continued…_


	83. Duel of Heritage Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 83: Duel of Heritage (Part 2)

"_HAHA!" Ichigo yelled. He pointed right at Kodoku, who was dressed in full scary mask garb. "I'll use my superior demonic strength to…" He didn't get to finish before her spiked chain slammed into his chest and straight through his heart._

Ichigo winced and shook the image from his head as he paced in the darkness. ("This is just great! If I had dueled her I would have to have faced both hers and Eri's full powers. So I just opt for being the guy to fight her physically instead…") His pacing stopped. "What was I thinking?" He screamed into the endless darkness.

Then he dropped into a cross-legged sitting position. "Relax Ichigo, just relax and visualize yourself beating her first. It is possible." His eyes closed and he focused

"_We are gathered here to mourn the passing of Ichigo Pilkington," Nikolai, dressed as a priest, said while reading out of a bible. "Or we would, but it's his own stupid fault. Amen." Closing the book the Russian Duelist looked out into the gathered mourners. "So who's for pizza?" A dozen hands shot up._

A low whimper came from Ichigo's throat and his eyes opened. "Okay that didn't work. Maybe, if I try visualizing some words of encouragement from my friends."

"_Pilkington…" Adriel said calmly, looking Ichigo right in the eyes. "You're going to die horribly. However, try and at least bleed bravely on her. I hear blood's really hard to get out of silk."_

"…." Ichigo sweat-dropped but kept his eyes closed. "Okay then, on to somebody not quite so cynical."

"_Hey Ichigo?" Chris asked, a plushie of Erian in her arms. "Can I have Erian when you die? I mean, he's going to need to be connected with someone else right?"_

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. ("Well I will be going into this fight as Starlight Savior. Heck, she's plenty strong.")

_Rysel rubbed the back of his head and smiled. "Ichigo, to you I say LOL. If as Starlight Savior you could barely keep up with my speed and strength and this woman's power overwhelmed my barrier then what makes you think that your guardian form won't be torn to shreds? Seriously my friend, ROFLMAO."_

"Damnnit Rysel," Ichigo's right eyebrow started twitching. "Okay! I get it; Starlight Savior will get torn apart too! So what am I supposed to do to beat her? That stinking chain of hers says that her speed is fast enough that she can smack down Halo, but apparently I'm Halo's source of power."

He stood up and started pacing again. "That's my advantage apparently. It's the sheer power I possess that I can use. What can I do though? I don't know any martial arts and the best I can do magically is hurl lumps of raw power at her. That won't work for very long."

His hands came over his ears and he left out a low growl of anger. "ARGH! Eri's counting on me, so I have to win somehow! I wish we could form Soul Savior and just blow her away with the Relay, but that won't work either since I have to fight her!"

_Eri just glared at him. "You said you could handle it…thanks for nothing, Ichan." She turned away._

Out of all of the things he imagined so far, that one hurt the most. ("Okay Ichigo, think hard now! Figure out how to fight her! Let's see, you know how to use a sword as Starlight Savior, but that data doesn't transfer over as yourself.") So using a sword wouldn't work.

("My magical skill is terrible, so that's out too.") The half demon was already out of options. Fighting someone with a weapon using fists and feet was dangerous on its own, but considering he had no actual martial training it meant he would die. "What am I going to do? If I can't beat her in a fight then Eri'll have to do it, and I don't want that."

And so he returned to pacing and trying desperately to think of something.

------------------------------------------

_Eri closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I will earn your respect, and I will ignore your words in this duel." She looked down at her deck. "My White Shadows will defeat Solitude's black power, and I will defeat you." She snapped the top card off of her deck. "Let's continue!"_

The demoness snapped up her drawn card. "It worked for you, so let's see what my Pot of Greed has for me!" She drew two cards from her deck and her eyes widened. ("This feeling is what I've felt only once before. It's the feeling of my deck's pulse…of my soul's pulse.")

"Here it goes! I activate White Shadow Sword as a monster!" A floating sword appeared on her field. (1400/0) "Key to the Shadows activates now, equipping White Shadow Sword with itself! Any monster equipped with Sword gains half the attack of a monster it battles with! Go!" The floating sword shot across the field and pierced the chest of the Assassin, shattering him. (1900/0)

Eri- 3900

Kodoku- 3300

The demoness snapped her hand up. "When my monster destroys one of your monsters as a result of battle, you lose 400 life points!"

Eri- 3900

Kodoku- 2900

The Wolf Demon pointed at her set card. "I open my last Tribal Sacrifice!" She emptied two monsters out of her deck and then drew two more cards.

Eri snarled and inserted a card into her disk. "I place one card face-down. End turn."

"It's my turn, Princess." Kodoku drew and placed the card onto her disk. "I summon Fang Slayer Lord in attack mode." (2000/1500) A magnificent Wolf Demon dressed in a cloak and chains resembling her garments appeared in play. "For every Fang Slayer in my graveyard this monster gains 200 attack and defense points." (4200/3700)

"4200?" Eri stared at the new monster in understanding. ("She's right…the longer this duel draws out the stronger her monsters and strategy will become until even the strongest duelist will not be able to beat her!")

"Fang Slayer Lord, attack White Shadow Sword now!" Kodoku watched the warrior leap into the air and hurl his spiked chain towards the moving weapon.

"Reverse card open!" Eri's set card flipped up. "I activate White Shadow Incarnate as a trap! Your monster is stopped and loses 800…"

"Naïve," The Wolf Demon muttered as she slid a card into her disk. "I activate the quickplay magic card Tail Chain Technique; Shake the Bonds. All of your cards that would equip or target a Fang Slayer during this turn are negated and destroyed." The omnicard shattered and her monster's attack shattered the sword easily. (3500/0) "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Eri- 3200

Kodoku- 2900

Eri drew swiftly. "This isn't done yet! I summon White Shadow Illusion in defense mode." A being made of a kaleidoscopic light appeared on her field in a crouching position. (1000/1000) "This monster cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Kodoku pulled the top card off of her deck and sighed loudly. "I suggest you finish this quickly, dear Princess. For now I'll end my turn, but keep in mind that one monster such as that one will not win you the duel."

"Yeah, yeah," Eri muttered as she drew. "Unfortunately though, I have to end my turn."

Kodoku drew. "I summon Fang Slayer Assassin!" Another of the black-robed Wolf Demons appeared on her field. (1000/1000) "Obviously I'll be clearing Illusion away now!" The being of light shattered. "And now it ends."

"Reverse card open." Eri's set card flipped up. "White Shadow Shield's trap effect makes all damage during this turn zero!" A barrier of light formed around her. "Sorry, I will not fall this turn."

"That's fine; your time is almost up." Kodoku crossed her arms and smiled at the girl. "Princess, you are on the verge of failing because you made the mistake of letting this fight drag on too long. Are you maybe buying time for the kitty? It won't help."

"What I am doing is of no concern to you." Eri drew. "Ichigo will defeat you, and he does not need time. I have complete trust in his abilities."

--------------------------

"We are doomed!" Ichigo screamed at the top of his lungs, just to get it out of his system. "Ahhhhh, now I feel better! Okay, let's see what's left amongst my options. I could run at her like a madman and hope it confuses her enough to buy me the time to win."

Moments later he was on his knees crying streams of anime tears. "It's official, I'm out of ideas. Eri's going to lose because I'm a freaking wimp!"

His lack of fighting talent was beyond dismal because of lack of experience. In school nobody was crazy enough to pick a fight with the kid who had fangs and wolf ears, and he had grown up in a peaceful neighborhood. Besides knowing how to punch and a small knowledge of martial arts thanks to anime, Ichigo was a huge loser when it came to combat. "Doom, doom, doom."

Not too far away, a shadowy flowing form let out a loud sigh as it watched the boy give up. And then it approached. It had to work fast.

--------------------------

Eri held up the card she had drawn last turn. "I activate White Shadow Void as a magic card. All cards in play are destroyed." A powerful explosion of black energy washed over the field and obliterated everything. "And then I play White Shadow Dream as a magic card, drawing two cards."

Kodoku rolled her eyes. ("I wonder how long she intends to dance around like this.")

"I activate White Shadow Song as a monster!" A purple-dressed female humanoid appeared on her field and started to sing beautifully. (800/800) "Direct attack!" A wave of rippling sound fell over the Wolf Demon.

Eri- 3200

Kodoku- 2100

Eri pointed at Kodoku's graveyard. "When Song deals you life point damage in battle I can remove one magic card from your graveyard and copy its effect. My choice is Pot of Greed." She drew two cards from her deck and added them to the one in her hand. "From my hand I activate the magic card The Destined Draw. I now declare one card type. If during my next draw phase I draw a card of that type I gain 1000 life points and draw two more cards. If I am incorrect I lose 1000 life points and discard the drawn card. I call omnicard." A card appeared face-down on her field. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Kodoku drew. "I activate the magic card Call of Fenrir."

"Fenrir?" Eri blinked as the appearing card had a picture of a giant black wolf howling at the full moon.

"That's right, the patron of our clan." Kodoku noticed that Eri was looking at her like she was crazy. "Yes, I know we're a Japanese clan. Fenrir has been our patron for longer than humans started taking some of our gods under their own pantheons though."

"Anyway, the effect of Call of Fenrir activates if I have no monsters in play." A loud tunnel of howling sound came from the card and slammed into White Shadow Voice, shattering her. "One monster on your field is destroyed and one Fang Slayer from my graveyard revives!" Her Fang Slayer Lord reappeared. (4400/3900) "Direct attack!"

"Reverse card open!" Eri's set card flipped up and a barrier of white light appeared to block the attack. "White Guard lets me draw the top card of my deck. If that card is an omnicard all battle damage to my field during this turn is zero and the card enters my hand. Otherwise the card is discarded and the trap burns." She held up the drawn card. "White Shadow Return is an omnicard, meaning that I survive."

"From my hand," Kodoku slid a card into her disk. "I activate the equipment magic card Fur Guard Technique; Cocoon of Life." Her Lord kneeled, his cloak embracing him fully. "The equipped monster must be a Fang Slayer. It switches to defense mode and adds its attack to its defense." (4400/8300) Next to her Lord a female Wolf Demon covered with black marking all over her body appeared in play. "I summon Fang Slayer Shaman in defense mode." (300/0) "While this monster is face-up on the field your magic cards don't affect Fang Slayer monsters. Also, for every Fang Slayer in the graveyard my Shaman gains 400 defense points." (300/4800) "End turn."

Eri looked down at her deck. ("I've got to end this now, but Ichigo…") Suddenly she was having doubts about how ready he was for this.

----------------------------

Ichigo wished there was a floor he could bang his head against, but since there wasn't he just muttered 'doomed' over and over again as he wracked his thoughts for some kind of method that wouldn't result in his bloody death. ("How will I fight her? The best plan I've got is to try and use my explosive attack as Starlight Savior, but that's not going to cut it.")

"**It's true,"** A voice that instantly reminded its listener of a heavy tarp blowing in the wind said, the sound traveling much the same way it sounded. **"The Infinity Mind might be useful, but it is holding you back. You will never be able to achieve anything as long as you hold onto the silly concept of being a hero."**

Ichigo didn't even bother to turn and look at the intruder. "I don't have time to deal with whatever crazy destiny stuff you're selling right now. I'm sure you've come to ask me to 'save the universe' or something but right now I've got enough on my plate as it is."

"**I suppose I cannot be too mysterious, considering who you are."** The living shadow flowed around him slowly. **"However I do not come with a deal, but an offer."**

"Those would be the same things," the half demon muttered, still looking downwards and into the endless void of darkness.

"**Incorrect. A deal is an exchange of a favor for a favor, while an offer is merely a gift with a potential danger to it. Would you like this gift?"**

"I'll pass."

"**Even if it is your only chance to defeat Kodoku?"**

"…I hate mysterious voices…"

---------------------------------

Kodoku yawned and tapped her foot against the void beneath her. "What's the matter, Princess? Having second thoughts? You've just been standing there for thirty seconds without doing anything."

Eri closed her eyes. ("Ichigo, I'm sorry. I can't hold this back anymore.") She drew. "The Destined Draw…" The card was held up in front of her face. "…is complete!" She flipped it over to show that it was an omnicard before drawing two more cards. "Here we go Kodoku-san!"

Eri- 4200

Kodoku- 2100

After looking at the five cards in her hand, the demoness nodded at one of them. "I activate White Shadow Libra as a magic card! With this card's effect I can now summon a level five or six monster in my hand without tribute!" Another card left her hand and was thrown onto her disk. "Burn with the power of flames, White Shadow Inferno! My choice for it is monster, and therefore…" A winged humanoid made of flames appeared on her field. "…I summon White Shadow Fire Elemental!" (2400/1200) "Battle! Attack the Shaman!"

Kodoku blinked in surprise as the flaming creature crashed into her monster was repelled in a violent blast of fire. "Are you crazy? The difference in attack and defense between them is double."

Eri- 1800

Kodoku- 2100

Eri sneered and motioned to the Fang Slayer Lord. "Take a look at your monster."

Kodoku's eyes widened in horror as she watched her monster quickly get burned away by the violent clash of flames. "This is…" (300/5200)

"This is the power of Fire Elemental. When he attacks I may destroy one face-up monster in play." Eri grasped a card from her hand. "My turn isn't done yet though, because now it's time to show you the power of the White Shadows in full! From my hand I activate one of the most powerful White Shadows of them all!"

"Hm?" The Wolf Demon narrowed her eyes. "What are planning?"

"You mentioned a lack of time." Eri snickered as a red aura came to life around her. "I've got plenty of that now. At the cost of one card from my hand and 1000 life points I activate the magic card effect of White Shadow Time! After this turn…"

Eri- 800

Kodoku- 2100

She slid a card from her hand into her graveyard. "I get an extra turn. End turn!" She drew again. "From my hand I activate White Shadow Return, bringing back one omnicard from the graveyard!" A card slid out of her graveyard slot and she added it to her hand. "Here it goes! From my hand I activate White Shadow Hope as a magic card!" A white light exploded awake around her. "For every omnicard in my graveyard my life increases by 200 points."

Eri- 5000

Kodoku- 2100

Kodoku smirked. "All back to full strength again?"

"Fire Elemental, attack Shaman now!" The flaming White Shadow slammed into the guarding Fang Slayer and was repelled, but it burned the monster away in the process.

Eri- 2200

Kodoku- 2100

Kodoku braced herself against the backlash and frowned. "Excellent, Princess. However you have failed to defeat me yet and you'll find that when left with nothing I'm very resourceful."

"Perhaps so, Kodoku-san," Eri held up the card she had recovered with White Shadow Return. "White Shadow Dash is my final card. As a quickplay magic card it allows one monster on my field to attack again with 800 additional attack points." (3200/1200) "Fire Elemental, strike the final blow! Show Solitude the power of the White Shadows, and show Kodoku the power of Erika Amero! Inferno Wing!"

The Wolf Demon closed her eyes and smiled proudly as she was swallowed up in a raging torrent of fire. ("The girl's skilled, that much is certain.")

Eri- 2200

Kodoku- 0

As the field slowly faded away, Eri lowered her duel disk and smiled. She felt free…she felt fulfilled. This was the end of it all. The darkness, Solitude, had been conquered by her heart's deck and her dedication to staying herself. "I am Erika Amero. That is my name, and it will always be my name. I will not lose myself to the darkness anymore, for I am beyond its touch within the white light of my soul."

"Don't get too confident about your victory, it's not over yet." Kodoku willed her duel disk away and stretched. "That would be one down, but now for the other challenge. You may have conquered Solitude, but I am still here and still ready to fight using my personal method of choice. So, will you fight me or will you have a representative fight for you instead?"

"We said that Ichigo would fight you, and that's exactly what he will do." Eri willed her own duel disk away. "Give him a minute to realize…"

"That won't be necessary Eri." A pair of arms wrapped around the demoness' waist gently. "By the way," the half demon whispered into her ear. "I'm proud of you." His right hand grasped hers for a few moments before he walked past her, dumping his Osiris Red jacket at her feet and walking towards Kodoku.

Kodoku flicked her eyes down Ichigo's bare arms and then down the black undershirt he was wearing. "Hmmm, at least you look athletic."

The half demon smiled gently. "Thanks I guess. I suppose we should get right to it, huh? Besides, it's been the longest day ever and I'd like to finish it up here." He did a few warm-up stretches to get his blood flowing through his limbs.

The Wolf Demon smiled at how casual he was acting. "I'd be glad to, just go on ahead and transform into Starlight Savior."

"Hmm?" Ichigo glanced back at Eri. "She's got the Infinity Mind, not me."

"Huh?" The demoness opened her right hand and her eyes bugged out at the dark blue crystal pendant that sat there. "Ichan…you're going to fight her without using The Infinity Mind?"

"Yup." The half demon unfurled his tail and flicked it back and forth a couple of times to get the kinks out of it. "It would just get in the way anyhow. Besides, this isn't a fight that can be determined with the help of outside forces."

Kodoku let out a chuckle at that. "Oh really? Alright then, it's your funeral I guess." Her cloak billowed out behind her and the links of chain around her tightened just a little. "Before we begin do you have any last words, kitty?"

"Meow," Ichigo dead-panned in reply. He didn't find the whole kitty name very appealing when said by the creepy chain lady.

_To be continued…_


	84. Black Inferno Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 84: Black Inferno (Part 1)

"_Huh?" The demoness opened her right hand and her eyes bugged out at the dark blue crystal pendant that sat there. "Ichan…you're going to fight her without using The Infinity Mind?"_

"_Yup." The half demon unfurled his tail and flicked it back and forth a couple of times to get the kinks out of it. "It would just get in the way anyhow. Besides, this isn't a fight that can be determined with the help of outside forces."_

_Kodoku let out a chuckle at that. "Oh really? Alright then, it's your funeral I guess." Her cloak billowed out behind her and the links of chain around her tightened just a little. "Before we begin do you have any last words, kitty?"_

"_Meow," Ichigo dead-panned in reply. He didn't find the whole kitty name very appealing when said by the creepy chain lady._

Kodoku's right wrist flicked once and the spiked end of her chain came into view, shooting upwards about five feet before it stopped because of the length of chain she was keeping it on. Another flick of her wrist and the five foot length of chain coming from her hand turned into a spinning whirl of black as she twirled the black chain rapidly. "So, the real question here is how long it'll take until I score a fatal hit."

Ichigo looked straight her, his eyes not deviating from her body. "I can already tell the fact you're twirling your chain like that is to draw my attention…" His eyes widened as he heard something metal rustling right behind his ear. "What?" Spinning around, he swiped full force with his nails expecting to hit something solid. Instead the powerful blow struck air, and sent him spinning around to face her just in time to get struck in stomach by part of the Wolf Demon's chain.

Kodoku sighed in disappointment while Ichigo collapsed to his knees coughing roughly to get air into his lungs. "Come on kid; give me more credit than that. I don't believe that you'll fall for something as simple as a moving object. However," She motioned to the second spiked chain that was hanging in the air next to her, its end attached to thin air. "Do you think the warriors of _Kusarimai_ got by with just one tail and one fang? Of course not."

"Dimensional…weaponry?" Ichigo let out another wheezing cough and pounded his chest furiously with a fist.

"That's correct," Kodoku stopped twirling her first chain, letting it fall limply at her feet. "The weapons of the _Kusarimai_ are dimensional in nature, allowing us to attack from any direction we wish. There is a certain limitation to just how far or close our weapons can appear to our target, but considering how quickly you fell for something as simple as the rattling of a second chain I don't think it's worth going into the details just for your sake."

Sucking in a couple deep gulps of air, Ichigo finally recovered and stood up. "Yeah, thanks for the tip. I'll keep that in mind." Then he ran full-speed at her, head down and arms out.

"Ooookay," She casually side-stepped his full-body tackle, watching him go into a shoulder-roll and come up facing her again. "You do understand I'm an assassin, don't you? The whole 'keep your head down and charge' attack method can also be called suicide when used against me."

"Yeah," Ichigo relaxed and stood up straight again, sighing. "I just can't think of a way to fight you with just bare hands and feet. At least not any way that would allow me to avoid taking damage."

"What do you mean?" Kodoku cracked the chain she was holding a couple of times. "Are you afraid of being injured in this fight? Trust me; it will be impossible for you to emerge from this unscathed."

Ichigo placed a finger on his chin and looked upwards, sighing. "Yeah I know that. It's just that he told me there's a pretty high risk I'll badly injure myself using the thing he told me about."

She glared at him quizzically. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh!" Ichigo realized he was talking out loud and held up his hands like he was trying to somehow physically ward off the questions. "Don't worry about it!"

"You're trying to keep secrets from me?" She leapt straight at him, the single chain trailing behind her. "Quit treating this like it's some kind of game; I'm serious about killing you!"

Ichigo pouted at her. "If you were serious I'd be dead already. You intend to give up if I can last another few minutes, don't you? I can tell by the way you're acting. If you're really an assassin then you wouldn't be talking so much unless you were either a terrible assassin or super confident." Then he ducked under her as she shot past him.

"It would be the latter concerning you, idiot." She tugged once with her trailing chain and it wrapped around Ichigo's neck roughly, dragging him along for the ride and crushing his throat in the same move. "I did intend to hold back a little bit, but…" Her words turned to a yell of surprise as she was yanked backwards hard enough to stop her forward momentum.

"As I thought," Ichigo said, his legs bracing themselves and stomping on the length of chain to give him enough slack to breathe. "I can't accept that. As Eri's elected champion I have to obey her will, and she wanted you to be utterly defeated. That means I want to see your full power."

Kodoku shook her arm once and the chain released the boy, returning to her. "You want me to take you completely serious? Boy, I don't want to make the Princess cry by killing you."

"You won't make her cry, because I'll be the one to win." Ichigo sighed in exasperation at the doubt on her face. "It looks like I have to prove it, huh?"

"I'd prefer to have a reason to actually fight you seriously, so how about you show me what you're so confident about?" She started twirling her chain again. "Here I come, Ichigo. If you want me to actually treat you like a serious threat then start acting like a serious threat."

The half demon closed his eyes. ("I guess I've got no choice. I wanted to avoid using it until she was taking me a little more seriously, but if I've got to.") The darkness around him pulsed. Reaching forward, he felt burning pain erupt along the length of his right arm. ("If he's right, it should be within reach.")

"Ichigo!" Eri yelled. "Eyes forward!"

"Too late!" Kodoku brought the spiked end of the chain down towards Ichigo's head…and blinked in surprise as the half demon pulled a red-bladed katana out of thin air and deflected the weapon. "What the…" She cracked the chain like a whip and it became as rigid as a pole of metal, stopping her forward movement instantly so she didn't fly right onto the sword.

Ichigo opened his eyes and sucked in a deep breath of air though gritted teeth, wisps of black smoke coming from his right arm up to his elbow. ("That hurt a lot, but I'll live.") Holding the blade up in front of his face, his eyes widened in utter amazement at the red-hot weapon's beauty. "Wow, he was right, it is amazing."

The hilt of the weapon was wrapped in black leather, entirely black including the metal and crosspiece. As for the actual sword, it was cooling down rapidly to a beautiful silver sheen. Swinging the weapon a couple of times to test it weight, Ichigo smiled slightly at the Wolf Demon. "You seem a bit nervous all of a sudden. How come?"

Kodoku growled under her breath and her single chain began rattling its links. "It's because that technique, how you made that sword appear out of thin air…" She let out an angry snarl. "That's impossible! There's no way you should be able to do that!"

Ichigo shrugged innocently. "Well I obviously just did so your statement is kind of false." He looked at his reflection in the katana's silvery blade. "Wow, this thing really is like a mirror. The mystery guy was correct about it."

"Who is this mystery guy?" Kodoku looked very angry about something.

"I dunno, that's why he's mystery guy." Ichigo rested the flat of the sword on his shoulder. "He did tell me a few interesting things I didn't know about though, like how to pull this sword thing out of another dimension."

"What else did he tell you about?" She snarled with her fangs bared.

The half demon noticed how upset she was. "Wow, he told me you'd be upset about this too. Plus he told me not to tell you what I knew or what he told me." Sticking his tongue out at her, Ichigo grinned childishly. "Sorry."

"Fine, I'll beat the truth out of you!" The Wolf Demon closed her eyes and a circle of darkness exploded to life around her. "_Kaisetsu Houkou!_" She yelled out, the darkness wrapping around her like a cloak.

Ichigo frowned. ("I guess I've got no choice. Summoning the sword was the easy part. Now for the hard part.") He moved swiftly, stabbing the blade of the sword into the darkness at his feet. His eyes closed and he mentally reached into the place he had retrieved the sword from.

Eri nearly screamed as Ichigo suddenly burst into flames. "Ichan!" When no response came from the half demon she got ready to run over and throw his jacket over him to put the flames out.

"**Do not disturb him."** A voice from behind her said sharply.

She turned and immediately froze at the appearance of the speaker. It was like a moving black tarp. "And what exactly are you?"

"**My name is unimportant, but what is important is that you do not disturb Ichigo while he is tapping into that dimension's power. If he loses his concentration to the pain then it will eat him alive."** The spirit floated a little past her.

Ichigo threw back his head and let out a loud scream of pain, eyes still squeezed closed while the orange flames engulfed him from head to toe.

Eri twitched a couple of times in response to the scream, but she didn't move yet. "You're the one who taught him how to do whatever he is doing right now, aren't you?"

"**That is correct,"** the spirit whispered out. **"I am the one who made him aware of the Dimension of Inferno and opened the gate enough for him to establish a link to it."**

Leaning on the hilt of the katana, Ichigo dropped to his knees and continued to scream as the flames kept swallowing him up. ("It burns, just like he said it would. It feels like I'm going to be consumed by the flames. However, I can't let that happen.") An image of Kodoku flashed in his mind's eye. ("I must defeat you first.")

Eri's right hand started to tremble and she had to use all of her willpower not to run over and help Ichigo. "He's dying…can't you hear it? The flames are killing him." She whispered this out, barely able to control herself now. This wasn't what she wanted. If Ichigo had to hurt himself like this then it wasn't worth it.

"**Bear it, as he is doing. The place he has accessed is the dimension of the ancient gods of fire. Its other name is the Forge of Soul."** He let out a low whisper of air, like the exhaling of one's breath. **"If Ichigo can survive the fires then he will have achieved the level of strength needed to match Kodoku's expert skills."**

"What…" Eri squeezed her eyes shut so she didn't have to watch her boyfriend going up in flames like a pile of wood. "What is this? Who are you? Why are you helping Ichigo?"

"**It,"** The spirit whispered out, **"Is the ancient art of the God's Warrior Trial. To simplify the concept, I will simply explain two things. The katana that formed is the user's soul forged in the flames of that dimension. Alone it is merely as strong as the actual soul of the user and therefore does not tend to be very powerful. It can also assume any shape, though I am not surprised that it took the shape of a katana in Ichigo's case. Bladed weapons tend to be the most common forms, but the silver sheen of the blade makes me wonder about a few things."**

It noticed that she was covering her ears, trying to drown out the endless number of screams that were ripped from Ichigo's throat. **"That alone is not difficult; nearly all humans can form such a weapon. To do so they must reach into the Dimension of Inferno and leave their prescense there long enough for the weapon to materialize. Ichigo did this before, hence why the blade you saw him create was still hot from its forging."**

"**Now the real trial begins though. Unlike before, where Ichigo simply had to reach into the dimension and withdraw an object that would easily be within reach, he must now plunge himself bodily in the power of the Dimension of Inferno. This creates something similar to a…beacon, the purpose of it being the power to let the gods know that he seeks one of them."**

"Seeks one of the gods?" The demoness turned to look at him, hands still over her ears. "Why would he seek one of the gods?"

"**Ichigo wishes to fight for you, but he alone possesses zero skill in combat. Therefore he must find a way to utilize his power. To do this I have allowed him the chance to plunge himself into the essence of fire and signal the gods that he wishes to become a warrior for one of them. Most do not respond to the signal, though some do because they either seek a soul to bring into their fold or because they are a god who is constantly at war."**

The spirit breathed out. **"The one who plunges themselves into the Dimension of Inferno is allowed to make their pleas, trying to gain the attention of one of the gods who have come to observe them as they immolate themselves to show they want this power. However…Ichigo is doing something I have never seen done before amongst the seekers."**

"And…" Eri whimpered as Ichigo screamed even louder. "…what's that?"

"**He is being silent. Most would at least beg and grovel to show that they understand what they are asking for, but instead he seems to be waiting for something. This is odd behavior. I know that some of the candidates who did survive made their pleas and searched for the offer from a specific god of a certain kind, such as a god of good or a god of evil. In his case it seems his plea is his own existence. That is all he wishes to put forth. It is the equivalent of stepping in front of a large of many potential employers and saying 'My name is Ichigo Pilkington' and offering no more than that."**

"Does he know he's supposed to be saying something?" The demoness felt the flames coming from Ichigo's body warm her face. "He can't keep the flames from consuming him for much longer…Ichigo, give it up or at least say something! The gods won't pay you any mind if you just stand there like an idiot and don't say anything!"

"**That is the strange thing,"** the spirit spoke out. **"He has been given over a dozen offers already, most from gods who know of his connection as the Dark Halo. And yet he brushes them aside as soon as he learns the god's identity. It is unbelievable that he is purposely remaining in the dimension and waiting for a specific god."**

"He must be waiting for Luna to come to him…"

"**Luna? The Goddess of the Moon? That is highly unlikely, as she does not have any need of one to fight for her. No, he is heading farther into the dimension, in search of the gods who are not immediately interested in his plea. I cannot comprehend why though."**

"Ichigo…" Eri could barely see the half demon within the roiling orange inferno that had swallowed him up. "Please don't die…please don't kill yourself for my sake."

-----------------------

_Ichigo knew that physically his body was on the verge of death. ("I can't back out now. If what the mystery man said is right then I have to get a god to pick me.") He had immediately turned down the other offers because he had one such god in mind already. "I know you can hear me! Come out and face me, Fenrir!"_

_A low growl shook the flaming void he was trapped in, and the other godly offers, motes of different colored light, flew away in fear as they realized that apparently the prospective candidate was out of his mind. No one called upon Fenrir, the Destroyer of Gods, willingly._

_Ichigo didn't flinch in the slightest as a pair of blood red eyes appeared in the flames. "There you are. Alright then, let's get down to business."_

"_**Are you an idiot?"** The voice of the god wolf was one of flames and death personified. **"What would possess you to make you wish to be my champion? Do you not understand who I am, boy? I would more likely to eat you then to give you access to any skills or powers."**_

"_You could, but I have a feeling like you won't." The half demon smiled smugly, like there was a joke only he knew about._

_The red eyes narrowed slowly and a set of impossibly large jaws could be seen contrasted against the flames. **"You would dare to talk smart to me? Do you think because Rikuo Amero holds me within his soul that I won't crunch down on you? I am not to be mocked or trifled with! Now why did would you be dumb enough to seek me out amongst all of the other possible choices that were practically given to you on a silver platter? The only reason I'm here is because I want to chew your soul up when it is completely cooked by the flames of this dimension."**_

_Ichigo smiled happily. "Well if I'm the champion selected by the Princess of the tribe that has you as a patron, wouldn't it be kind of silly not to select you?"_

"**_Boy, this is not something you can ignore once you've gained it. If you dare to make the electing of a champion as something that is trivial and pointless…"_**

_Ichigo shook his head eagerly. "Nope, I'm not looking down on this process at all. It's just that you're the strongest god I could think of, plus like I said earlier it makes sense that if I'm fighting for Eri I should select the god her tribe worships, right?"_

_Fenrir let out another low growl. **"You've got the biggest pair of balls in existence, you know that? Nobody else would just waltz up to me and say stuff like this without expecting to be instantly consumed."**_

_Ichigo grinned and waited patiently for the god's decision._

"_**Damn it,"** Fenrir let out a low growl of anger. **"I hate you, but the more I think about the more I realize that I'd have to be crazy to ignore this possibility. Fine, you win."**_

---------------------------------------

Eri's eyes widened as the flames around Ichigo's body suddenly darkened, turning pitch black. "What? What's going on?"

"**This boy is beyond foolish, and yet he is also unbelievably lucky."** The spirit wheezed out. **"The champion has been chosen. Ichigo Pilkington will inherent the skills of a champion of Fenrir, the Destroyer of Gods."** It started to fade away on the winds. **"My job is done, so I will leave you now. Good luck."**

The orb created by Kodoku faded, leaving the half-masked Wolf Demon to look at the burning half demon. **_"So I was right about what you were doing. Psh, you chose our god? Do you think it will give you immunity to me? I'm more than within the right to kill you now, and Fenrir will not care. If you cannot stand using the powers he has granted you, then he will discard you."_**

Eri stared wide-eyed at the now standing ball of black fire that was Ichigo. "Ichigo…you chose to seek out Fenrir? Why would you do that?"

The half demon let out a loud scream and the fire suddenly disappeared, leaving him as if he had never been touched by the fires. All around him was a small storm of black embers, the shadows of the Darkness Realm covering him partially. "It's for Eri's sake, no other. Kodoku, I will do as Eri wished me to do. I will crush you beneath my heel. I am _Fenrir no Kenkaku_." (Swordsman of Fenrir)

"**_You are a fool,"_** Kodoku leapt towards him rapidly, her body moving with incredible speed that nearly made it seem as if she had become a shadow. **_"Fenrir's choosing you means nothing if you don't live long enough to learn the things he can offer you!"_**

Ichigo pulled his katana out of the ground and smiled slightly. "Yeah, you're absolutely right. I won't last very long if you go full force against me like this."

"Ichigo…" Eri was about to yell.

"Yeah, I know." The half demon kept smiling at the approaching Wolf Demon. "Sorry, but I know that there are about twenty different chains coming at me. I can't beat them all with speed since I don't even know how to swing this thing very accurately." He spun the sword above his head rapidly, and then stabbed it into the ground. "Black Inferno's Roar!" An explosion of black fire shot in all directions around him, instantly evaporating all of the attacking chains.

Kodoku gasped and made her held chain rigid to stop herself from behind hurled into the sphere of black fire that surrounded the boy. ("That attack…it is the attack of Fenrir.")

"Like I said," Ichigo pulled his silver-bladed katana out of the void. "I will crush you beneath my heel." The point of the weapon was aimed at her chest. "For all of your power, I will match it with my own using the techniques Fenrir has given me access to. This I swear."

_To be continued…_


	85. Black Inferno Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 85: Black Inferno (Part 2)

_Kodoku gasped and made her held chain rigid to stop herself from behind hurled into the sphere of black fire that surrounded the boy. ("That attack…it is the attack of Fenrir.")_

"_Like I said," Ichigo pulled his silver-bladed katana out of the void. "I will crush you beneath my heel." The point of the weapon was aimed at her chest. "For all of your power, I will match it with my own using the techniques Fenrir has given me access to. This I swear."_

Kodoku snarled angrily and took another couple of steps back. **_"How could you have possibly used Black Inferno's Roar just after you'd become Fenrir's Warrior? You said it yourself, that you have no training in combat."_**

"That I did." Ichigo smiled confidently at her. Technically he shouldn't have been able to have used such an attack so early and with so little training, but what he lacked in skills he made up for in the energy he placed in the attack. While he had declared it was Black Inferno's Roar, it was more like a sphere of black fire that he forced out using raw energy from his body. ("This is my advantage. I can use my full power in a way that at least is a little bit efficient against you.")

"**_I'm not sure whether I should be impressed or pissed off."_** After a few moments the Wolf Demon smirked. **_"How about I just turn up the heat then? Since apparently I can't keep up with you like you are."_** The black circle appeared around her feet and then embraced her bodily. **_"Hakunetsu Houkou!"_**

Ichigo frowned and glanced back at Eri. "Hey Eri, would you mind heading about maybe forty steps away from us? I don't want to accidentally hurt you."

The demoness nodded and paced away, counting each step in her head. She wanted to watch this as closely as possible and therefore planned on taking those instructions very literally.

Ichigo brought his attention back to the white-rune covered orb of darkness, his katana resting on his shoulder. ("Well Ichigo, you've got the power you need. Now the real question is whether or not you can beat her.") There were far more techniques beyond Black Inferno's Roar, but to use them he had to use a technique he wasn't sure he could handle.

The orb throbbed a few times and then dropped, revealing the fully masked Kodoku. **_"Ah,"_** She said in relief, stretching her arms to the sky. **_"That's much better. I feel that my strength has returned to a much more memorable level. And now it's just a matter of you versus me, amateur versus pro."_** The face of her mask clicked slightly as she smirked and looked him over with those black and gold eyes. **_"You won't stand a chance."_**

Ichigo sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, are you going to spend the next couple of minutes praising yourself? If so, then I'll just spend a minute or two taking a breather."

"**_Che, your ego is pretty bad too, kid."_** She cracked her chain a couple of times against the void. **_"Here I go. I'll show you one of my favorite techniques of Kusarimai. It's called Web of the Black Widow."_** Her right hand closed slowly. **_"Observe."_**

Ichigo's ears perked as he realized that there were suddenly black chains extending everywhere around him, a literal network of dozens upon dozens of interweaving chains that created a web he wasn't going to be able to escape from easily. ("Hmmm, that's just great. Apparently I'm trapped.")

He knew what she wanted him to do. ("If I perform Black Inferno's Roar again then I'll be leaving myself open right at the point it ends and I pull the sword out of the ground.")

His mind started to go over potential plans. His best two options were pretty good though. ("And I know which one has the least risk.") He let his sword dip to its side next to him and his eyes closed as he tuned his senses into the air around him.

"**_What's the matter? Are you preparing to defend yourself?"_** She snickered loudly and the sound of her chains rattling could be heard across the echo of the void. **_"Suffer my strike, and be forced to use your inferno!"_** At least a hundred spiked ends flew in from dozens of different directions towards Ichigo, who was at the exact center of the web.

Ichigo sighed and pulled forth his energy, the edge of his katana glowing with black flame. "Black Inferno's Roar!"

She got ready to leap in as soon as the flame sphere formed…and therefore was completely taken by surprise as a wave of black fire fell over her. It had also completely melted a massive portion of the web, ending the forward momentum of the spiked chains as they collapsed amongst each other.

Ichigo brought his sword back to his shoulder, trying to conceal the single drop of sweat on his forehead. ("This is starting to wear on me, but from the looks of it I'm pushing her towards her limit.") "Come on Kodoku, you don't want me to beat you with your own god's techniques do you?"

The black flames cleared to reveal a very disheveled and smoking Kodoku breathing heavily. **_("That bastard, I should have seen that coming. Now I can't do anything but take him seriously.")_** Her mask rattled slightly. **_"You caught me off guard with that one. It looks like you get to be taken seriously now."_** She threw back her head and roared loudly. Off in the distance she got a response, a constant series of clangs like thousands of hammers pounding on huge amounts of steel. **_"Let me show you the Storm of Snakes."_**

"Storm of Snakes?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes, and moved with blinding speed to slash a trio of chains that appeared around him out of the air with three swift slashes. "I seriously hope that wasn't the 'storm'."

"**_Psh, take a look around you before you start saying that one of my ultimate techniques is sad."_** She sneered and motioned around her, to show off the fact that all around them both the shadows were writhing..

Ichigo's eyes widened in confusion. ("The darkness is moving?") Then he realized why it looked like the very shadows were moving on their own. "No way…" There were millions of chains, literally overlapping each other in the darkness as they swarmed a few feet out of his reach. Each one moved just like a snake would, slithering against each other loudly and preparing to strike all at once.

"**_Storm of Snakes creates as many chains as can be created by the darkness around us. In other words…in this place I have infinite attackers. Ichigo Pilkington, this is the place you die."_** She smirked at him through a single gap in the living darkness. **_"Any last words?"_** When he said nothing, she chuckled. **_"A pity."_** And then the storm closed around his position.

Ichigo stabbed his sword into the ground and unleashed Black Inferno's Roar right before he was attacked by the whole of them. He did so again and again, but even with that black fire roaring full blaze he could feel some of the chains managing to get through as his energy faltered.

Kodoku closed her eyes, her growling mask reflecting the perverse pleasure she was getting out of hearing and feeling her infinite children tear the boy apart limb by limb. **_"That's enough for now."_** She lowered her hand and the chains withdrew enough to show off the results of her work.

Ichigo was a literal bloody mess, more parts of him crimson than skin-colored. Low groans of pain came from his throat as blood came off of his utterly ravaged body in huge small waterfalls. And yet he was still standing.

"**_Oh, poor boy."_** She started laughing, while she heard Eri's gasp of fear. **_"Yeah, you look practically raw now, kid. I guess this is the end, huh?"_**

Ichigo's mouth opened and he started pant. For a few moments it seemed he was going to fall, but right before he could drop his legs straightened. "…"

"**_Does it hurt, little boy?"_** She let out a low snarl as her chains settled back. This was the end. **_"With your body as it is now, there is no way you can possible expect to fight. Give up and maybe I'll be nice enough to let you live."_**

"Psh," Ichigo slowly lifted up his head and sneered at her, which was rather disturbing since a part of his face had been torn away. "I was just on fire in flames meant to consume gods. This…" He stretched a couple of times, seemingly immune to the pain caused by wounds that should have put his muscles in shock. "…just means I've got no choice now."

"**_No choice?"_** She narrowed her golden eyes at him. **_"What are you thinking?"_**

"Thinking?" Ichigo chuckled weakly, knowing that if he botched this technique then he was done. "If I was thinking then what I'm about to do would not be on my list of options." He closed his eyes and aimed his katana up into the air, an aura of blackness exploding to life around him. ("This is it.")

He felt it already, a ravenous power feasting on his energy. ("If I can't finish it before my power is totally consumed then I'm screwed!") A loud scream, a battle cry, escaped his injured throat as he barreled headfirst into the energy needed for the technique. The aura grew larger and larger, turning slowly into a storm that had him as its center.

Eri felt her hair get blown behind her, and she realized that she had better take a few more steps back. ("Ichigo, what are you doing?")

**_("What is this boy doing?")_** Kodoku let out a low growl of anger, her hair standing on end as the edge of the storm started to approach her. Leaping back a few steps, she glared at him. **_"Damn it, what are you doing? Why are you burning all of your energy up like this?"_**

Ichigo couldn't hear her. His eyes were closed and he was focusing on the goal, on the completion. And as he did this he imagined…he remembered…

-------------------

"_Ichigo Pilkington...I wanted to kill you originally. Then I defeated you and thought that my revenge was complete. After that you defeated me and left me with little more than shattered dreams and hopes of honor. However, when Negative was destroyed I started to see the truth. It took Octavian More and his sick methods of using souls to show me something I felt since the moment I laid eyes on you." Eri's hand turned his head to the side and she kissed him. And it was a kiss that lasted a good minute or so..._

--------------------

Suddenly the aura disappeared, leaving silence in its wake. Ichigo's sword slowly lowered from its vertical position to fall to his side.

Kodoku threw back her head and started laughing loudly. **_"I felt it! Your energy just went up in a flash! You're completely dry!"_**

Ichigo smirked at her. "You're right, my power is gone. Then again…" His face suddenly contorted into an expression of anger. "I still pulled it off. _Kousei!_" (Rebirth) Then he was swallowed up as a jet of black fire exploded beneath him. Less than a few seconds later it disappeared…and revealed the results of the technique.

Kodoku and Eri both stared at Ichigo in both amazement and confusion. What did this mean?

His physical appearance and clothing had changed dramatically, the black embers that hovered in the air around him being the announcement of this new form. Where there had once been a head of fluffy chestnut-colored hair there was now a mane of lower-back length hair that was so rich of a black that it almost was blue, a living dark flame coming from the skull of its owner. Eyes that had been a dull hazel were now a vibrant fire-engine red, matching the stripes of blood that stained the cheeks below them.

A trenchcoat the same rich black as his hair rested on Ichigo's shoulders, its fine cloth lined on the inside with a bright red that was a similar color to his new eyes. Beneath the open front of his coat there was a new black undershirt, this one tight enough that it seemed to have been painted onto him. His worn jeans had been replaced by a pair of black pants that was held up by a black belt with a glittering silver buckle.

"**_What kind of joke…you did all that just for a change of clothes?"_** Kodoku glared angrily at him. **_"Now I know you're just wasting my time! Get ready to die, boy!"_** She willed her children forward. From behind and around her thousands of spiked heads rose like serpents that were being awakened to attack.

"Ichigo…" Eri's eyes widened and she took another couple of steps back. ("That look in his eyes…it's him alright.")

Kodoku felt her children prepare to strike. **_"Take…"_**

"I suggest," Ichigo's voice could be heard coming from right behind the Wolf Demon's ear. "That you use your full strength now."

Kodoku could only stare as Ichigo's shape faded away into the shadows, his existence feeling as if it disappeared. **_"What…what kind of trickery is this? How did you...where are you?"_** She started looking around wildly, trying to find some trace of him.

**_("This is impossible! My children are everywhere for a mile radius…I can detect everything in every direction for that distance! Where he is? How did he get away?")_** Pain suddenly could be detected as just a single of her children was slain about fifty feet from her. **_"There!"_** She felt all of her surrounding chains attack…and hit each other with a loud series of screeches as metal clashed against metal. **_"He got away? But how? There's not even any room to move without running into my children!"_**

Eri could barely make out what was going on, but it seemed that the millions of chains were freaking out and stabbing towards everything nearby. She was safe, as they were keeping a good distance from her, but it was still unsettling. ("What is Ichigo doing that is making her freak out so much?")

Suddenly she felt a little kiss on her cheek, and for just a split-second she was face to face with a smiling Ichigo who mouthed a single word to her. And then it became all-so-clear.

Kodoku screamed in fury and her children continued to blindly attack everything around them. **_"I will find you and kill you! How dare you make a fool out of me!"_** Then she felt it, her children told her so. He had appeared…and they could not touch him anymore. He was slaying them just as fast as they could detect his prescense. **_"I'll deal with you personally!"_** She leapt towards where she knew he was…and right before he came into view her chains told her that he disappeared from that spot and from their range of detection. **_"Damn you, how are you doing this?"_**

Ichigo suddenly appeared in front of her, smiling smugly. "Boo!" Then he disappeared right before a thousand chains could pierce him.

He appeared again, this time directly above her. And once more he disappeared before retaliation could be brought onto his head.

"**_I've had enough!"_** She punched ground and all of her chains prepared to strike at once. **_"Come out and fight, you coward!"_**

Ichigo appeared high above her, floating in the air with that same smile on his face. "Fine, let's fight. I'm getting tired of watching you have a heart attack anyway."

"**_Kill him!"_** She watched all of her chains dive upwards, preparing to pierce him from every possible direction at once. **_"This is the end! There is no direction you can escape, no matter how fast you might have become!"_**

Ichigo bared a fang at her, his lip curled into a mix of a smirk and a grin. And then he disappeared right before the chains could connect, meaning they tangled themselves into one giant mass of metal.

"**_That's utterly…"_** Her eyes widened as he suddenly appeared in front of her. She started to prepare to pierce him with her main chain…

Ichigo turned into a blur of black and red, his katana chopping the chains attached to her arms and chest away. Her mask shuddered and a huge portion of it was chopped away. Finally, a spray of blood came from her chest as his sword slashed a couple of shallow gashes through her clothing.

"**_What…what are you?"_** Her voice reflected the absolute impossibility of him. Meanwhile, without the core chain the rest of the summoned weapons instantly faded and left the two of them standing alone in the darkness.

Ichigo blurred slightly and appeared about ten feet away from her, his expression deathly serious. "What am I?" He lifted the blade of his sword to point at her chest, the black and blue energy around him creating a steady breeze that caused both his trenchcoat and hair to flow like shadows in the light of a setting sun. "I am the rustle of the leaves you dismiss as the wind. I am the flicker of shadows you think is an illusion. I am the aroma of death which drives you into a panic. I am the fear you taste on your tongue. I am the piercing fangs that tear out your throat. I am _Hakumei no Maboroshi_." (Phantom of Twilight)

"**_Phantom…"_** Kodoku could hear Eri's helpless laughter. **_"That's what you told her…you bastard! How dare you make a fool of me!"_**

Ichigo glanced over at Eri and nearly broke into laughter of his own. "What exactly will you do about it?"

Her eyes narrowed…and then she stood up straight. **_"I see. While using that technique you gain the ultimate stealth. It isn't just speed alone…"_**

"I become the shadows." The half demon's expression returned to being serious. "I repeat, what will you do?"

"**_I have no choice."_** She felt the circle appearing around her slowly for a third time. **_"I will howl the final note of your life's symphony. You said earlier that you would crush me beneath your heel…well now I say the same to you. Phantom or not, I will kill you!"_** She threw back her head and howled loudly, the Darkness Realm around them crying out from the pressure caused as her full power released itself. **_"Musubi Houkou!"_** (Final Howl)

_To be continued…_


	86. The Ultimate Weapon

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. I do own this insanity, but that isn't saying much.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 86: The Ultimate Weapon

"_I become the shadows." The half demon's expression returned to being serious. "I repeat, what will you do?"_

"_**I have no choice."** She felt the circle appearing around her slowly for a third time. **"I will howl the final note of your life's symphony. You said earlier that you would crush me beneath your heel…well now I say the same to you. Phantom or not, I will kill you!"** She threw back her head and howled loudly, the Darkness Realm around them crying out from the pressure caused as her full power released itself. **"Musubi Houkou!"** (Final Howl)_

Ichigo expected something magnificent and beautiful, but instead he just got to watch the Wolf Demon's body and weapons return to normal. "Back to the amazing scary mask and chain, huh?"

"**_The Final Howl is not something that can be identified by a flashy explosion of energy."_** She smirked and stretched her arms a couple of times, her single chain rattling in excitement. **_"The other two howls normally do not create a physical change of appearance, though the existence of Solitude as a part of me creates the halves of the mask. The power of my Final Howl changes me in a much more subtle way. Now, for all of your shadowy speed, I will not lose to you."_**

Ichigo held up his katana in front of him defensively. "I look forward to it. Even though I still have nearly zero sword skills, this thing doesn't have any weight and with the speed of Phantom of Twilight behind me it's getting kind of easy. I really hope you let me test the full extent of this ability."

"**_I'd be more than glad to!"_** She shouted out, leaping at him with her chain snapped back to strike.

---------------------------------

_At the same time, a very far ways away…_

---------------------------------

The sounds of a pair of swords clashing could be heard across the echoing crimson-colored call of the training room. There was a crash like thunder, loud enough to shake the entire room and the beautiful tapestries on the wall. A pair of images, like illusions, could be seen matching swords right before they both disappeared again. A trio of screeching noises could be heard, and the illusions appeared once more.

"_Lord Syphis,"_ The voice came from the ceiling speakers. _"We have just picked up a transmission from your brother."_

("What does he want?") One of the two blurred forms stopped and snapped his fingers, the mirror hologram shutting down. "Bring it on in here." The room darkened and a holographic screen appeared in the air in front of the far wall, a picture of a rather beaten-up looking Rysel appearing. ("It looks like he got the life beaten out of him by something.")

"_Greetings to you, my dear older brother."_ Rysel bowed his head into a nod. _"I'm sure I look quite a mess, but I decided that it would be best to immediately get the news out to you. At first I pondered telling our dear father, but then I realized he must be very busy with his job of conquering the universe and all that."_

After a moment of rambling, Rysel returned to the subject at hand. _"I recently engaged the Guardians who were protecting the Infinites' refugees. To say the least it was a rather painful experience, and I was soundly defeated by them. That is neither here nor there, though. The reason I am sending you this transmission is because I wanted to let you know that I will not be returning home. My decision is to stay on this wonderful planet and protect the humans here. Sorry, Syphis, but could you kindly tell father that he can go blast himself out of an airlock for me? Thanks much."_ The image flickered and disappeared.

The lights did come on though. "Rysel, you little…I will…" The shadowed form of Syphis turned to look towards the ceiling. "How long will it take us to reach planet Earth if we left right away?"

"_It would take a long sum of time."_

"Prepare for departure immediately, I intend to kill that traitor myself."

---------------------------------

---------------------------------

The Darkness Realm shook as chain met sword once more, a pair of dark forms barely outlined in its purple void before they disappeared from sight.

"Heh, you're pretty quick!" Ichigo slid backwards and then disappeared as he moved through the shadows using the power of Phantom of Twilight. Then he appeared directly behind her, sword raised above his head. "But in this place trying to keep up with a shadow is a pretty impossible task!"

Kodoku twirled on the balls of her feet and snapped her main chain at him, already expecting to not hit anything. **_"You can't keep up this kind of effort forever. Since your technique hides your energy from me I can't tell how much longer you can keep fighting at this rate, but I bet it won't be much longer. You're running on the power of the Darkness Realm, kid, and that's never healthy for anything that's alive."_**

("She's right,") Ichigo thought to himself as he glided through the darkness at speeds that shouldn't have been possible through the use of legs alone. ("I'm exhausted. I could have run her through when I broke her weapons the first time, but I wanted her at full strength to follow through with what I said.") Now he was in trouble. "What should I do?"

"**_Found you!"_** A chain shot through his shoulder…only to suddenly have no resistance as its target disappeared. **_"I felt it hit that time. You're losing the ability to move through the shadows fast enough to avoid damage. Even though you escaped, you're running out of…"_** She licked her lips and felt a tingle at the back of her neck. **_("Gotcha!")_**

There was a yelp of surprise followed by the sound of a sword clattering against ground a few feet behind her. **_"It's amazing what just one chain can do…"_**

Ichigo scrambled to grab his katana, but before he could reach it something shot past his cheek and slashed a gash in his skin. ("No!") Without any other choice, he rolled backwards and started running. ("If I'm not holding my sword I can't step through the shadows!")

"**_Che, you aren't getting away."_** She heard the sounds of her children as they snagged his legs and arms, tying him up. **_"Without the power of Fenrir you're just as beaten as you were before. And if all it took was to disarm you of that shiny new sword, I would have torn it from your hand when you were preparing to use the technique."_**

Ichigo let out a low growl, his arms and legs trapped in place by the dozens of black chains that held him frozen in place. "I can't lose to you here."

She walked towards his slowly, her main chain embracing his sword and making sure it didn't leave her immediate reach. **_"You really can't stop me without this, can you?"_**

The half demon let out a low hissing noise, eyes narrowed at her. "If I get out of this then…" Whatever else he had planned to say was stopped as something hit him right in the face and exploded, sending him into a sneezing fit as it gave him a full nose of an overloading smell.

"**_Huh?"_** The Wolf Demon turned and blinked at the unexpected attack. What surprised her even more that it had been Eri who had thrown the object. **_"Princess? Why are you interfering? And…why did you attack your own champion?"_**

Eri just kept running and did not stop. ("If my suspicion is right, I can't trust Ichigo to control himself.")

"**_Well that was weird."_** The Wolf Demon turned to look at the trapped Ichigo. **_"What was that anyway?"_** She sniffed the air and broke into a fit of hacking coughs as an incredibly powerful smell of mint overloaded her senses. **_"What is this terrible GAH!"_** Her head was forced downwards as an incredibly heavy weight landed on her skull. **_"Who…what…"_**

"Scuse me nyao!" Ichigo's tail flipped down and wrapped around the hilt of his sword, tugging once and pulling it from the grasp of the Wolf Demon's main chain, which was barely able to hang on as its master was unable to concentrate through the smell.

"**_How did you…"_** Kodoku snarled and tried to clear her thoughts. **_"Get off my head right now!"_**

The half demon, perched on her head, meowed contently. "Why, nyao?" He licked the top of his curled hands and rubbed the then moist sections of his skin against his face to wipe away some of the blood there. "Your hair's so nice and soft and prrrr…." His neck craned down and he bit a piece of her hair, tail waving back and forth behind him.

"**_Are you out of your mind?"_** Rage got past her overloaded synapses and her main chain stabbed at him, only to hit nothing but air as he flipped off of her and landed about ten feet in front of the Wolf Demon, sword having transferred to his hand. **_"What has gotten into you?"_**

Ichigo stumbled, appearing almost drunk. "Wrong, nyao? Nothing's wrong, nyao nyao. I feel…" He was suddenly directly behind her. "…great, nyao." Then he disappeared right before her main chain could hit him, appearing on her head for a split-second before disappearing again.

"**_ARGH!"_** Kodoku let out a fully angered growl and summoned up the energy for her Storm of Snakes. **_"Let's see how long you can last when you're forced to expend energy using your shadow step just to avoid getting mauled!"_** Her hand shot towards the ground to focus the energy needed to summon the swarm.

Ichigo appeared in her way, rubbing noses with her and purring deeply. This completely broke her concentration once more. "What's the mater, nyao? You don't look too happy, nyao?"

"……**_."_** Kodoku started twitching and she wasn't sure whether to scream or cry. **_("This…this is…")_**

"Hey, are you okay?" Ichigo asked drunkenly, face just a couple of inches from hers. "You're shaking, nyao. Are you cold, nyao?"

"**_Stop toying with me!"_** She screamed in his face, main chain going into an insane frenzy of stabbing attempts to try and pierce him.

Ichigo stumbled backwards, each of the strikes just barely missing him. "Hey…" He broke into a fit of giggling. "…don't be mad just because you remind me of Eri, nyao." His cheeks flushed red and she swore she could see little hearts in his eyes. "Mmmmm, lovely Eri…"

"**_At least pay attention!"_** Kodoku couldn't stand this. He wasn't even looking at her and she was missing him repeatedly. **_"I cannot stand being underestimated! You don't even deserve one of royal blood such as the Princess if you can't even act seriously about this fight!"_**

Ichigo froze, which was odd since he had been standing on only one leg when she had said that. His ears twitched a couple of times. "Oh yeah…" His head loosely rolled enough so he could look at her. "I was supposed to beat you up."

"**_That's right! Finally I'll…"_** Kodoku's breath was blasted out of her something struck her stomach with enough force to leave her kneeling and wheezing for air. **_"Your…your sword…"_**

"Huh?" Ichigo appeared for a moment alongside her. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I just used my tail…should I use my hand instead?" When she swiped at him he disappeared and appeared perched on her arm. "I kinda wanna finish this, so I'll just make it quick, nyao. Bear with the pain, nyao."

"**_You little bastard, you think you'll brush me aside?"_** She hurled him away with a blast of her energy. **_"I'll use my full power to tear you down completely!"_**

"Your full power?" Ichigo asked in mid-flip through the air. When he touched down he landed in a perch, leaning on his katana. "I guess we should finish it now." Then he disappeared.

"**_You can't escape!"_** She prepared to seek him out, and therefore was completely caught off guard as he appeared in front of her and kicked her mask full force, snapping half of it off before he faded again. **_"You…"_** Something kicked her back roughly, forcing her into the air. **_("This…I can't even respond…")_** Her eyes widened as Ichigo appeared in the air right above her.

The half demon titled his head to the side and smiled happily at her. "Black Inferno's Roar."

Kodoku screamed as she was swallowed up in a downward-spiraling pillar of black fire, the force of the blast hurling her towards the ground. **_("Now's my chance to retaliate, while he backs off to see if…")_**

Ichigo appeared underneath her, his sword stabbing deeply into her chest. "Sorry nyao, I wanted to avoid injuring you but I guess I gotta be serious, nyao. Black Inferno's Roar." And then they both disappeared in an explosion of black fire that shook the Darkness Realm.

---------------------

The darkness sphere throbbed once, twice…and then collapsed, leaving both Ichigo and Eri standing alone on the dueling ring.

The demoness blinked in surprise and turned towards the half demon just in time to get pounced. "IchAAAA…." She had the breath blown out of her as she was tackle-glomped.

"Eri!" Ichigo had already dropped his sword and was rubbing up against her with a loud purr vibrating from his chest. "I missed you, nyao. Sorry, I had to be kinda rough with the scary chain lady. It's okay, you're not mad right?"

The demoness sighed and pushed him off of her. "Would you mind getting off of me?"

Ichigo was already fast asleep by the time his back hit the ground, the Phantom of Twilight form having disappeared along with his consciousness.

Standing up and brushing herself off, Eri smiled down at her sleeping champion. ("Note to self: Apparently Nikolai was right about kitty Ichigo and catnip.") Now she had to wonder though, why had the Darkness Realm spat them out? Had they beaten Kodoku? Was it over?

**_("Damn it, I didn't even get a chance to fight back…")_** The voice came from inside her skull. **_("Don't worry, Princess. He won against me. Actually I didn't even get the chance to use my full power before he dealt me a blow I couldn't heal from. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep for awhile to recover my energy.")_**

The demoness giggled and brushed back a lock of Ichigo's hair. "My hero, I guess." A loud cough caught her attention and she turned to look up at the stands. "Oh, all of you are still here?"

Adriel, Nikolai and Masami all glared at her, expecting an explanation.

"Shut up," she yawned and curled up into a ball on the floor of the dueling ring alongside Ichigo. "You'll get an explanation when I'm not tired. Good night, and make sure you carry Ichigo and myself home. Thanks." Then her eyes closed and she started snoring.

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: Hero's Life comes towards a rapid close, leaving some foreshadowing in the near distance. So what awaits our heroes? And…who are our heroes now? Has Rysel truly reformed, just like that?

Also, there's new stuff on my forum. A poll to see who you would like to see more of, and a submission thread for something special. Please check it out when you have the time.


	87. DMWC

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Hero's Life Arc

Chapter 87: DMWC

"…and so I guess he beat her, because right after that the Darkness Realm spat us out." Eri placed her hands in her lap, sitting in her room and surrounded by everyone.

No one said anything for about thirty seconds…and then Griff, Adriel, Teruha and Resshin fell over each other laughing.

"Awww, I wanted to see Ichigo act like a kitty," Chris pouted and clung a bit tighter to Erian, who sighed and silently blushed.

Masami smiled and rubbed his chin. "Black trenchcoat huh? Hmmm…" You could see the gears in his head turning as he started pondering the potential of using the black trenchcoat look with a costume he could make for Ichigo.

Nikolai sighed and looked out the window of the room, trying to ignore his urge to strangle the ones who were laughing. "Need all of you make such a racket? It's getting late and I'm sure that other people in this dorm are trying to sleep."

Krieger blushed and rubbed the back of his head, deciding it best not to mention he had been the one who had introduced Ichigo to catnip. "So where is Ichigo anyway?"

Erian sighed loudly. "I tried to wake him up but he nearly bit me and muttered something about a headache."

"Well it seems like everyone is having so much fun," Rysel said calmly, sitting in a chair at the far corner of the room. Then his happy expression changed to one of slight confusion. "Did I say something wrong?" Everyone in the room had gone silent, all of them staring at the Blood Prince as if they had just realized he was there. ("I must say something; I can only guess they are still rather leery of me. Wait, I know…") "LOL, tension."

Resshin's right eye twitched and he leapt to his feet, an aura of white hot flame exploding to life around him. "You bastard, I'll kill you!"

Erian threw up his hands and immediately negated the flames to stop the whole room from going up like a match. "Resshin, are you crazy?"

"Shut up and let me kill him!" The Traveler leapt forwards and was tackled to the ground by Adriel and Teruha.

"Oh my," Rysel said, rubbing the back of his head. "Perhaps I still must improve my earth linguistics?"

"Get off of me before I burn you both alive!" Resshin kicked Adriel in the ribs and struggled with all of his might to escape. "That creature…that murderer cannot be allowed to live! Let me kill him for the sake of my family!"

"How about the lot of you shut up right now?" The door to the room opened slowly, revealing a familiar head of night-black hair.

Eri and Adriel both gasped at the intruder. "Halo!"

"That would be my name." The enforcer slowly walked in, his black business suit bringing that air of authority that he normally carried. "I take it that the lot of you is having an argument over him?" He pointed at Rysel.

The Blood Prince shrugged a little bit. "I suppose that would be the case, though I'm not entirely sure why."

"You know why, you murderer!" Resshin screamed.

"I thought I said shut up." Halo walked over and grabbed a chair, sitting down and crossing his legs. "Alright then, I hope all of you are listening. I'm about to make you all an offer that you would be foolish to turn down." He lifted his hand up. "Erika Amero, Adriel Zaytel, Teruha Chikara, Masami Morioka, Griff Mohistava, Krieger Reinhardt, Christian Richards, Resshin, Rysel, Nikolai Corben, Erian, and Ichigo Pilkington. The twelfth of which is listening to me right now through my thoughts. You have all passed the test I placed before you."

"Test?" Nine of them said at once.

"The Mysteries were working for me, as my personal method for testing the thirteen potentials who were going to be my team in the DMWC." The enforcer noticed the look of recognition on Krieger's face. "You know what I'm talking about?"

"Yes." Krieger frowned. "I had heard that many of the biggest name corporations in the world were targeting young duelists for some reason, and one of the theories was that it had to do with the starting of a new tournament." He sighed. "It didn't occur to me that the Mysteries we all dueled had anything to do with that."

"Well then congratulations on figuring it out." Halo crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair. "Now then, the DMWC has a clear set of rules that will be strictly enforced. No one above the age of twenty is allowed to participate in this tournament. Each team must have a minimum of five duelists and a maximum of thirteen, the extra three being reserves in case one of the five duelists selected to compete becomes unable to during that round."

"Wait a second!" Erian held up his hands. "Who said we were going to participate in this thing?"

"That's true; I did say it was an offer." The enforcer swept his vision over the lot of them. "Do any of you wish to displease me? If so, please turn down my offer and give me a reason to start bringing back public executions through Darkness Games." When no one protested he nodded. "Good, no one has any argument against being sponsored by me."

"Wait, why don't you participate in this tournament?" The questions had come from Griff. His response was to get a plastic driver license's flicked to him. Snatching it out of the air, he held it up in front of his face. "Age…timeless? Is this some kind of joke?"

"No, it's quite legitimate." Halo looked to the rest of them. "The tournament's first prize is a rather interesting one, but also a classic. Within the power of every one of the sponsors, we are supposed to grant one wish of each member of the winning team."

"Any…" Masami stammered out.

"…one…" Teruha continued.

"…wish?" Eri twitched a couple of times.

"I see that gag doesn't like to die," the enforcer muttered under his breath. "Anyway, the tournament doesn't…"

"Any wish…" Masami leapt to his feet, fists clenched and head tilted up into the air with tears streaming down his face. "My own fashion firm…my own wonderful fashion firm! It will be the greatest and most beautiful thing in the world!"

"Any wish…" Teruha followed, apparently lost in her own little world too. "That means…that means I can finally aim for the top of the world! I will be able to become a pro duelist!"

"Any wish…" Eri stood up on her bed, her hands trembling and a rather starry-eyed look in her eyes. "That means…the reverse wedding…I'll be able to make it just as I dreamt it!"

Griff groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Is it just me or does everyone who spends time in contact with Megame wind up turning absolutely freaking insane?" He blinked at Eri next. "Wait, reverse wedding? What the…"

"Silence yourself, peasant!" The demoness yelled, realizing she had said that out loud. "You will not question the words of your Kaiser, understand?"

"…" Griff's right eye twitched a couple of times and on reflex he turned to look at Masami. "Reverse…wedding…" He twitched a few more times, lips trying not to smile. ("I will not laugh…I will not laugh…") An image of a female Ichigo in wedding dress flashed in mind. Then he collapsed into helpless laughter, gasping out something about Ichigo and 'heart attack'.

"Your dream's a wedding?" Adriel then yelped in surprise as he was nearly trampled by Teruha, Masami and Chris, all of which scrambled to the side of the bed. "My back…"

"A reverse wedding?" Teruha smiled slyly at the demoness. "Well aren't you a smooth operator? You been planning this long?"

"A reverse wedding, you say?" Masami leapt up onto the bed with her and grasped Eri's hands. "You, my dear Kaiser, are an absolute genius! It will be the most incredible thing ever!" He moved to alongside her, one arm hugging her slightly to his chest as he motioned before them both. "I can see it now! A beautiful chapel, shining lights illuminating the rows…all in lovely, lovely white and red! Ichigo will be dressed as Akane, you as Ranma…it'd be perfect!"

"Are you sure you're not gay, Megame?" Griff muttered, and then caught a kicked shoe in the face. "I see you heard me."

Chris hopped up onto the bed next, bouncing alongside Masami and the flabbergasted Eri. "Oooo, can I be dressed as Sango?"

Krieger helped Adriel up. "Are you alright?"

"Medic…" groaned the half dragon demon.

"Ummm…" Ambience muttered, bright red in the cheeks and holding a first aid kit in her arms as she kneeled next to Adriel.

Erian, who had been sitting right next to the Obelisk Blue, stared at his sister. "When did you…how…"

"Now wait a second…" Eri slid out of Masami's grasp and off the bed, backing herself towards the wall. Her cheeks were bright red. "…I…I just, with the, um…"

Masami leapt down after her, taking her hands in his again. "Don't worry, dear Kaiser, I know exactly what you're worried about."

"You do?" Her hair stood straight on end.

"Of course!" He winked to her. "Not everyone likes Anime. I'd be more than glad to provide a normal wedding service and design, if you'd so like." He noticed that she turned extremely pale and was clutching her heart. "I was just joking!" He waved his hands in front of her and grinned, thinking the concept of a normal wedding was what scared her. "Don't worry, I know all the right people. We'll have Ichigo looking his best for it!"

"That's…no…I…" The demoness made a beeline for her bathroom. "Shut up already!"

Halo rubbed his eyes and sighed loudly. ("Should I even mention what I noticed?") A scream came from Eri's bathroom. ("Ooops, too late.") For just a moment he allowed himself a smirk, feeling as if he got back at that annoying chain-user even if it was in a rather childish way.

"Why…why…" Eri went silent, and then the sound of a head hitting tile could be heard.

Everyone, sans Rysel and Halo, were staring at the bathroom door and wondering what the problem was.

Eri stumbled into view, her hair colored snow white. "Why? Why is…"

"I suppose someone should have told you about your connection." Halo closed his eyes and yawned. "Apparently since your duel against the woman you've had your soul connected to your Soul Shadows and you forgot to turn off the link. I suggest you do so now before you suffer more adverse effects then just odd hair coloring." Then, not to his surprise, he was hefted up by the collar of his dress shirt.

"You noticed it and didn't tell me?" The demoness brought her face inches from his and let out a low growl. "Why?"

"Because I'm not your keeper. If you can't even realize you didn't sever a soul link then why should I need…" The enforcer lifted an eyebrow as the ground started to shake violently. "An earthquake? I sensed no such…"

The door to the room flew open, and a very frizzy-haired and red-eyed Ichigo stomped inside. "SHUT UP!"

Everyone stared at him wide-eyed…and then Halo spoke up. "If you wanted to not hear them why didn't you just stop listening to what I was hearing?"

"I did, it didn't help." the half demon growled out. "Now…" He noticed Rysel sitting in the corner of the room. "…you know what, I don't care anymore. Welcome back Rysel, don't kill us all."

"Duly noted, friend," The Blood Prince waved once and sat back, immensely amused by all of his new friends.

Ichigo looked over at Resshin, who looked like he was about to say something. "Don't you dare start about Rysel."

Then he walked up to Eri and grabbed her arms. "You look fine. It could have been worse. Turn off the link now and thank your lucky stars all you got out of this was a new hairstyle."

"Have you gotten all of your business done, or would you like to continue making an ass out of yourself?" Halo asked.

"Nikolai," Ichigo said. "Move away from the window."

Halo sighed. "Ichigo, you aren't going to be able to throw me out the window. I can read your…" His eyes widened and he attempted to stand up out of his chair.

Ichigo punched Halo full force across the chin, watching the enforcer drop to the ground without the slightest change of expression on his face. "Yeah you can…but that makes it easier to trick you."

Throwing the unconscious Halo over his shoulder, he started to head out. "The DMWC starts about a week after we get out of school for the summer. Good night, shut up and keep it down." Then he slammed the door behind him and the earthquakes started again, though they quickly lowered in intensity until they disappeared.

"I see," Erian whispered. "That I got lucky when he just tried to bite me for waking him up."

"In the immortal words of earthlings, LOL." Rysel stood up and brushed himself off. "Well, I suppose it is getting late. Good night, my friends." He disappeared.

Resshin twitched a couple of times and stomped towards the door. "If you all wake up tommorow to find the forests of the island gone, don't be surprised. I feel very much like burning something."

Eri sighed and collapsed on her bed. "Let yourselves out, and whoever is last out, please turn off the lights." She felt so tired all of a sudden. Perhaps it was because no matter what happened she'd never get a moment of real rest as long as she lived. ("I am destined to spend my life bothered by these things until I die. Just once I wish I could get a little bit of peace in my life.") The lights clicked off and she was plunged into shadow. "Good night, Duel Academy."

_End of Arc_

_There are so many things left unexplained, and yet so many things to look forward to. In the distance comes Rysel's brother, Syphis, while on Earth the Blood Prince resolves himself to do no more harm. And surprisingly, he upholds this perfectly. There are no more Vengeance attacks, giving the Academy a much relaxed school year._

_However, summer brings with it something new…and a threat beyond this world, but not from beyond the stars._

_Next Arc; Saviors in Tokyo Arc_

Author's Notes: Right, check the forums for some things I need audience participation in. Thank you.


	88. Welcome to Tokyo Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 88: Welcome to Tokyo (Part 1)

Tokyo was a city bustling with activity. One of the biggest contributors to this was six days ago most high schools had started summer vacation. Beyond that though, the whole city was caught up in duel frenzy.

The Duel Monsters World Chain started tonight, and that meant that the newly built DMWC stadium would be packed from bottom floor to top floor to watch the opening ceremony to what was supposed to be, according to the companies advertising it, the greatest Duel Monsters tournament of all time. It was a massive claim and wasn't taken completely seriously, but it was definitely looking like it was going to be one of the most extravagant tournaments ever.

In the middle of Tokyo, like some kind of massive dome of glowing yellow and green steel stood the DMWC Stadium. It was silent now, but there could already be people seen getting into lines in front of the ticket booths. Soon enough, there would the sounds of great duels going on inside that hollowed dome.

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In a different part of the city, there was a different kind of sounds going on. Gunfire echoed across the plaza and the policemen ducked down behind their cars again as a series of holes appeared in the opposite sides of their vehicles.

"HA!" One of the masked robbers ducked back out of sight from the window he had fired from. "These guys are such pushovers. All we need is a bank's worth of hostages and they won't dare try shooting back."

One of his associates hefted a heavy bag of gathered money on his back, tossing it into the pile close to the front so they could quickly load it into their escape car when it arrived. "We'd better not linger too long though, where's our driver anyway? He should have gotten here by now."

"Don't worry," another of the robbers said, his machine gun aimed at the group of tellers and customers in the corner of the room. "The guy's an ace; he'll get here on…" The sound of gasps of surprise from outside caught his attention. "Hey, check the window really quick. What's the racket all about?"

The robber near the window lifted his head up to take a peek at what the noise was about. "What in the…" Then he was jump-kicked in the face and sent rolling head over heels backwards until he crashed into a wall.

The other two blinked a couple of times at the attacker. It had been a white-haired man dressed as a superhero. "Is this some kind of joke?" Then they opened fire.

The superhero threw them both a thumbs-up, the bullets flying through right through his body and pounding into the wall behind him. "Nice attempt citizens, but you're wasting precious ammunition on a product of the Kaiba Corporation Solid Vision System." Then he faded away.

"It…was a hologram?" Both of them lowered their guns slowly, and went over to help the other robber up.

An incredibly loud laughter came on over the speakers in the bank, the sound continuing on for over a minute at least while the trio glanced around nervously. _"Run and hide, evil-doers! For I am the greatest shining hero of light and justice, the mighty Captain Zeta!"_ Then the speakers clicked off, leaving one of them to run towards the room where the main intercom was.

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"Alright, call in the SWAT team. They haven't made any demands and we've had five injuries so far from their wild firing. Call in snipers too," One of the officers nodded and headed off to make the call.

Meanwhile the head officer at the scene yelled out to the rest of his men. "Get these crowds back already! If this keeps up we're going to suffer a civilian casualty!" Some of them nodded and started to move the crowds back. "This is an absolute mess. We need to disarm those guys."

"Hey," someone in the crowd shouted. "There's somebody on the roof of the bank!"

"It couldn't be…" The head officer looked up at the roof, and he groaned. "Oh great, I'm not sure whether to be relieved or terrified now…"

Atop the roof of the building stood a single female form, a dark blue cape flowing out behind her. _"I am the Hero of the Heavens!"_ She leapt from the roof and landed on the street facing the front of the bank. _"In the name of love and justice, I will not tolerate your actions of evil and greed! I am Starlight Savior!"_ Her amplified voice carried down both sides of the street.

The head officer sighed loudly and rubbed his forehead. ("And she shows up again…")

"Hey!" She pointed at the front of the bank. "I know you can hear me! Come out and give yourselves up right now!" A few seconds later the three masked robbers came running out of the front entrance to the bank screaming their lungs off. "Wow…that was…"

A black and red blur flew out after one of them. "You're not getting away that easily, villains!" He landed a kick to the side of one of their heads, dropping the recipient instantly. From there he got ready to leap again and take another of them down...

Starlight Savior sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "Hey," she said to the two other runners right before they ran past her. "…." Her eyes narrowed and she glared at Captain Zeta. "Thanks for spoiling my entrance."

"Hah, see how they run from my heroic might!" The costumed superhero struck an overly dramatic pose and started laughing again while the Savior face-fell.

--------------

_A few minutes later…_

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"Good afternoon Ichigo-san!" An old Japanese man sitting on his porch waved to the half demon as he walked by the front of the man's house.

"Good afternoon!" Ichigo waved back cheerfully. Wearing a red baseball cap to cover his cat ears and a blue t-shirt along with his blue shorts, the boy seemed almost completely normal. He glanced behind him and noticed that Masami was starting to lag a little. "Come on man, keep up the pace! The boarding house is just around the corner!"

Masami looked around at the surrounding homes of the neighborhood and frowned. "So…we're living in a normal place? Really?" Sighing, he ran up to Ichigo. "Couldn't Halo have picked somewhere cooler?"

Ichigo waved the idea off. "Are you crazy? We've got the whole place to ourselves until the other guys arrive!" They walked alongside a very tall brick wall, turning a couple of corners until they reached a pair of thick wooden doors. "And here's the entrance! Now come on in and let me show you around. It's been boring here for the last six days with nobody to talk to."

The doors creaked open slowly and they stepped inside. And the first thing that Masami realized was that his new temporary home was absolutely huge. His chin slowly lifted itself towards the sky as his head bend back to take in the sight of the place's roof. The place was a very wide building; it almost reminded him a dormitory. "This is the place? How many stories is it?"

"Three, if you don't include the basement." Ichigo walked around the front of the rather plain looking white building with a smile on his face, hearing the grass crunch under his sneakers. "It's pretty nice. There's a garden around back. And the best part is we've got it all to…"

A loud crash sounded upstairs. "Get out of my room and let me get changed already!"

"Or not," Ichigo sighed and quickly realized that there would be no peace for him now. On the upside though, that was Eri's voice. ("It's only been six days since I've seen her, but it feels like a lot longer.") Shrugging to Masami, he started to walk towards the front door…

Which exploded open as Chris, dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt similar to Ichigo's, flew out and nearly crashed into him. "Ichigo! What are you doing at the girl's house?"

"Girl's house?" Ichigo blinked at her. "Chris, the boarding house has two staircases. One leads to the girl's rooms and the other to the boy's rooms. We'll all be living here." He and Masami stepped past her and walked in through the door.

Chris thought to herself for a moment. ("I feel like I'm forgetting to mention something.") She tapped her chin with a nail, and realized she was still holding something. ("A bra?") "Uh…Ichigo…maybe you shouldn't…"

A loud scream echoed out from inside the house and a blur of blue and red could be seen charging out the door. "OHMYGODIMSORRYTERUHAPLEASEDONTKILLME!" He went into a baseball slide and came to a stop right at Chris' feet.

"Hey!" Masami cried out from inside the house. "You've gotten bigger since I last checked, Teru! It looks like I'll have to make you some new…" A loud crash noise could be heard and a light blue-coated missile flew out through the open front door. "I regret nothing!" Then it hit the dirt path connecting the front door and wooden doors that led out into the street, corkscrewing along and coming to a stop alongside Ichigo.

Ichigo stood up and brushed himself off, sighing and trying to hide the fact he was blushing. "Oh yeah, I really missed you guys a whole lot," he muttered sarcastically.

Leaping to his feet, Masami grinned despite the cracks in his glasses and his now rather dirtied appearance. "Hey Teru-chan, should I make those new bras extra big or…"

Ichigo leapt out of way, pulling Chris along with him as a whole couch, cushions and all, flew out the open doorway and smote the green-haired boy underneath itself. "Oh yeah, I really missed this…"

----------------------------------

Ichigo groaned and collapsed down one of the couches in the very spacious living room, his tail flipping over and hitting the 'on' button of the remote for the television. ("We've got a little bit of time until Halo sends the cars over for us. I guess I'll partake of some peaceful and relaxing…")

"Hello, my friend," Rysel said right into Ichigo's ear. Then he watched the half demon spring straight upwards about six feet. "My, that looks rather amusing."

"R…R…R…R…" Ichigo landed on his knees in front of the couch, twitching skittishly. "How…when…"

"I arrived here with the girls." The Blood Prince sat down where Ichigo had been sitting and picked up the remote. "Now then, let us see what is being broadcast."

"You…you enjoy yourself…" Ichigo stumbled out of the living room, trying to preserve what little parts of his poor heart were still working.

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Griff, dressed in a skin-tight shirt and a pair of jeans, walked down the stairs that led up to the boys' rooms with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. "Ah, summer vacation, a time to practice my skills...after all, I'm sure the ladies of the world have missed that unique Mohistava charm." He noticed Ichigo stumbling by the bottom of the stairs. "Ichigo, my main man!" Leaping down the rest of the steps, he landed with his arm around the half demon's shoulders. "How would you like to be my wingman on this important mission? I hear there's a college campus nearby too…"

"I have Eri," Ichigo dead-panned, not even looking at his friend.

"Oh come on, you can't just attach yourself to one girl like that! It's not like I'm telling you to go out on a date with any of them, it's just…"

"Perhaps you misunderstood what I was emphasizing there." Ichigo tilted one tired eye up to glance at the bronze-skinned boy. "I have _Eri_."

"Oh yeah," Griff removed his arm from Ichigo's shoulder and rubbed his chin as he thought about that. "I'm sure our dear Kaiser wouldn't like to hear that you went out cruising for girls with me. Oh well, your loss I suppose." Shoving his hands back in his pockets, he noticed that Krieger was about to head out the front door. "Hey Krieger ole buddy ole pal, have I got a proposition for you!"

Ichigo twitched a couple more times as he watched Griff almost literally drag poor Krieger out the front door. Sitting down at the foot of the steps that led up to the girls' rooms, Ichigo exhaled loudly. "I suddenly feel very old and very tired." He stretched his shoulders a little, hands reaching above his head. His finger touched something and suddenly he was completely covered in crimson flames.

"…." Standing up, he casually walked towards the kitchen. Though at the moment he didn't care, he did notice that the flames didn't seem to burn anything but his skin. Not that it mattered, because after being exposed to the flames of the Dimension of Inferno nothing flame-based really hurt him anymore. Being immune to the most potent fire in existence had its advantages. However, it did kind of suck to suddenly burst into flames. "You know, I have the worst feeling that Rysel is behind this."

"From what I smell it seems you found the security wires that Amaeura was asked to install on the girls' staircase, Ichigo. My apologies, I should have told you." Rysel's voice came from the living room, rather loud to be heard over the television and the sounds of explosions and men's voices, along with the prattle of machine-gun fire. "LOL, your documentations of your wars are quite clear, considering what we know of your people's technology in that era. This World War II is especially amusing…"

"That's nice, you sociopath," Ichigo muttered under his breath, walking into a very spacious kitchen and heading over to one of the sinks. By the time he had done this most of the crimson fire had already extinguished itself, but he did splash a little bit of water on his hair to put out part of the flame that still covered that section of his head.

"Hey Rysel," he shouted. "Did Halo ask Amaeura to install those wires?"

"Yes he did," Another explosion came from the living room. "LOL, I never thought of fragmenting a body like that. Very amusing. Do you watch movies such as these for the comedic value?"

"No." Ichigo trudged by the living room entrance again and then went up the stairs to his room.

-----------------------

"I am the burning spirit of draconic power!" Adriel turned on one heel, his fist pumping into the air. "I am the duelist who stands above all others in battle, for my skill is that of a god!" From somewhere nearby thunder crashed down and shook the air, which was rather strange since he was alone in his room. "I am Adriel Zaytel, wielder of the winds of passion and holder of the legacy of dragons!"

After a few moments of silence he sighed loudly. "I don't feel it anymore! I don't feel my passion. If we have to duel tonight, and I'm one of the randomly chosen for the team's first battle, I must make a good showing." He reached down and picked up his deck, fanning it out in front of him. ("Why? Why do I no longer feel the burning passion?")

--------------------------

Eri ran a comb through her hair a few times, letting the fine white strands settle into place. "And finally I'm done!" She walked out of her room and down the stairs, still wearing her white-colored uniform. Her arrival to this place had been straight from the academy, and she had looked like a mess.

Besides, she intended to represent Duel Academy as its Kaiser, so anything but her uniform was most likely not an option for tonight. "Now then…" She reached the foot of the stairs and grinned widely as she caught a momentary sight of a familiar head of puffy brown hair. "Ichan!"

Ichigo ignored her, walking out front and standing in the middle of the lawn. Tilting his head back, he looked up at the night sky and took a very deep breath. ("It's been so long, but honestly I need to blow off some steam.")

"Ichan!" The demoness stuck her head out the front door and caught sign of him. "Hey, you bum, answer me!"

Ichigo's response was to draw his silver-bladed katana from its sheath. "You don't want to talk to me right now." Then he held the blade above his head and disappeared within an explosive storm of black fire, the only sound that could be heard above the crackling roar being his own roaring voice.

Eri stared at the swirling flames in confusion. "The Phantom of Twilight? Why?"

Her answer was an explosion as the flames went out, leaving the red-eyed and black-haired Phantom Ichigo in place of the normal half demon. "I'll see you at the ceremony. By then I should be cooled down." Then he vanished into thin air.

Eri sighed and walked back inside. "Wow, he must really be angry. I haven't seen him even touch that sword since the incident with Kodoku." Her ears perked as she heard the phone in the other room ring. "I'll get it!" Running into the next room, she grabbed the phone off its hook and held it up to her ear. "Hello?"

"_I do believe that Ichigo is angry with me about something,"_ Halo's voice came from the other end of the line, with the sound of sirens and the crackling of flame in the background. _"He just showed up and cut my limousine in half with his sword. Anyway, the cars will be arriving shortly. Make sure you are all properly dressed and prepared. There's only going to be one round tonight, but the rules for it are different than a normal round so be ready in case you get to be the lucky number."_ The line clicked dead.

The demoness hung up the phone and sighed loudly. ("He used a dangerous technique like Phantom of Twilight just so he could get to Halo quickly? Wow, he must have been really mad.") Just then Nikolai walked by, dressed in his normal grey suit. "Aren't you getting dressed up for the ceremony?"

"This isn't dressed up enough for you?" He looked down at his suit. "I'm wearing a business suit, what more do you want?"

Masami slid by, apparently wearing socks because he nearly shot past them both because of the polished wood floor. "Hey, have either of you seen Ichigo?"

"He just left on his own, why?" Eri blinked as the green-haired boy grabbed her hand and pulled her towards his room. "Ummm…what are you doing?"

"I just want you to see if your costume fits to your liking, my dear Kaiser." He bowed slightly to her and released her hand, motioning towards his room. "I, of course, will wait outside respectfully while you try it on."

Head held high, the demoness walked past him and headed towards the stairs. "Very well then if it must be done."

"You know," Teruha said from behind Masami, her hair done up in a pony-tail and her shoulders covered by a leather jacket that fit well with her jeans. "You act like such a gentleman around Eri-sempai, and yet when around me you're a jackass. Why is that?"

"Because," Masami turned and smirked at her. "She's a delicate flower of regal beauty. You're just big brutish Teruha I've known since I was a kid." He twisted slightly so when she kicked him in the stomach he glided backwards into the living room and landed in the seat next to Rysel. "So what's on?"

_To be continued…_


	89. Welcome to Tokyo Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 89: Welcome to Tokyo (Part 2)

The moon hung in the sky brightly, shining its face down over Tokyo. And in the middle of the city was the main event for the evening. The DMWC Dome appeared almost live, giant spotlights coming from it and shooting high into the night sky. From the fanfare at the front entrance of the dome though, it didn't seem like this was a tournament. It looked more like a red carpet movie premiere, with cars and limousines pulling up one after another to the front entrance and letting out the different dueling teams, who would have been swarmed by the mass of reporters and fans if not for the velvet ropes set up on both sides of the walkway to the doors.

----------------

Masami grinned, glancing out the window of the car and at the gathered groups of cheering fans and the media. "This is my debut! I will show them the power of Masami-sama!"

Griff banged his head against his window once more. ("Can't he go ten seconds without saying something out loud?")

-----------------

Rysel looked out at the gathered crowds and lifted an eyebrow. "Interesting, are we supposed to kill them?"

"No Rysel," Halo said, eyes closed as he prepared himself for the thing he hated more than anything else, having to pretend to be nice for the cameras. "Please do not kill the fans."

The Blood Prince sighed and rested his hands in his lap. "Very well."

-------------------------------

Eri twitched a couple of times as she stood up near the front of the giant auditorium just inside past the lobby in the dome. "I've never had to smile for so long in my entire life. How do you take it, Halo?"

The enforcer tugged on the lapels of his business suit and walked off towards a door marked staff only. "I kill small animals with my mind afterwards." Then he was out of speaking range.

"…." The rest of Team Halo shared a rather worried look. None of them doubted that Halo meant what he said.

"That's strange," Rysel said, hands on his hips while his crimson trenchcoat billowed around his legs.

"What's strange?" Eri asked.

"Why would he wait until afterwards to kill the small animals?" The Blood Prince didn't notice the looks of disgust that came from the rest of his 'teammates', turning his vision to look back behind them at the rest of the auditorium and the huge crowds of gathered duelists. "So are these the competition?"

"No," Nikolai said sharply, though calmly. "You may not kill them now."

Rysel sighed again and turned to look up at the stage. "Earthlings have very strange competitions. Amongst the Empire this would be the perfect time to have a good old-fashioned blood-bath. It'd be just like one of your war games too." He apparently didn't hear the frustrated sighs of his teammates.

-----------

The lights dimmed and the curtains over the stage rolled back to reveal a very large number of men in black suits, all of them facing towards the gathered young duelists. At the front of the group was a rather portly balding German gentleman with a microphone in his hand. Holding it up to his lips, he smiled widely and started speaking as numerous spotlights illuminated all of the gathered sponsors. _"Welcome to all of you, young duelists! You have come from all across the world to participate in this great competition and show the world that you are truly the next dueling geniuses of tommorow!"_

-------------

After a few minutes of listening to the man talk, Rysel tilted his head to the side and yawned quietly. ("This is quite boring. I wonder why we're listening to this.") His eyes widened and he pounded a fist into his other hand. ("I understand now! However, he isn't doing it correctly.")

--------------

"…_and of course special thanks to the Shadow Corporation for their…"_ The man stopped in mid-sentence as he realized that the gathered duelists were all whispering amongst themselves. _"Hmm?"_ He looked to his right and lifted an eyebrow, lowering the microphone to his side. "Excuse me young man, what are you doing up on stage?"

Rysel smiled calmly, holding up a finger and motioning to the audience. "You're doing a very poor job, sir."

"E…Excuse me?" The man stammered out, unable to believe the gall this guy this had. "I haven't even finished the introduction yet! And what gives you the right to criticize me?"

The Blood Prince snatched the microphone from the man's hand and clicked it on. _"Testing, testing…is this on? Hello there, ladies and gentlemen!"_ He waved to the now quietly snickering crowd. _"See, that's how you do it. At least I'm getting a reaction out of them, unlike you."_

"_What are you talking about?"_ The man snapped and the sound caught on the microphone, amplifying out the speakers.

Rysel sighed again, giving the man a look like he was asking the stupidest question possible. _"Stand-Up Comedy, of course."_ Out in the audience the groups started laughing. _"See, that's what you need to do to get anywhere. If you want to be a success you have to actually…"_

"This isn't Stand-Up Comedy!" The man yelled at the top of his lungs. "Whose team are you on?"

Lowering the microphone, the Blood Prince pointed right down at a very pale-faced group near the front. "Those ones, Team Halo."

"Halo?" The man turned his eyes to the groups of sponsors and glared directly at the seventeen-year-old looking businessman. "Take control of this madman. He's your responsibility!"

-----------

_A few minutes later…_

-----------

"…_and boy, are my arms tired."_ Rysel said into the microphone, deciding he could do a better job than the man had. _"But seriously folks, thanks for coming all the way out here, and sorry you had to listen to that dull man."_ The audience laughed again, but not because of Rysel's jokes. It was because the Blood Prince was talking while easily dodging the attempts of security to catch him.

Halo wished right then that the Blood Children weren't immune to shadow magic…because he wanted to see if it was possible to kill Rysel.

-------------------

"LOL!" Rysel walked out of the doors to the auditorium with the rest of Team Halo right behind him. "That was very amusing. I especially liked how all of those nice men helped me make a big success out of my first attempt at comedy." He turned and noticed that the rest of his team looked rather pale and depressed. "What's the matter, fellows? Was that not 'teh Win'?"

Eri twitched a couple of times and wondered what would be worse, getting kicked out of the tournament or getting killed by Halo. ("I didn't even get a chance to duel.") Similar sentiments were going through the mind of the rest of the group.

Halo approached them, his hands in his pockets and his expression as emotionless as normal. "Well Rysel…thanks to that little stunt you made an enemy of Gottfried Barton, the owner of Barton Industries. That would be the Barton Industries that makes engines for most of the cars that European vehicles run off of, in case you were wondering."

Krieger's right eye started to twitch a couple of times, and he looked sick to his stomach. ("That was Barton? Oh no…we're doomed…")

The enforcer turned to his back to them. "However, in a rather strange turn of events, apparently Rysel's ability to make an ass out of a pompous human has proven useful. Most of the other sponsors found the stunt absolutely hilarious, and a few even suggested that all of you get through the first round with an automatic win if we end up with uneven numbers because of any arriving late-comers. However," He turned around to face them. "Something even more interesting has occurred. Apparently we're Round One now."

"Come again..." the earth-born members of the group said all at once.

"Get your decks ready and get to the dueling bunkers. Apparently you all get to duel Barton's team…Team Reaper."

------------------

"_Hey there folks!"_ The announcer yelled into his microphone, the sound echoing down over the multi-tiered stands that surrounded the specially made hover dueling arena built in the middle of the stadium. _"Are you all ready to see some dueling?"_

The audience erupted into a huge cacophony of cheering and screaming, banners held up into the air.

Sitting back down in his seat, the announcer looked over to the two men sitting with him in the booth. _"Great! My name is Moderator, and the gentleman to my left is a much esteemed guest to the first ever DMWC!"_

The closest sitting man was a blond-haired rugged-looking character with ray-ban sunglasses over his eyes. _"The world famous Card Professor Raymond Walters!"_ The man waved lazily out to the cheering crowds.

Moderator looked down at the high-tech dueling arena, which slowly lifted into the air until it was floating in a position about thirty feet from the ground, set up perfectly for the three tiers of stands to look down at it. _"And that is the field that will be seeing all of our battling during this tournament, ladies and gentlemen! Now then, let's get right away to the rules of the Opening Ceremony Duel!"_

Screens all across the stadium lit up to show two rows of boxes on a display grid, one row blue and the other red. _"Unlike the normal best three out of five that the rest of the duels in the DMWC will be, this particular one will be special in that it's a first to five duel rule! In other words,"_ The blue row of boxes started lighting up, one after another. _"Once one team has gotten five wins total they're move on to the next round. And now let's have a look out who our competitors for this will be!"_

The screens changed to reveal a pair of emblems. The first was of a speed-marked car blazing down a race track, and the other was of a black ring. _"It will be Team Reaper of Barton Industries versus Team Halo of Halo Industries!"_

On cue a pair of heavy-looking metal bunkers was lifted high into the air on pistons until they were at an even height with the dueling arena. _"Because of the unique nature of this match the dueling pairs will be chosen random right before the duel. Now then, let's see who's first!"_

Once more the screens changed, flickering through a list of names on both sides until it came to a stop. (Ruben Caryn vs. Rysel)

----------------

Up in the private booths for the sponsors Gottfried Barton sat back in his chair and smiled as he heard the door near the back of the room open. "Welcome, Mr. Yami Halo."

Halo walked up and ignored the chance to sit down, looking down at the hover arena instead. "I assume you called me up here so you could gloat?"

"Oh, why do you sound so angry?" The man guffawed and patted the enforcer on the back a couple of times. "I don't intend to gloat until I've won, but I would like to see your reaction to my ace team."

"Ace team?" Halo closed his eyes, looking slightly displeased. "What a foolish thing to declare. There is no such thing as an ace team. Every team has its weak links and follies, hence why my team is the maximum number of players allowed. I intend to cover all of my players' weaknesses with the strengths of the others."

"That is all well and good, but your team won't get the chance to fight back against my team." Gottfried clicked on the screens set up in the booth, illuminating a much closer view of the field. "It's a shame too that Rysel got paired up against Ruben. Out of the entire group Ruben is the third best because of his skills."

"Say what you will, I do not believe that my team will lose."

------------------------

Rysel waved to the audience on all sides of him, a calm smile on his face. "Hello there everyone, have you been well? It's nice to meet you all!"

On the other side of the dueling field stood a young boy with a backwards brown baseball cap and wearing a brown t-shirt activated his duel disk. "So you're the guy that Mr. Barton wants out of the tournament, huh?"

"Barton?" Rysel tapped his chin, looking curious, and then his smile returned. "Ah, you mean the boring old man. Yes, I suppose after how much I upstaged him during his Stand-Up Comedy routine I guess he would not be happy with me. Oh well, I can understand the need for revenge. Are you supposed to be that instrument?"

"That I am." Ruben smirked as a small metal panel floated up next to him, his deck on it. "There's no need to shuffle the opponent's deck, as we all turned in our decks before entering the auditorium to the holders to make sure we couldn't insert cards in between duels to counter a certain opponent's theme. However, I'm more than willing to let you shuffle it if you wish. It might lower the percentage of you losing to ninety-three instead of ninety-five."

Rysel took his deck from the panel that came up next to him and inserted his deck into his duel disk. "Interesting, so you have calculated that I only have a five percent chance of winning? You've looked into my deck that much?"

"I haven't looked at your deck's abilities at all. I'm just saying my chances of a first turn kill are normally ninety-five percent unless the opponent shuffles my deck." Ruben put his deck into its slot and activated his disk.

"_First Round; First Duel; Ruben vs. Rysel Begin!"_

Ruben- 4000

Rysel- 4000

Ruben's duel disk beeped to indicate he had been randomly chosen to go first. "Ninety-seven percent…" He drew and held the card up in front of his face. "One hundred percent. Sorry, but you just lost."

--------

Halo narrowed his eyes slowly. "What did he say?"

Gottfried chuckled quietly for a moment before explaining. "There's a reason I called my team Reaper. It's because I assembled the best one-turn kill duelists of the young duelist league together for this tournament. And Ruben is one of the greatest because of his ability to calculate percentages in his head."

He laced his fingers together. "He said there is a ninety-five percent chance of his first-turn kill because his deck is specially built, with even the thickness of some of his cards just brushing the limits of legibility in legal play."

("For him to win like that…") Halo frowned slightly. "Exodia the Forbidden One…"

"That is correct." Gottfried crossed his legs and smiled coldly. "Exodia the Forbidden One is his specialty. If he says he wins this turn that means he most likely has. And that means it will be a first-turn kill. Rysel won't even get a chance to fight back."

Halo snorted in derision. "Take a look at Rysel's face before you make another claim."

--------------------

Ruben narrowed his eyes at the Blood Prince, who was still smiling calmly. "What are you grinning for? Do you not believe me?" He fanned his hand out a little. (Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Right Leg of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, Stage Select, Upstart Goblin) By using Stage Select he could make Exodia the Forbidden One the top card of his deck. After which he could use Upstart Goblin to draw one card, therefore meaning he could activate the instant victory effect of Exodia.

"I do not doubt your claim that you possess the method to defeat me in your hands." Rysel continued to smile, despite the uncomfortable silence that held over the audience as they realized that they were about to see the end of the duel before it even began. "The question is…will you get the chance to use it?"

"What are you talking about?" Ruben glared at the Blood Prince. "It's my turn…"

"It is still your draw phase." Rysel's expression did not change. "Therefore you'll need to go to your main phase to activate whatever winning card you may be holding."

"Yeah, so what?" Ruben thumbed at his chest. "It's a one-hundred percent chance of victory for me! Do you understand that?"

Rysel sighed, adopting a frustrated look and rubbing the back of his head. "There are so many things I don't understand about this world, apparently. However I suppose if you have the victory you should reach for it." Then his calm smile returned. "I jest my friend. You won't be making it out of your draw phase."

"What…" Ruben's eyes widened at the same time as the some members of the audience gasped in confusion at that declaration. "…was that?"

"I believe you heard me." Rysel discarded a card from his hand. "During the opponent's turn I may discard the continuous magic card Blood of Hermes from my hand to activate a normal magic card from my hand."

Another magic card appeared on his field. "I activate Blood of Hephaestus. This magic card lets me special summon a Blood named monster from my hand to the field." A giant pillar of crimson blood exploded out of the ground behind him.

Some members of the audience screamed as a giant blood-covered centipede emerged from the pillar and slithered onto Rysel's field. "My monster is Blood God." (3000/2000) "At this time I discard the trap card Blood of Artemis. This card normally, when used while on my field, powers up a Blood monster in play by 1000 attack points permanently. When discarded from my hand at the time a Blood monster is summoned it powers up that monster by 1000 for the turn only." (4000/2000)

"So you've got a 4000 attack monster now?" Ruben chuckled. "Sorry buddy, you won't be using your weapon to defeat me."

"Weapon?" The Blood Prince smiled. "Who ever said it was a weapon?" The Blood God snarled and slithered over to Ruben's field, the card appearing on the boy's disk. "It is my gift to you. From my hand I discard Blood of Aphrodite at the time a Blood monster is summoned to change its control to the opponent."

Ruben stared at the horrid beast…and then gasped as it turned to snarl at him. "Why would you give me this disgusting…"

"If the controller of Blood God has no blood named cards in their graveyard, it destroys itself and deals them its attack in damage." Rysel drank in the beautiful scream of pain that came from the boy as the Blood God swallowed him whole and then exploded.

Ruben- 0

Rysel- 4000

The audience was silent, unsure what to do.

"That…can't be…" Ruben stumbled back to his feet, his knees throbbing after the rather painful fate he had suffered. "How…what…but I calculated it…"

"LMAO, you have been served, boring First-Turn Kill n00b." Rysel turned and waited for the bunker to extend its bridge again so he could return.

-----------------

Gottfried gaped at the screen…and then at the screen that showed the field and status of the duel. "He…he didn't even…get past…"

"I believe that is a first. I suppose we call it a First-Phase Kill then?" Halo turned to look at the old man. "Do you still wish to believe your percentages matter when compared to my team?"

"It's not over yet," Gottfried barked out. "That's just one win! You still have to get four more!"

"Then let's see whether your One-Turn Kill duelists can beat my team or not, shall we?" Halo motioned out to the audience to show they were cheering wildly now for Rysel. "If anything else, I have the greatest attention-getters of the world on my side."

----------------------

"_That was…astounding."_ Moderator clutched at the side of his head. _"I barely got it into my head that was going to happen…"_ Then he pointed at the screens. _"We'd better hurry and bring out the next duelists, shall we?"_ When the audience cheered louder the randomizer screen appeared and came up with next pair of names. _"And there you have it ladies and gentlemen; our next duel is between Deadeye Dumont of Team Reaper and Masami Morioka of Team Halo! Let's hear it for them!"_

_To be continued…_


	90. Welcome to Tokyo Part 3

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 90: Welcome to Tokyo (Part 3)

"_That was…astounding."_ Moderator clutched at the side of his head. _"I barely got it into my head that was going to happen…"_ Then he pointed at the screens. _"We'd better hurry and bring out the next duelists, shall we?"_ When the audience cheered louder the randomizer screen appeared and came up with next pair of names. _"And there you have it ladies and gentlemen; our next duel is between Deadeye Dumont of Team Reaper and Masami Morioka of Team Halo! Let's hear it for them!"_

The bridges extended from the hover dueling arena to the two bunkers and the doors to the two metal containers opened.

Rysel smiled at Masami, who was just wearing a light green shirt and a pair of shorts. "A bit under-dressed for such an occasion, do you not think Masami-kun?"

The self-proclaimed genius pushed up his glasses onto his nose and smiled quirkily, the glare coming from those very thick lenses nearly blinding the Blood Prince. "Don't worry about that, I've got something in mind." Then they passed each other and Masami stepped onto the dueling arena, the bridge retracting behind him. ("I just hope I chose the correct anime set.")

Across the field from him was a rather tall and muscular young man in a fur-lined denim jacket and a pair of denim jeans, a white cowboy hat on his head. "How ya doin?" His voice had a very thick Texan accent to it. "The name's Deadeye…Deadeye Dumont. It's just a nickname, but it suits me pretty well. How about you?"

Masami made a quiet chuckling noise, one arm dangling rather limply at his side. "The name's Masami Morioka," he muttered quietly. "However…" He disappeared within an explosion of white smoke.

-------------------------

Halo did his best not to change his expression, though he had seen this when he had reviewed the video of his Mystery dueling the boy. ("Here he goes…") It made him wish Rysel could just duel again; at least the Blood Prince wasn't a complete loon…just a partial one.

--------------------------

Deadeye tipped his hat up with a thumb and raised an eyebrow at the smoke cloud. "And what's this all about?"

"Just a little change of costume," The smoke was sucked into the vents built into the arena, leaving Masami changed into a bright green long-sleeved vest, cape, and pants. His glasses were gone, leaving his scarlet eyes to stare deeply through the cameras that panned in on his face. "The Scientist remains at home today. I am Masami-sama!" His duel disk activated. "Here we go Deadeye!"

"Whoo-hoo!" The other boy activated his disk as well. "I was waitin' for you to say that!"

"_First Round; Second Duel; Deadeye vs. Masami Begin!"_

Masami- 4000

Deadeye- 4000

"It's my turn first, draw!" Masami held up a magic card. "I activate the magic card Reinforcements of the Army! From my deck I add one level four or lower warrior type monster to my hand." Removing a card from his deck, he placed a monster face-down on his disk and a card behind it in a disk slot. "I set one monster face-down and one card face-down on my field. End turn."

"Then it's my turn." Deadeye drew and smiled confidently. "I summon Western Gunfighter in attack mode." (1000/1000) A cowboy appeared on the field, a pair of revolvers hanging from the belt at his waist.

-----------------------

Gottfried chuckled to himself. "Ah, and so he pulled it. Therefore your boy is going to find himself quickly overwhelmed by the killer firepower Deadeye employs."

"If you say so," Halo crossed his arms across his chest and watched the field.

------------------------

Deadeye held up a card. "I discard the level eight Gilford the Legend from my hand to activate the effect of Western Gunfighter. By discarding a warrior type monster from my hand I can select one equipment magic card in my deck and place it on top of my deck after shuffling. I choose the equipment magic card Quickdraw Six-shooter." Adjusting his deck appropriately, he placed three cards into his duel disk. "I set three cards face-down and end my turn."

"Draw!" Masami was about to make a move when his eyes widened at the card that opened on his opponent's field. "High Noon Showdown…"

"That's right, my buddy." Deadeye's card started to glow. "You and I now draw the top cards of our deck, guessing the name of the card. If we guess it right our opponent takes 2000 points of damage. If we guess wrong we take 2000 points of damage. I guess Quickdraw Six-shooter."

"Reverse card open!" Masami's set card flipped up. "Miracle Magician lets me activate any number of normal magic cards from my hand, as well as being allowed to set quickplay magic cards from my hand down on the field! I activate the tournament magic card I Leave It in Your Hands. This card allows me to either end this duel in a draw or make it count as two wins instead of two. I now call one duel in numerical order. Therefore I call the fifth duel of this round. Whoever duels in the fifth duel of this round will now have their victory count for two instead of one if I choose the first effect."

"Also in chain I activate another tournament magic card, this one being called Finale Setup. From my hand one card is removed from the game. At any time in a different duel one of my teammates may pay half of their life points to add this card to their hand."

------------------

Gottfried frowned quietly as he noticed that Halo had just the very tiny hints of a smile on his face. "So what if he escaped losing this duel. It won't matter in the end."

-------------------

Inside the bunker on Team Halo's side, a deep sigh of relief spread through the members of the group.

"He escaped losing, thank goodness." Krieger placed a hand over his chest as his heart started up again. "I thought we were going to suffer a loss."

"That's Masami for you," Teruha muttered quietly. "He never lets things like logic or rules interfere with his goals. He's a pretty crazy guy."

---------------------

Deadeye chuckled and removed his hat, scratching the top of his head as the field faded away. "That was pretty clever of ya. I guess if fate is against ya and there's no way to succeed then you might as well try to soften the blow as much as you can." He was about to pick up his field out of his disk…

"I call Beet's Saiga; Cyclone Gunner." Masami's eyes were cold now.

"Wait…what?" Deadeye's hat slid back onto his head fully. "Did you just declare a card? You're making this duel count for two instead of leaving it in the hands of your allies?"

"You said something…" Masami's free hand clenched into a fist, a sound like air being compressed rapidly coming from it as bulging veins appeared along the visible parts of that hand. "…about fate and giving into it. About surrendering to it and trying to soften the blow."

----------------------

"_You should just stop trying to escape. It is useless, you know…" The voice was strangely calm, considering the background noises were hellish screams of pain and the sounds of various metallic instruments cutting flesh. "You are but a project under our command, all of you are. If you continue to try to get away, we'll just have to kill you and start again."_

------------------------

He scowled deeply. "Deadeye…I will show you now…" His hand rested on top of his deck. "That no matter what, I am beyond fate! I will not quietly accept something and brush it off as something I cannot escape! Draw!" The veins still bulging out of his arm, he pulled the top card so fiercely it actually sent a blast of win across the field that blew the other boy's hat off.

--------------------

("What are you doing, are you insane?") Halo's eyes widened at the screen while Barton chuckled loudly in success. ("You fool!")

---------------------

Everyone in the bunker stared at the screen in confusion. What was Masami doing?

---------------------

Masami snapped the card up. "Beet's Saiga; Cyclone Gunner is my draw!" A blast of light came from Deadeye's trap and filled the field with smoke and flames as both of them took 2000 points of damage.

Masami- 2000

Deadeye- 2000

The smoke cleared to reveal Deadeye grimacing. "Yer not bad, buddy. But I ain't done yet! When Quickdraw Six-Shooter is added to my hand it equips to Western Gunfighter!" The cowboy drew his revolvers and twirled them on his fingers. (1500/1000) "The equipped monster gains 500 attack points. Plus when he battles I draw the top card of my deck and guess what type of card it is. If I guess right the opponent's monster is destroyed and they take 500 points of damage."

"It doesn't matter!" Masami pointed at his set monster and it flipped up to reveal a light blue-haired girl wearing a violet mantle and a yellow vest and pair of shorts. "I reveal Anime Character; Beet the Vandel Buster-Poala in attack mode!" (1600/1800) "Her flip effect lets me add an equipment magic card from my deck to my hand." Removing a card from his deck, he slid it into his hand and then pointed at Deadeye's monster. "I will not bend to fate! Attack!"

"Hold it, I call magic card!" Deadeye drew and held up Pot of Greed. "That's it for you, buddy!"

"Is it really?" A card appeared on Masami's field. "Then apparently you've never heard of Beet Warriors Teamwork! I select one warrior type Beet the Vandel Buster monster on my field and switch it with a same level Beet the Vandel Buster warrior from my deck!" His monster disappeared and was replaced by young boy wearing a red overshirt and a pair of black shorts. "I summon Anime Character; Beet the Vandel Buster-Beet in attack mode!" (1200/1200) "When this monster is summoned I may add one Saiga Summon magic card from my deck or graveyard to my hand!"

Deadeye chuckled and picked his hat up, brushing it off and putting it back on his head. "Sorry partner, but from the look of your monster's attack power you can't attack."

"I deny your claim." Masami held up Saiga Summon. "I discard Saiga Summon to activate one same character named Saiga card from my hand! My choice is Beet's Saiga; Cyclone Gunner!" A ball of golden light appeared in the boy's hands and a blue-colored heavy-bodied gun appeared in his grasp. (2000/1200) "When Cyclone Gunner comes into play one magic or trap in play can be destroyed." A burst of wind came from the weapon and the Quickdraw Six-Shooter shattered. "Attack!"

"Reverse card open!" Deadeye pointed at one of his set cards and it flipped up. "Mexican Standoff activates when Western Gunfighter and another monster would battle. During this turn battle cannot occur!" The card disappeared and he smirked slightly at Masami. "Another nice try, but you won't succeed."

-------------------

"_And yet again you try to escape, dear boy. Are you just that stupid? Where would you go now if you did get away? You aren't even human anymore, so who would take a genetic mess like yourself in?" _

_The doctor slowly walked to the high security door and opened it. "Oh well, do as you wish. You're scheduled to be disposed of tommorow. Now if you don't mind, I have to be off. There's a new specimen we just recently got from a hospital." _

_A slight chuckle escaped the man's lips. "Actually it was quite funny. Apparently the girl came from a very famous group of duelists, but because of a genetic deficiency she is extremely weak of constitution. However her ability to be compatible with our newest process means that she is a gold mine. All it took was a little intervention on our part…I'm sure in the end the destruction of the hospital and everyone else in it just adds the grieving story of the parents to the dozens of others." _

_The door hissed open and he walked out chuckling to himself._

---------------------

"End turn." Masami continued to glare at the other boy.

"Draw!" Deadeye held up the Pot of Greed he had drawn. "First let's set up." He drew the top two cards of his deck and added them to his hand. "From my hand I activate A Feather of the Phoenix. By discarding one card from my hand I can may one card in my graveyard the top card of my deck. I discard one card and make Quickdraw Six-Shooter the top card of my deck. In other words, you're about to be finished. I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Masami slowly started to draw…

-----------------------

_He wandered the halls quietly, confused. Why had the doors opened? Why were the researchers dead?_

"…_broken through the security on level two! We have to get out of here! He's coming!" A scream echoed from down the hall and the heavy doors there exploded outwards, sending flame shooting down the hall on both sides of him._

_A naked male form slowly walked down the shadowed hallway, the flames seemingly harmless to him. He stopped in front of the fallen boy. "What is your name?"_

"_I…I don't have a name."_

"_You do not?" The man walked right past the boy. "Then you are not one of them. Be grateful, boy, that I have actually bothered to open the doors to your cell and the others. Go and be free."_

"_Who…who are you?"_

_He stopped and snickered. "My father called me Rykiel…the ultimate duelist. I don't mind keeping the name, since the bastard paid for it with his life. Good-bye." Then he continued on his way, intending to destroy the entire facility._

---------------------------

…the card clicking free from the deck slot…

----------------------------

_He kneeled before the corpse of the doctor, of the man who had no name to him. Looking through his wallet, the boy found a slip of paper. In it were the words 'I can do this…I will save Masami tonight. I will not let them kill him. I will not let them kill my son.' _

"_Masami…" The boy looked down at the dead man. This was the man who had had even bothered to speak to him. Who had tortured countless other subjects, the boy included. "Rest in peace, father." _

_Removing a keycard from the wallet, the five-year-old Masami Morioka dropped the leather article at his feet. Before he left, there was something he felt he needed to do._

--------------------------------

"Draw!" Masami watched Deadeye's second High Noon Showdown flip up. "You wish to end this? You wish to end me?" He smiled mirthlessly and the drawn card was slammed into his disk. "It won't happen. I activate Curse of Pain; also I call Pot of Greed." He drew and held up a different magic card. "Not that it matters, Curse of Pain sends your correct guess and my incorrect guess damage back at you."

Deadeye stared at the green-haired boy. "What are you?"

----------------------------------

"_Who…who are you?" The speaker was a little five-year-old girl with a brown ponytail, tears in her eyes as she cowered in the corner of her containment room._

_Masami said nothing, but instead walked across the room and kneeled in front of her. "You're having a dream. The surgery was a success. You are cured of your illness." A warm smile crept across his face as he looked at her. "Teruha Chikara, your parents are waiting for you."_

_Sniffling, the little girl hugged her legs to her chest. "But I'm scared. There were all kinds of scary noises outside. What if there are monsters out there?"_

"_Don't worry," Masami said cheerfully. "Not all monsters are evil. After all I'm willing to help you, right?" _

------------------------------------------

"I am that which should never have been. But I will not accept that." Masami ignored the scream of pain as his opponent's field exploded as he turned and stumbled towards the edge of the arena, right next to where the bridge would extend. "I am Otaku. I am mad scientist. I am monster. Call me what you will, but I will not care. I am beyond caring what others think of me."

Masami- 2000

Deadeye- 0

------------------------------

Gottfried gaped at the screens as they lit up with three boxes for Team Halo. "No!"

Halo said nothing, his expression unchanged.

-------------------------------

"_Incredible!"_ Moderator pumped his fist into the air and leapt out of his seat. _"That was great! Hurry up and bring on the next match!"_ The screen flickered on and quickly came to a stop. _"Alright, the next match is Shiv of Team Reaper versus Adriel Zaytel of Team Halo!"_

_To be continued…_

Author's Notes: On an added note to my disclaimer, I do not own Beet the Vandel Buster either.


	91. Welcome to Tokyo Part 4

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 91: Welcome to Tokyo (Part 4)

"_Incredible!"_ Moderator pumped his fist into the air and leapt out of his seat. _"That was great! Hurry up and bring on the next match!"_ The screen flickered on and quickly came to a stop. _"Alright, the next match is Shiv of Team Reaper versus Adriel Zaytel of Team Halo!"_

----------

The bridge extended from the bunkers to the arena, and both Masami and Deadeye walked across one side while their teammates came from the other way.

Adriel and Masami walked past each other, not even meeting eyes. Adriel had other things on his mind, and Masami didn't look like he wanted to talk right now anyway. The moment they were done the bridges withdrew and left Adriel and his opponent facing each other in the arena.

His opponent was a young man with skin so pale it was almost white. He was wearing a black shirt with the picture of a grunge band on it, his greasy black hair and eyes showing that he apparently didn't care too much about his appearance. "So you're Adriel Zaytel huh? And here I was expecting something interesting." The chain hanging from his wallet and attached to his long black pants swung back and forth lazily as he activated his duel disk. "I'll show you hell."

"Hell?" Adriel had a black duffel bag hanging from his shoulder, wearing only a black undershirt and a pair of black pants. He narrowed his eyes and unzipped the duffel bag, opening it and removing a black robe, the collar of the piece of clothing apparently heavily starched because it was perfectly stiff. Sliding the robe on, he turned his back to his opponent.

"That's right, Hell. You know, the place with flames, torture, and all that other fun stuff." Shiv snickered at the Team Halo member. "Your attempt to be cool won't matter once you're plunged into the abyss."

"That's enough!" Adriel turned and pointed up above him with one finger, the edges of the robe blowing out behind him. "You continue to talk about things you do not understand. Stop yourself before you get hurt."

His duel disk activated and he looked out to the crowds. "Remember this, all of you! Duel Academy represents the pinnacle of the young dueling world! We are the top, and we are the best of the best! And above even us is the White Kaiser, the cold-hearted wolfess who resides in a realm of light!"

-----------------------

Eri narrowed her eyes at the screen in the bunker. "What's he getting at?"

-----------------------

"However," Adriel closed his eyes and continued, "There exists more than the light. For where there is light there is always darkness." A powerful black wind blew across the stadium sky, its source from his position.

"You sure have a pretty high opinion of yourself, considering you're number two!" Shiv pointed at the half dragon demon angrily. "What makes you qualified beyond anyone else, huh?"

Adriel's lips lifted into a slight smile. This was the moment. "The students of Duel Academy would rather reside in the light then the dark. That is their choice." The wind picked up, but seemed to condense around him. "However, that makes me no less than what I am!"

His voice amplified across the stadium, to the ears of the gathered fans and members of the audience. _"My scales glitter in the darkness. My teeth bite the shroud of night. I am born of the shadows, and will die there. I am the Black Dragon of Duel Academy! Remember it well!"_

"_First Round; Third Duel; Shiv versus Adriel Begin!"_

Adriel- 4000

Shiv- 4000

"Draw!" Adriel snapped the top card off of his deck and the powerful black winds swirled around him. "I summon Red Eyes Black Chick in attack mode!" (800/500) A red egg appeared on his field and cracked open at the top, a little black dragon chick poking its head free and screeching. "This is the power of the darkness! I sacrifice Red Eyes Black Chick to special summon Red Eyes Black Dragon from my hand to the field!" The little chick disappeared in a burst of black energy and was replaced by a towering skeletal-bodied black dragon. (2400/2000)

Shiv looked up at the hovering Red Eyes dragon and chuckled. "What can you do with that big thing on the first turn? It can't attack, so all you've done is made a little show of power I can easily get around."

"From my hand I activate Inferno Fire Blast!" Adriel pointed at the other boy. "You now take the original attack of one Red Eyes Black Dragon in play as damage!" His monster roared and charged up a fireball of energy in its jaws. "Inferno Fire Blast!" Then the dragon unleashed a blast of flame that exploded in Shiv's face, sending him sliding back a couple of feet.

Adriel- 4000

Shiv-1600

"End turn." Adriel crossed his arms across his chest while his dragon snarled angrily down at the boy.

"That sad creature won't beat me." Shiv drew. "I activate the continuous magic card Energy Converter. While this card is in play once per turn I can sacrifice a magic or trap card on my field to gain 800 life points." Another card appeared on his field next to that one. "I also activate The Dark Door. Now only one monster may attack per battle phase. Then I place three cards face-down on my field and one monster face-down. End turn."

"Draw!" Adriel snickered. "A Destiny Board deck doesn't impress me! From my hand I activate Wingbeat of Giant Dragon!" His Red Eyes Black Dragon flapped its wings once and sent a swirling tornado of black wind across the field. "All magic and trap cards in play will be destroyed by letting me return a level five or higher dragon type monster from my field to my hand!"

Shiv gasped as his five cards were blown away in one sweeping blow. "How did you know…"

"It was obvious since the moment you activated The Dark Door and Energy Converter!" Adriel removed the Red Eyes Black Dragon card from his disk and added it to his hand, throwing down a different card instead. "I summon Black Hellkite in attack mode!" A black-colored glider-like dragon appeared on his field. (1700/700) "Attack the set monster now, Black Striker!"

The creature glided across the field and slashed through the set monster, blowing it apart instantly. "When Hellkite destroys a monster as a result of battle the controller of that monster loses 500 life points."

Adriel- 4000

Shiv-1100

Shiv held up his destroyed monster card and smirked. "You walked right into my Morphing Jar and its flip effect. That means that we both discard our hands and draw five new cards." Since he had no cards in his hand he just drew five cards.

Adriel glanced at the cards in his hand and then slid one of them into his graveyard slot before dropping the other two in. "I draw." Pulling five cards off of his deck, the half dragon demon nodded at them and slid a card into his disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Shiv drew and narrowed his eyes at the cards in his hand. ("This guy runs dragons, and dragons have plenty of magic and trap destruction effects. Therefore I'll just have to switch to my back-up strategy.") "I discard three Spirit Message cards from my hand to special summon Destiny Beyonder from my hand to the field!" A phantasmal skeleton appeared on his field. (1000/1000)

Adriel scoffed at the creature. "What's that weakling going to do to me?"

"That weakling?" Shiv laughed and white ectoplasm poured out of his graveyard and into his monster. "For every Spirit Message in my graveyard the attack of Destiny Beyonder increases by 300. Also, for every Destiny Board in my graveyard Destiny Beyonder gains 400 attack points. Therefore with the two Destiny Boards, two Spirit Message As, and one Spirit Message Is in my graveyard, the power of my Destiny Beyonder becomes 2700!" (2700/1000)

"Beyonder, attack Black Hellkite now!" His monster hurled a ball of pulsing white ectoplasm across the field that slammed into Adriel's monster and blew it apart.

Adriel- 3000

Shiv-1100

Bracing himself against the painful backlash that hit his body, Adriel pointed at his set card. "Reverse card open! Bury the Black activates when a Black named dragon type monster on my field is sent to the graveyard. I select two more Black named dragon type monsters and send them from my deck to the graveyard." He removed a pair of cards and slid them into his graveyard. "My choices are Red Eyes Black Dragon and Red Eyes Black Chick number two."

Bury the Black was placed on his graveyard slot and it slid into his graveyard. "When Bury the Black goes to the graveyard my opponent takes 500 points of damage."

Shiv growled and braced himself as his body was illuminated by an aura of red flame. "I place one monster card face-down and end my turn."

Adriel- 3000

Shiv- 600

Adriel snapped the top card off of his deck and added it to his hand. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Shiv drew and pointed at Adriel. "Beyonder, attack his life points directly!" The spirit cackled and charged up another ectoplasm fireball.

"Reverse card open!" Adriel snapped his hand out and one of his set cards flipped up. "Call of the Haunted revives one monster from my graveyard to the field in attack mode! Return to me Red Eyes Black Dragon!" The skeletal dragon reappeared in play. (2400/2000) "Also, I activate the trap card Black Winds of Hell!" His Red Eyes flapped its wings once and created a barrier of black wind that blocked the thrown ball of ectoplasm. "This trap can only be activated if I have a Red Eyes Black Dragon in play. During this turn all battle damage to my field is zero. Also, when Black Winds of Hell go to the graveyard you take 300 points of damage!"

Shiv shuddered as he was lit up within another burst of red flame. "You punk…end turn!"

Adriel- 3000

Shiv- 300

Adriel drew and motioned to his dragon. "Red Eyes Black Dragon switches to defense mode. I place two cards face-down and end my turn." A pair of cards appeared next to Call of the Haunted.

Shiv snapped the top card off of his deck and he snickered. "Reverse monster open!" His face-down monster revealed itself to be a bloody ghost. "This is my Destiny Drainer, and when he is flipped you lose 500 life points and I gain 500 life points." (500/500)

Adriel- 2500

Shiv- 800

He pointed at his monster and it exploded. "By sending Destiny Drainer to the graveyard I can special summon two Destiny Drawers!" A pair of ghosts covered in white chains appeared on his field. (100/100)x2 "When these cards are sent to the graveyard I draw one card. I offer these two monsters as sacrifices to summon Destiny Dragon!" Both of the ghosts vanished and were replaced by a howling phantasmal dragon made of ectoplasm. (2500/2500)

Adriel pointed at his set card. "Reverse card open!" His Red Eyes flapped its wings again and created another barrier of black wind. "I activate Black Winds of Hell!" The card was slid into his graveyard and Shiv lit up with red fire again.

Adriel- 2500

Shiv- 500

Shiv narrowed his eyes and drew two cards. "From the looks of it, you're safe for the turn." Then he snickered. "If I wasn't holding Magic Purge, that is." The black winds died down to reveal Adriel's field again. "And then from my hand I activate Ectoplasmer Reconstruction. This card allows me to gain the attack of one dark fiend on my field in life points. However, that monster may not attack during this turn."

Adriel- 2500

Shiv- 3200

Adriel frowned right before the Destiny Dragon exhaled a blast of white ectoplasm that dissolved his Red Eyes Black Dragon. "Reverse card open, Bury the Black!" Two more monsters were emptied into his graveyard along with the activated trap.

Adriel- 2500

Shiv- 2800

Shiv threw back his head and laughed. "If you keep dumping your monsters in the graveyard like that you'll never draw anything to defend yourself with! Therefore at this rate you'll be finished. End turn!"

Adriel drew while the black winds around him built up once more. "Only one of us will be finished, and that would be you." All around them both giant black spires rose into the sky, the ground changing to blackened stone. The air above them darkened, and the shapes of dragons in flight could be seen flying in the shadowed sky.

"What is this?" Shiv stared at the changed field in confusion. "You didn't play anything!"

"That's correct." Adriel motioned around them. "Hell Dragon Kingdom, when in my graveyard with ten or more cards on top of it, is activated during my standby phase! So therefore I thank you for using Morphing Jar, since without it I wouldn't have been able to get it into the graveyard."

For a few moments Shiv looked concerned, but then he calmed down. "Wait, why am I worried? You don't have any monsters in play, and without those you won't be able to win."

"That's true." Adriel held up Pot of Greed, drawing two cards from his deck. "And now revive yourself from my graveyard, Black Dragon King!" A giant black-scaled skeleton dragon appeared on his field. "Black Dragon King, when in my graveyard with more than ten cards on it, is special summoned from my graveyard to my field. At this time I may special summon up to two Black named normal dragons to my field from my graveyard!"

Two Red Eyes Black Dragons appeared in play on both sides of his monster. (2000/2400) (2400/2000)x2 "For every Black named dragon in play besides itself the power of Black Dragon King goes up by 500!" (3000/2400)

Shiv frowned at the trio of dragons. "Good, but they won't all be able to beat me. You only have one monster strong enough to get around my monsters."

"From my hand I activate Silent Rebirth." Adriel's graveyard spat out a card and a third Red Eyes Black Dragon appeared on his field in defense mode. (2400/2000) (Black Dragon King: 3500/2400) "If you haven't noticed I summoned my other two Red Eyes in defense mode as well! Black Dragon King, attack Destiny Beyonder!" The crowned hell dragon unleashed a blast of burning black fire that melted away the ghost. "End turn."

Adriel- 2500

Shiv- 2000

Shiv drew and his eyes widened. "Yes, this is perfect! From my hand I activate the magic card Destiny Burst Breath! This card can only be activated if my Destiny Dragon is in play. During this turn no monsters but it may attack, but it can attack each of your monsters in play once. Also, every time it destroys a monster you lose 400 life points! Now watch as your monsters burn away! Destiny Burst Stream!" His dragon exhaled a white flame that melted away the three Red Eyes Black Dragons and then swallowed up the Black King Dragon, destroying it as well.

Adriel brought up one arm to brace himself against the painful backlash, his robe blowing out behind him as the white fire encircled his body. "The effect of Hell Dragon Kingdom is that whenever a Black named dragon is destroyed in battle you lose 300 life points."

Adriel- 400

Shiv- 800

Shiv frowned as a black aura appeared around him, his body stinging as the field card drained his life points. "End turn."

Adriel looked down at his deck and then out at the audience. "This is the moment I will show you the power of the Black Dragon of Duel Academy. Where the White Kaiser walks in the light and controls the power of the white creatures, I bring to my battles the power of hell and the black! Draw!" He held the card up in front of his face and smiled darkly. "Get ready to get knocked for a loop, you bastard. From my hand I activate the magic card Hellquake!"

His graveyard slid out of its slot. "I now place my graveyard back into place, but start from the top card and work my way down." He held up Black Dragon King and inserted it into his graveyard before he started sliding the cards in one by one until his graveyard was back where it had started, but now in reverse order. "You know what that means don't you?"

His Black Dragon King reappeared in play, along with a pair of his Red Eyes Black Dragons. (3000/2400) (2400/2000)x2 "Unfortunately monsters special summoned by Black Dragon King cannot attack during the turn they are summoned."

Shiv laughed. "Therefore you haven't won yet."

"I'm not quite done." Adriel held up a magic card. "I activate the magic card Egg of the Emperor. By discarding one card from my hand I can add one Black Dragon Emperor from my deck to my hand." Then he pointed at his Black Dragon King, which faded away. "I sacrifice Black Dragon King to summon Black Dragon Emperor!" The crowned dragon disappeared and was replaced by an even bigger skeletal dragon. (2000/2400)

"Now for its effect!" The hellish skeleton dragon snapped its bony neck down and bit into one of the Red Eyes Black Dragons, destroying it. Then it repeated the action on the other. "By sacrificing Black dragon type monsters on my field I can change this monster's effects. At first it has no effect, but after offering one Black Dragon to it Emperor gains the ability to gain 400 attack points per dragon in my graveyard." (5200/2400) "By sacrificing two it also gains the power to deal the attack of a monster it destroys in battle in damage to your life points. Three means that it becomes immune to the effects of traps as well. And four means it becomes immune to magic cards too."

He pointed at Shiv. "I promise you this won't be pleasant! I activate Bury the Dead!" Three more monsters were slid into his graveyard. (6400/2400) "Show him that anything with dragon in its title is mine to command!" The mighty hell dragon flew towards the Destiny Dragon and bit its neck. The ectoplasmic monster hissed in pain and condensed as the Black Dragon Emperor breathed the monster into its lungs, skeletal chest rising.

Shiv's eyes trembled in fear right before he disappeared within a swirling inferno of black and white fire.

Adriel- 400

Shiv- 0

The field faded away and Adriel heard his named being chanted. Turning to look out at the audience, he punched a fist above his head and the black winds picked up again. _"I am the Black Dragon of Duel Academy! Remember it well if you ever speak ill of us!"_ Then he turned and walked towards the bridge, that dark smile on his face. ("I missed being evil so much.")

---------------------------

"_Wow that was great!"_ Moderator watched the screens come up with four lit boxes on the side of Team Halo. _"Team Halo is on a roll and they don't seem to be on the verge of stopping! First Rysel amazed us all with his First-Phase Kill, then Masami absolutely tore down the strategy of Deadeye Dumont and won two points for Team Halo, and just now the Black Dragon of Duel Academy unleashed the forces of his own form of hell on the Destiny Board duelist Shiv! This is the best!"_

The screen changed to the randomizer, which started going through names…

----------------------------

Gottfried frowned while Halo went to get himself a victory drink from the mini-bar. ("This is horrible. My team is behind by four points. If his team wins one more time then…") He saw the next match…and he smiled calmly. "It seems the tables have turned. Now we'll see just how powerful your team leader is against my team leader."

------------------------------

"_Alright! The next duel will be between the two leaders of the teams! Ichigo Pilkington of Team Halo versus Prizar Teury of Team Reaper! Let's hear it for them both!"_

_To be continued…_


	92. Welcome to Tokyo Part 5

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 91: Welcome to Tokyo (Part 5)

"_Alright! The next duel will be between the two leaders of the teams! Ichigo Pilkington of Team Halo versus Prizar Teury of Team Reaper! Let's hear it for them both!"_

The bridges extended once more and connected to the arena. Shiv stumbled towards his bunker, while Adriel took his time making the trip. Before he had stepped onto the dueling field Ichigo had yet to arrive, and if he could buy the half demon even a couple of extra seconds then he would swallow his pride and saunter just a little bit to slow his walking speed.

The door of their bunker opened to reveal a brown-cloaked form that slowly moved past Adriel. "Good job, Black Dragon," it whispered, bringing a smile out from under the shadows of the cloak's hood.

Adriel smiled slightly as well. Both of them had stopped midway across the bridge and were facing opposite directions, appearing almost as if they had stopped moving altogether. "Just remember Pilkington that you're number three of Duel Academy. If you can't beat this guy then expect to get beaten on by both heaven and hell, if you get me."

"Yeah, I get you." Ichigo grinned under the cowl. "Don't worry; I just needed to get a little costume change from Masami." Then they went their separate ways. The time for talk amongst rivals was later. Now it was time for the leaders of the two teams to meet on the field of battle.

Across the field stood a male figure dressed in completely black, an executioner's hood over his head. "You must be Ichigo Pilkington, the famous son of the ex-world champion."

"None other," Ichigo declared his face and body still hidden from sight. "Are you a fan of my father?"

"No, but I'm a fan of a card of yours." Prizar pointed at the half demon slowly, his rough voice like gravel rubbed against sand. "In this duel I want to face your Death God."

"My Death God?" Ichigo's shadowed mouth twitched into a slight smile. "Final Shadow Death God? Is there any reason why?"

"Because I will denounce him in this battle." Prizar thumbed at his chest. "I possess the true power of death within my deck. This is my deck of the afterlife, and it will bury you Ichigo Pilkington. There's a reason this team is called Team Reaper, and despite what Barton may say it's got nothing to do with those other one-turn kill duelists."

"Interesting…" Ichigo undid the fastener of his cloak. "Before that, allow me to introduce myself to the audience! You're more than welcome to do the same, if you wish."

"I'm not in this for the glory," the other boy muttered, crossing his arms across his chest and waiting patiently for the half demon to make his introduction so the duel could begin.

-----------------------

Adriel sat down next to Masami and crossed his legs. "Is there any particular reason that you dressed up Pilkington and then threw a cloak over him to conceal his appearance?"

Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Masami gave his quirky smile and silently pointed at Teruha and Chris, winking.

Adriel lifted an eyebrow but turned his eyes to the screen as Ichigo prepared to throw the cloak away.

----------------------------

The brown piece of cloth fluttered up into the air and away, leaving Ichigo's arm up in the air and his eyes closed to increase the drama behind the unveiling. His ears pricked slightly as he heard hundreds of female gasps. ("Huh?") Opening his eyes, he looked down at himself and nearly shrugged, though instinct to remain cool stopped him from doing something so random.

His costume was a deep blue Tai Chi uniform with silver embroidering of Osiris running along the arms and up the legs, all of it coming to a single point at his back where the coiling god dragon's head could be seen roaring. Around his neck was a deep blue cloth choker with a silver cat-bell attached to it. The half demon's normally puffy brown hair had been tamed and brushed down, making him look downright noble.

-----------------------------

Adriel stared wide-eyed at the blushes on the cheeks of both Teruha and Chris, who were staring at the screen in a similar way to how he was staring at them. "How in the heck…" He looked at the screen again and an eyebrow lifted on his face. "Why does he look like he is glittering?"

Masami chuckled at his superiority. "A simple design trick using the silver fabric embroidered in his clothing and some metallic threads woven in with them. In combination with that, I added the bell and choker to add to the cuteness of the cat look. Also, take notice of how the pants are a bit tighter around the back area to accent the appearance of the butt."

He started ticking these points off on his fingers, smiling widely. "Then combine that with the rather innocent expression Ichigo normally has and his now brushed back hair, pieces of it which occasionally hang in or over his eyes, and you've got yourself the ultimate lady-killer formula. Oh Masami, you are a genius!" He declared the last part of this in whisper to himself.

Adriel's right eye twitched and he inched away from the green-haired boy. "You are disturbing. And you are also about to be a dead man."

"What makes you say…" Masami found himself forcefully turned and looking directly into a pair of not amused golden eyes. "Oh, hello Kaiser," he muttered nervously, realizing that he had just shot himself in the foot. ("I should have taken a cue from villains in movies and stayed silent, but no…I just had to praise myself.")

"Why are you whoring out my boyfriend?" She dead-panned, her hands curled around the top of his vest to make sure he couldn't run away.

"Oh come now, Kaiser," Masami stammered out, sweat building up on his forehead. "I'm simply performing an experiment that only someone as naturally capable of being cute as Ichigo could accomplish."

"Turning him into a kitty boy toy does not count as an experiment, Morioka!" She screamed this right in his face, blowing back his hair like he had been facing a strong wind.

"Well…umm…." Masami looked for Adriel for assistance.

The Dark Dragon wasn't even looking at the other boy. ("You aren't dragging me down with you.")

------------------------------

Ichigo looked around at the audience's reaction in curiosity, a very cute and perplexed look on his face. Unfortunately this just added to the reactions he did not understand, actually garnering some squeals from some of the female members of the audience. ("Why do I suddenly have the feeling like I've been tricked?")

Prizar sighed and activated his duel disk. "Ichigo Pilkington, I grow tired of waiting. Are you going to introduce yourself or what?"

Ichigo nodded and pounded his chest proudly a couple of times. "I am…" A ring caught his attention and he instinctively looked down at the bell around his neck, ears semi-flattened to his head.

Prizar growled angrily. "Hurry up!"

"Oh forget it!" Ichigo activated his duel disk. "Here we go, Prizar!"

"_First Round; Fourth Duel; Prizar Teury versus Ichigo Pilkington Begin!"_

Ichigo- 4000

Prizar- 4000

Ichigo snapped the top card off of his deck and added it to his hand. "From my hand I summon Final Shadow Shield Guardian in defense mode!" A black-suited warrior holding a huge metal shield in front of him appeared on Ichigo's field in a crouching position. "This monster's original defense is equal to the number of defense mode monsters on my field times 1500." (0/1500) "I place one card face-down and end my turn." A card appeared face-down on his field behind his monster.

Prizar chuckled, his gravely voice making the sound nearly grating. "It's my turn, draw." He looked at the cards in his hand and then placed a card face-down on his disk. "I place one monster face-down. End turn."

Ichigo drew and threw a card onto his disk, a wolf made of dark blue crystal appearing on his field. "I summon Star Shadow Wolf in attack mode!" (1500/1000) "Attack the set monster now!" His monster exhaled blue fire that destroyed the set monster. "When Star Shadow Wolf destroys a monster as a result of battle I draw one card." Pulling a card off of his deck, he smiled slightly at Prizar. "Cool, huh?"

"Don't talk to me like I was one of your friends." Prizar pointed at his field, where a brown-furred three-eyed demon appeared. "When Mystic Tomato is sent from my field to the graveyard as a result of battle I can special summon a dark attribute monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck to the field in attack mode. My choice is Sangan." (1000/600)

Ichigo sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Come on, lighten up a little. End turn."

Prizar drew. "I will not lighten up until I have shown that my power is the best. And you will be my doorway, because when I tear one like you down the rest of the world will see that I am a true duelist." A card appeared on his field. "I activate Painful Choice, selecting five cards from my deck and showing them to you. Then you select one of them and it goes into my hand, the rest of them being discarded into the graveyard." Five cards appeared on his field. (Repayment of Losses, Repayment of Losses, Repayment of Losses, Grasp of the Reaper, One-Slash Kill! Quick Pull Draw)

Ichigo frowned, because the best he could was choose one of the Repayment of Losses. "I choose Repayment of Losses." The card appeared in Prizar's grasp while the rest of the cards slid into the graveyard.

Prizar laughed and his graveyard started glowing. "When Repayment of Losses is discarded into my graveyard from my deck, hand, or field I draw one card." Two cards left his deck and were added to his hand. "And now for the next card in my combo that will end you this turn. I play A Feather of the Phoenix, discarding one card from my hand to make One-Slash Kill! Quick Pull Draw the top card of my deck."

He inserted the third Repayment of Losses into his graveyard and placed the card on top of his deck. "And now I draw for the effect of Repayment of Losses." He drew the card he had placed on top of his deck.

Ichigo pounded his brain for the effect of One-Slash Kill, but he couldn't remember for sure what the magic card did. ("I think it had something to do with destroying all cards on the field, but the chances of it going off are pretty low. Some kind of draw effect…")

Prizar held up a magic card. "I activate the magic card Stage Select, making the top card of my deck One-Slash Kill! Quick Pull Draw." He adjusted his deck. "You may shuffle your deck with Stage Select's effect if you wish, I don't care. Now then, do you know the effect of One-Slash Kill?"

Ichigo snapped his fingers, trying hard to remember the effect of the card. "Let's see, I know you discard cards from your deck and then draw. If you get the right card, you blow up the field."

"You're close." Prizar's hood flowed slightly. "The effect of One-Slash Kill is that first I discard one card from my deck for every card in play. Then I draw the top card of my deck. If that card is also One-Slash Kill then all cards in play are destroyed and for every one destroyed you take 1000 points of damage. Also, this card cannot be negated or countered by any effect."

Ichigo chuckled loudly. "Well then what was the point of making the top card of your deck? You'll be discarding it into the graveyard, right?"

"Wrong." A card appeared on Prizar's field. "I activate the continuous magic card Mastery of the One-Slash Kill! This card activates its effect when I activate One-Slash Kill. Instead of me discarding one card from my deck for every card in play, you discard one card from your deck for every card in play. Also this card cannot be destroyed by the effect of One-Slash Kill. Do you understand what this means?"

Ichigo's eyes widened in amazement. "That's…"

"That's what? Terrifying? Horrible?" Prizar started to laugh…

"That's awesome!" Ichigo looked absolutely ecstatic. "You're actually going to try and defeat me in such a cool way? Dude, you're absolutely amazing!"

"I…" Prizar slid two cards into his disk. "I place two cards face-down on my field and activate One-Slash Kill!" Then he pointed at Ichigo. "There are seven cards in play total, so discard seven cards from your deck!"

Ichigo complied, still grinning stupidly. ("This guy is intense…I love it!")

"And now for the end!" Prizar placed his hand on top of his deck. "Here it comes, the one-turn kill! Draw!" He snapped the top card off of his deck violently, sending a roaring white crescent of power across the field that destroyed everything in its path except for Mastery of the One-Slash Kill.

Ichigo's eyes widened at the approaching crescent of 6000 points of damage…and then he smirked. "Sorry, but there's one downside to you using the effect of your continuous magic card and making me discard cards from my deck." Suddenly the crescent split in half, one part of it looping back and slamming into Prizar at the same time as the original crescent struck Ichigo.

Ichigo- 1000

Prizar- 1000

Prizar slid backwards about five feet, as did Ichigo. "How did you do that?"

The half demon blinked innocently. "I thought it'd be obvious considering my comment." He removed a card from his graveyard. "You sent my Obscure Screen trap card to the graveyard. When this card goes to my graveyard during that turn all damage I take is cut in half and half of that damage is dealt to you."

"So that's how you survived." Prizar snorted and removed a card from his deck. "That's fine, it's not done yet. The One-Slash Kill I drew is sent to the graveyard. Also, the effect of Sangan is that when it goes to the graveyard from my field I add a monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck to my hand."

A pair of traps appeared on his field next. "The cards I sent to my graveyard were Dark Coffins, which when destroyed while face-down force you to either destroy a monster on your field or discard a card from your hand. Obviously my choice is to make you discard two cards from your hand, since you have no monsters now."

Ichigo nodded and discarded two cards from his hand. "What will you do now? If you attack me with enough power to end the duel you'll end it in a draw since Obscure Screen will hit you at the same time as I take the damage. If you simply hit me for enough to lower my life points you'll be setting yourself up for defeat in the next turn if you're not holding a defensive trap."

"I understand, so shut up." Prizar placed a monster face-down on his disk. "I set one monster face-down in play. End turn."

Ichigo smiled cheerfully, and then blinked as he elicited another round of girly squeals from the crowd. "I wonder what their problem is…"

Prizar sweat-dropped despite how angry he was. ("Is this guy just selectively stupid?")

"Oh well, let's move on!" Ichigo drew and tossed a card onto his disk. "Go Final Shadow God Moonlight Romancer!" A tuxedo-wearing masked man appeared on his field. (1400/1200) "I activate his effect, Gentleman's Aura! This effect makes you draw a card, while I gain 3000 life points." A green glow fell over his body as his life points were returned to normal.

Ichigo- 4000

Prizar- 1000

Ichigo pointed at the set monster. "Go Moonlight Romancer!" The Final Shadow God flipped across the field and kicked the set card, shattering it.

Prizar drew a card. "When Card Reaper (300/300) is sent to the graveyard from my field I draw one card."

Ichigo nodded in understanding. "You're setting up to try the one-turn kill again, right?" When he got response he shrugged innocently. "End turn, I guess."

Prizar snapped the top card off of his deck violently. Flipping it over, he huffed in frustration. "I suppose I have no choice but to activate this card. Go Card Destruction! Now we both discard our hands and draw a number of cards equal to the number we discard." He discarded four cards and drew four, while Ichigo discarded three and drew three.

After a few moments of looking his hand over he chuckled. ("I'll be chopping your field soon enough.") "I summon Spirit Reaper in defense mode." A violet-clothed skeleton holding a scythe appeared on his field atop its card. (300/200) "Then I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo snapped the top card off of his deck. "Go Gentleman's…"

"Reverse card open!" One of Prizar's two set cards flipped up and the Final Shadow God exploded. "Grasp of the Reaper activates when you attempt to use a life gain effect. That effect is negated and the card that activated the effect is destroyed."

Ichigo pouted. "Aw man, I should have seen that coming too. Oh well," his cheerful smile returned. "With as cool as this duel has been so far, I just have to wonder how much longer I'll last until you try that trick again and cut me down." A pair of cards appeared face-down on his field. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Prizar snapped the top card off of his deck and started laughing. "The end approaches! I open my face-down Hidden Book of Spell trap card, shuffling my two One-Slash Kill magic cards back into my deck." Then he held up a magic card. "I activate the magic card Pot of Magic. This card lets me shuffle three magic cards from my graveyard into my deck and then I draw one card." He held up Painful Choice, Stage Select and Card Destruction. "These are my choices." Shuffling them into his deck, he then drew one card. "And now I set two cards face-down. End turn."

Ichigo drew. "I summon Final Shadow Smash Brute in attack mode!" A giant black-suited humanoid appeared on his field. (1800/1500) "Attack Spirit Reaper now!" His monster charged forward and punched the skeleton, shattering it. "When Smash Brute battles with a defense mode monster that monster is destroyed after damage calculation! End turn."

"Draw!" Prizar threw down another card onto his field. "I summon another Spirit Reaper in defense mode. End turn." Another violet-clothed skeleton appeared on his field.

Ichigo drew and threw the card onto his disk. "I summon Final Shadow Psyche Vizier!" A female black-suited thief wearing a metallic helmet appeared on his field. (1200/1300) "Smash Brute, attack the Spirit Reaper!" His giant humanoid charged forward and punched the undead monster, shattering it. "Psyche Vizier, attack for game!"

"Reverse card open!" Prizar pointed at one of his set cards, which flipped up and released a blast of black energy that washed over Ichigo's field and destroyed his monster. "Staring into the Face of Death is a trap card that triggers if you attempt to attack directly after battling with a monster that has Reaper or Death in its title. All monsters on your field are destroyed."

Ichigo blushed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I guess I got greedy." Another squeal came from the audience. "…." He slowly lowered his arm and sweat-dropped. "End turn."

Prizar drew and behind his hood his eyes widened. "I activate Card of Demise, drawing until I am holding five cards in hand." Pulling five cards off of his deck, he fanned them out in front of his face and then placed a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and play Stage Select! My choice is obvious." Holding up One-Slash Kill, he placed it atop his shuffled deck. "And now I activate the One-Slash Kill in my hand! Mastery of the One-Slash Kill forces the top five cards of your deck into the graveyard!"

Ichigo slid five more cards from his dwindling deck into his graveyard, eyes narrowed as he felt his heartbeat pick up. ("I love it, the moment of facing down something this deadly.")

Prizar slid his original One-Slash Kill into his graveyard and placed his hand on top of his deck. "Here it comes! Draw!" He drew and the field exploded violently as another crescent of white light shot towards Ichigo rapidly.

Ichigo's serious look faded and he stuck his tongue out at Prizar. "Sorry but denied. Reverse card open!" His face-down card flipped up. "Truce of Opposing Scholars activates when you activates a magic card. All magic and trap cards in play return to their owner's hands." The white crescent slowly faded away. "That means that when One-Slash Kill went off there were no cards in play, so the damage from it is zero."

Prizar growled angrily, his executioner's hood puffing out slightly as his breathing grew ragged. "Damn you…"

Ichigo held up the one card he had returned to his hand. "Field Agent is a trap card that, when returned to my hand, lets me discard it to draw a number of cards equal to the number of my turns it has been set on my field. That's two, so I draw two cards." Sliding the trap into his graveyard the half demon pulled two cards off of his deck.

Prizar slid two cards into his disk and then inserted a card into his third disk slot. "I set two cards and activate the continuous magic card Mirage of Nightmare. I then place two more cards face-down and end my turn." Now his magic and trap field was full, with Mirage of Nightmare sitting in the middle.

"Draw!" Ichigo took note that Prizar had drawn four cards through the effect of Mirage of Nightmare. ("He blew his second One-Slash Kill attempt, so now he needs at least a couple of turns to recover and set me up for another one.")

"Reverse card open!" A quickplay magic card on Prizar's field opened up and Mirage of Nightmare and two of his set cards shattered. "Patchwork Explosives lets me destroy magic and trap cards on my field. For each one destroyed you lose 500 life points. And one of those set cards was a Dark Coffin, the other being Jar of Greed, which I chain in response to the activation of my card." He drew a card and pointed at Ichigo. "Well, discard one card."

"Yeah, I heard you before." The half demon slid a card into his graveyard.

Ichigo- 2500

Prizar- 1000

Ichigo looked his hand over and smiled. "Alright, I'll use Wings of the Avenger to special summon Final Shadow Avenger Zero from my hand to the field!" A bat-winged black-suited warrior appeared on his field. (2600/2000) "Avenger Zero, attack his life points directly now!"

"Fool." Prizar held up a trap card. "I activate the power of Lure of Reaper. This card activates when you attack me directly. I may discard it from my hand to special summon a 1500 or less attack power fiend with Death or Reaper in its title from my graveyard to my field and change your attack target to it!" A cackling robed demon holding a scythe appeared on his field. "I revive Death Lord in defense mode!" (1300/2000)

Ichigo pointed at the monster. "Since I don't have a choice, go Avenger Zero!" The winged Final Shadow kicked through the demon and shattered it. "End turn."

Prizar started laughing as the ground at his feet exploded upward and the Death Lord returned. "You are now defeated, Ichigo Pilkington! When Death Lord is defeated in battle it returns during the end phase of that turn. However its attack power is now 3000, and it can no longer destroyed by card effects!" (3000/2000)

"3000 attack points…" Ichigo whispered out breathlessly, eyes wide.

"Draw!" Prizar looked at the drawn card and then he pointed at Avenger Zero. "Go Death Lord, attack with End of Sorrow!" The demon swung its scythe and sent a crescent of white light through Ichigo's Final Shadow, blowing it apart.

Ichigo- 2100

Prizar- 1000

"And now to set up for the end!" Prizar held up Painful Choice. "I select five cards from my deck." The five selected cards appeared in the air above him. (Lure of Reaper, Lure of Reaper, One-Slash Kill, Grasp of the Reaper, Jar of Greed)

"You can take Grasp of the Reaper." Ichigo said, watching the other four cards disappear.

Prizar threw back his head and laughed loudly. "Good, you walked right into it. From my hand I activate Blue-Light Magical Special. This card can only activate if there is three copies of one magic card in my graveyard. All three copies go the top of my deck at the cost of one card from my hand." He discarded a card from his hand and placed all three of his One-Slash Kill magic cards on top of his deck. "Now I set one monster face-down and one card face-down. End turn."

Ichigo drew. "I place one card face-down and then from my hand I activate the magic card Shadow Sheath." His set card was swallowed up in a blob of shadow. "This card places a Shadow Counter on one card on my field. When that card would be destroyed the counter is removed instead. End turn."

-------------------------

Up in the sponsors' booth Gottfried smirked at Halo. "Do you see now, the power of the leader of my team?"

The enforcer narrowed his eyes down at Ichigo. "Actually, I could care less about him. I'm more curious about Ichigo…and what he will do to win."

"My," the aged German man said chidingly, "Aren't you rather full of yourself?"

"You don't seem to understand something about Ichigo…the thing him that makes him such a pain in the ass." Halo uncrossed his arms and shoved his hands into his pockets. "When he is serious he cannot lose, but when he is having fun and loving the duel he cannot lose either. That is the thing that makes him a Duel Savant. Whenever he does lose it tends to be because his soul or mind is not in the game. In this case he is completely into this duel, and loving every moment of it. He will not lose here, no matter how hard your team leader tries."

Gottfried scoffed and returned to watching the field.

--------------------

Prizar snapped the top card off of his deck. "I place one card face-down on my field and reveal Mastery of the One-Slash Kill once more! And then…I play the One-Slash Kill in my hand! This is the end for you, Pilkington! Discard the top six cards of your deck!"

Ichigo nodded and did so, leaving only three cards left on his deck.

Prizar placed his hand on top of his deck. "It's a shame you didn't get a chance to summon that Death God card. I would have loved to tear it apart! And now for the end, Ichigo Pilkington! Draw!" He snapped the top card off of his deck and a blast of power roared across the field, shattering most of his field and then pounding Ichigo's set card, which lost its counter instead of being destroyed. "This is the end, Ichigo Pilkington!"

Ichigo watched as the crescent shuddered and disappeared. "From my hand I discard the magic card Guardian Angel. This magic card can be discarded from my hand to make one instance of effect damage."

Prizar laughed and pointed at his Death Lord, which was still in play. "This guy is immune to destruction by card effects, so therefore I can still attack directly! Also the monster I lost was Card Reaper, letting my draw a card from my deck." Pulling a card off of deck, he pointed at Ichigo. "Take this! End of Sorrow!" His monster shuddered and dropped to one knee. "What?"

Ichigo pointed at his set card. "I activate the trap card No Entry! This card switches all of your attack mode monsters to defense mode and forces you to discard one card from your hand." He continued to grin widely, his tail flipping back and forth.

Prizar snarled and discard the card from his hand. "End turn."

"Hey," Ichigo asked. "Why do you want to see Final Shadow Death God so much anyway?"

"Because," Prizar looked down at his hands. "I will show you, along with anything that would declare itself a master over death, that I am the true reaper. I decide who lives and who dies. That is all."

"Really?" Ichigo rubbed the back of his head and made a noise that showed he was thinking. "Well, I guess if you really want to see him then I'll try to comply." He drew. "From my hand I activate Pot of Greed!"

Drawing the last two cards off of his deck, he fanned them out and smiled. "Alright, that's what I was hoping for! Now let's see what Masami was going on about when he mentioned his duel. At the cost of half of my life points I add the card removed by Finale Setup to my hand." A card appeared alongside the two he was holding.

Ichigo- 1050

Prizar- 1000

Ichigo smiled gently. "Awesome, so that's what he removed. First though I believe that you wanted to see my monster!" Ichigo threw a card down onto his disk and a black-robed humanoid wearing a white bone mask and holding a black-bladed katana appeared on his field. "I summon Final Shadow Death God in attack mode!" (1900/1000)

"That is what I wanted to see," Prizar pointed at the silent Final Shadow. "That creature does not deserve the power of death on its side! I will tear it down with my deck and the power of destruction!"

"Sorry, but destruction won't beat this." Ichigo held up magic card. "I activate the magic card Night Fusion." His Death God disappeared within a swirl of black energy above his field. "I remove Death God and the Final Shadow Blood Saber in my graveyard from the game! Come out now, Final Shadow Bloody Reaper!" A red-robed and red-blade wielding of the Death God appeared on the field, cackling insanely as blood dripped down its white bone mask. (1500/1000) "When this monster destroys a monster as a result of battle you take double that monster's attack in damage."

"The defense of my Death Lord is far too high for your weakling." Prizar laughed. "It all rests on the card you got from your partner. Will it be enough?"

"Oh yeah," Ichigo held up Silent Prayer. "From my graveyard one effect monster will be revived in defense mode!" A card slid out of his graveyard.

("What could he possibly summon in defense mode that would make the difference?")

------------------

Eri grinned widely, currently using a smoking and rather badly beaten Masami as her seat instead of the bench. "Here it comes! Go Ichigo!"

"…." The rest of the team sighed loudly in exasperation. They knew what it was.

--------------------

Prizar nearly face-fell as a purple cat with insane red and green swirls in its fur appeared on Ichigo's field. "What…what is that thing?"

Ichigo opened his mouth to speak but was shouted over by the squeals of 'cute' from the audience. "Heh, this guy's Catnipped Kitty." (0/500) "There's a story behind this, but honestly I don't think the audience wants to hear it. Therefore, let's end this! Catnipped Kitty's special ability activates now!"

The aroma of mint could be smelled in the air now. "One monster in play has its defense become zero once per turn!" He pointed at Death Lord, which slumped slightly and had to use its scythe to remain balanced. (3000/0)

Prizar stumbled back. "No! I will not lose because of a joke monster!"

"Don't worry. Catnipped Kitty won't be making the last strike!" The red-robed Death God leapt into the air, a crimson-colored full moon appearing illuminated in the air behind it. "Murderous Moon!" Then it fell, slashing through the Death Lord and sending a crescent of bloody light flying into Prizar and nearly sending him flying over the edge of the arena.

Ichigo- 1050

Prizar- 0

The cheers of the audience reached a massive roar…

--------------------

Gottfried felt the sweat dripping down his face. "This cannot be…my team was utterly defeated…"

"It's what you get when you oppose me." Halo walked out of the booth without another word leaving his lips. There was no need.

---------------------

_The next morning…_

----------------------

Although Ichigo's final display had granted Team Halo the victory, their day had hardly ended. They had spent most of the night beating off rabid fans. Or rather, Ichigo had been oblivious to Eri beating off his rabid fans.

After a mostly restless night, the whole gang had managed to gather in the living room of their temporary boarding house to celebrate. There were sodas all around, and cheers and pats on the back. Even Rysel was drinking, though the contents of his cup were a suspicious red color that nobody wanted to question.

Chris grinned at a cautiously sipping Erian, practically bouncing from toe to toe as she spoke. "Wasn't Ichigo-san's win the coolest? His monster was so adorable!"

From his position on the wall Nikolai scoffed and took a slow sip of his soda. "He dragged the duel out too long for my tastes."

Across the room Ichigo sneezed into his cup of root beer, and then scowled at the now snotty liquid. "That's the third soda I've ruined this morning…"

From his right Krieger sighed and took a small sip. "It was a fun set of duels to watch, but I wish I could have at least gotten a chance to duel. It's a pity, but at least there are more duels to come."

Griff's right eye twitched almost violently as he stared at his friend. "Are you insane? Did you see those crazy decks of theirs? Only freaks like Ichigo, Rysel, Megame and Adriel would really love to face those sorts!"

Having, as normal, managed to avoid hearing the conversation Ichigo walked over to Masami and rubbed blearily at his eyes. "Hey Masami, any idea why Eri has been so frustrated with me since yesterday? I've been thinking about the crowd reaction, and I think I might know why they acted that way."

Masami tensed, almost feeling the Kaiser breathing down his neck even though she was nowhere in sight. "Oh? What would that be?"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the bespectacled duelist who nearly shrank back from that look. "You made the shiny metal parts into some kind of hypnosis device, didn't you? So Eri was upset with me because I was using hypnosis on the audience, even though I didn't know it."

The speed at which Masami face-fell should have broken his nose, but seconds later he was back up on his feet, a large sweat-drop hanging from the back of his head. "Ichigo…the answer is much simpler than that. It's just that, in that outfit, you looked cute, and girls liked that. So she was none too happy to say the least."

Ichigo frowned and rubbed the back of his neck, biting back a yawn. "Is that all? Sheesh, I thought it was something serious. I'll just go and talk to her about it; she'll understand and get over it. At least once she's gotten out her frustrations on my poor vulnerable flesh."

He whimpered at the thought, which made Masami's sweat-drop double in size. And almost instantly Griff appeared at Ichigo's side, grinning. "Ichigo my main man, the answer here is simple. She's less likely to beat you senseless when you've got back-up on how you were clueless, so let's go and talk to her."

A scared but determined Ichigo was led by his older friend outside to the garden, where Eri could be seen sitting in the grass. Ichigo gulped and walked up to her until he was about five feet away. "Eri, Masami explained to me that you were upset that girls were looking at me. You know I'm not interested in anybody but you, right?"

Eri growled and looked up at him, her eyes flashing red briefly, causing the hazel-eyed half-demon to take a step back. "It wasn't that there were girls looking at you that bothered me. It was that they were looking at you like a piece of meat! You're not exactly experienced Ichan, and if some gorgeous girl threw herself on you then you wouldn't know what to do!"

Ichigo swept his arms out partially to the side, looking tired and frustrated. "Oh come on Eri, its not like pretty girls are just falling out of the sky!"

A high-pitched scream and the accompanying whistling sound cut Ichigo off, and made him furrow his brow in thought. Seconds later the scream object made impact, kicking up dust. Eri's left eye twitched violently at the sight.

In Ichigo's arms was a flustered looking Japanese girl with long black hair with blue streaks in it. Her hair looked windswept, and the white and blue Duelist Academy uniform she wore was riding up her legs. She blinked up at Ichigo, her big green eyes clearly confused. "Ummm…"

Ichigo stared down at her, and then looked up at Eri, his sense of fear suddenly skyrocketing. Eri looked downright murderous as she glared at both of them. "Oh come on! Even my karma can't be this bad, can it?"

Griff stared at his friend, then at the girl in his arms, and then up at the sky. "It's not like the perfect girl falls from the sky everyday, is it?"

He grinned as a high-pitched scream again split the air, and another object came hurtling down. It slammed into his arms, nearly dropping him to his knees. When he managed to recover himself he took a good look at his good fortune, and then promptly dropped it and walked away. "I hate you guys, every last one of you."

A swirly eyed teenage boy in blue jeans and a grey t-shirt lay on the ground, his green hair splayed out behind him. His left leg and right arm twitched a few times, and then he lay still. Erian approached the fallen teen cautiously, and began poking him with a stick. "Is he dead?"

Ichigo gulped and took a few steps back from the glaring Eri, who was now approaching. "Come on Eri…be reasonable, I had nothing to do with this! I blame karma, it hates me!"

When Eri raised her right fist and crackled her knuckles, Ichigo flinched and pulled his arms up. This only succeeded in sliding his arms underneath the girl's body and Ichigo gulped when he realized where his left hand was resting.

The sound of a hand striking flesh followed a cry of "Kyaa, pervert!" and Ichigo Pilkington, half-demon and costumed super hero in disguise, hit the ground twitching with a palm print on his face.

There was silence for several moments as those present all looked around at each other, not sure what to make of these two newcomers. But the silence was shattered as the dangerously powerful Blood Prince stuck his head out the door and took in the scene.

"PWNED!"

_To be continued…._


	93. Another World Mirror Connections

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

Author's Notes: So who are the mysterious couple that fell out of the sky? You might be surprised, you might be astonished…or you might have no idea who they are. Let's see what the heck is going on, shall we?

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 93: Another World; Mirror Connections? (Part 1)

The only sound that could be heard was the ticking of an old grandfather clock located in the parlor of the boarding house. Everyone sat or stood in differing positions in or near the room, with Eri and Ichigo sitting on one couch in the middle of the room, a round table between them and the two other teenagers that had arrived amongst them through the most unorthodox of methods. A pair of trays with tea kettles on them sat on the table, while nearly everyone in the room was peacefully sipping their tea in silence.

Suddenly the green-haired boy in a grey shirt and blue jeans gently placed his tea cup down on the table and leapt to his feet, shouting angrily. "This doesn't make any sense! Why are we drinking tea in the first place?"

"Because I happen to like tea," Eri said, sniffing in a few wisps of steam from her drink gently.

"That's not what I mean!" He yelled. "I mean what are we doing here? What's going on?" Throwing his arms up, he pointed at the two sitting across from him. "And who are you people?"

"Excitable little monkey, isn't he?" Adriel snickered out, getting a glare in response for it. "Yeah, I called you a monkey fly-boy. What are you going to do about it?" Standing up, he smirked. "You dropped in on us, so don't yell at us expecting answers. While strange stuff happens around us all the time, this is a new level of bizarre and honestly I don't believe that you have no idea what is going on."

"Hang on!" Ichigo leapt to his feet, arms crossed in front of him to signal a time-out. "Wait, wait, wait! Before we start calling people names let's get introductions out of the way." Turning to face the two, he bowed his head a little. "I'm sorry for Adriel's anger, he recently returned to being a jackass. My name is Ichigo Pilkington, you just met Adriel."

Teruha, dressed in a red shirt and shorts, stepped forward and bowed her head in a way that made her seem like she was mirroring Ichigo perfectly. "My name is Teruha Chikara, a pleasure to meet you both."

Griff waved his hand lazily. "Griff Mohistava, the closest one to normal amongst the whole bunch of them."

Sitting in a corner with a book in front of him, Krieger closed it and stood up to bow to them both. "I am Krieger Reinhardt, pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Erian was enjoying his tea too much to even put it down, but he did wave exaggeratedly at the two. Next to his eldest brother, Resshin just glared at them both in a way that said they had better just move on to the next person unless they didn't mind being burned alive.

Chris grinned and skipped up to the green-haired boy, curtsying to him and the girl. "My name is Chris!" Then she turned on one heel and tackle-glomped Erian, sending him and his teacup crashing to the ground.

"Nikolai Corben," the Russian duelist didn't change expressions or even turn to acknowledge them. He looked rather deep in his own thoughts.

Everyone looked at Masami…and sweat-dropped as they realized that he was crouched to the side of the girl, scribbling furiously on a notepad. Next to him was a sign held up by a stand that said 'Masami-sama is currently doing something genius, bother him you should not unless lose your head you wish.'

Rysel placed his cup down and stood up, brushing back the sides of his trench coat and bowing to the two deeply. "Yo there, my dogs, my name be Rysel of the Blood Child Empire, representin' yo." Then he sat down, apparently not noticing how everyone not sitting face-fell at his newly developed vocabulary.

Eri sighed and lowered her cup, not even bothering to stand up for her introduction. "My name is Erika Amero, the White Kaiser of Duel Academy."

The green haired boy sighed and sat down, folding his arms over his chest. "Oh just wonderful. We've got a snotty jerk, a couple of weirdly cheerful people, some people who don't talk, a weirdo nerd, a fan girl of our 'favorite' jackass, and a wanna-be gangsta."

Rysel smiled as the teenager finished speaking. "LOL, what be a gangsta yo?"

Ichigo blinked a few times, and then scratched the side of his cheek. "Who's weirdly cheerful?"

Resshin and Adriel both glared at the boy, while Nikolai continued to stare down at his soda in deep thought. Eri was much more vocal though as she stood up and glared across the table at the teen. "Who's a fan girl?"

Griff's lips twitched in an effort not to laugh. "I've been saying that stuff for so long…"

Krieger coughed politely, trying to avoid potential disaster in this strange meeting. "Perhaps it would be best if you introduced yourselves to us like we've done for you. Then we can figure out exactly what's going on."

The green haired boy narrowed his eyes and then smirked. "You want to know who I am. Very well, allow me to introduce myself!"

He hopped up onto his seat and thrust one arm into the sky, finger pointing out. "I am the one who strikes fear into the hearts of those who know not how to laugh!"

Amazingly the teen didn't even blink when Masami stood up and extended a measuring tape down his arm, and then across his shoulders. "I am the one who those who are too serious should beware of, for I will strike down their overly dramatic selves with my mighty pranks!"

By now several sweat-drops had gathered on the brows of those present. "I am mighty, I am powerful, I am"

He was suddenly cut off when a tea coaster struck him in the side of the head, knocking him off the seat and to the floor. The dark haired girl who had yet to speak sipped from her tea and then spoke. "Really long winded. He's Shiro Akugi, and he's an idiot, please forgive him."

The boy, apparently named Shiro, jumped to his feet and glared at the quiet girl, pointing at her. "What the heck was that Mizuki? I was in the middle of a really awesome intro and you screwed it up!"

She sighed and stood up, then gave a deep bow to everyone gathered in the room. "Again I apologize for his attitude, but he gets overly excited. I'm Mizuki Mitsuhiro, and it's a pleasure to meet all of you."

Ichigo smiled warmly at her, looking quite pleased with himself. "See? Wasn't that easy? Now we've all basically met and we've got the hard part out of the way."

Adriel smacked the smiling Ichigo upside the head. "That wasn't the hard part that was the easy part. We still don't know who they really are, or why they're here. So don't get excited until we figure this out."

Then the half dragon demon was floored by a tea coaster to the skull, thrown by Eri. "Shut up Zaytel, we aren't continuing this until I deal with something." The demoness stood and walked up to Shiro, eyes narrowed dangerously. "What was the fan girl comment about?"

He snorted and rolled his eyes. "Like you don't know. Though I'm surprised somebody like Harrison could have a fangirl, but considering your costume I guess it makes sense. I will admit that the ears and the tail are a pretty realistic-looking, but the white hair fits that jerk to a tee." His hand reached up and flicked a lock of her snow white hair back. "Though I doubt you're going to get any return on your investment, if you get my drift." He did not seem to notice that it had suddenly gotten very silent in the room. "Besides, why call yourself the White Kaiser? That sounds really stupid? Why not Dark Kaiser Fangirl, or something?"

"I'll show you a Dark Kaiser, you…" Eri yelped as Ichigo grabbed her tail and yanked her back a couple of feet. "Let me go Ichan!"

"Nope," Ichigo shook his head resolutely. "You're mad right now, and if you hit him then I don't think he'll live through it like I would. Remember Eri, we're dealing with full-blooded humans here."

"Full-blooded humans?" Mizuki blinked at the two and gaped. "Wait, you're real demons?"

"See," Teruha muttered under her breath, "I'm not the only one who didn't realize it at first either."

--------------------------

_A few minutes later, after several explanations…_

--------------------------

"….." Shiro and Mizuki both stared at the group in an entirely new light. It had been obvious even at a glance that this whole group was a bit strange, but the levels of strange were beyond what they had thought.

"I know it might be kind of hard to believe…" Ichigo blinked as he realized that neither of the two was sitting now.

"So you're really from outer space?" Mizuki asked Erian excitedly, and when he nodded cautiously she almost copied Chris' earlier bouncing excitement. "That's amazing! What kinds of technology do you have access to and how much more advanced is it than that of our civilization?"

"Ummm…" Erian blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, the Infinites are capable of achieving faster than light speeds...though I'm not really sure about what else they are capable of doing." His blush grew brighter as she leaned in even closer, grinning at him expectantly. "Is…there something I'm supposed to be doing right now?"

"Yeah!" She slid back to give him a little bit of room. "Do you have any examples on you? Like maybe a diagram I can look at of an engine for one of these ships?"

Erian twitched a couple of times and ran, Chris following him out of the parlor.

"Come back here!" Mizuki chased after him. "I won't copy it; I just want to have a look at the specs!"

Resshin sighed loudly and followed. "No, I won't light her on fire so don't worry. However we're not allowed to share things like what she wants to see."

Shiro pulled up a chair next to Ichigo, though he kept cautious distance from Eri. "So those ears are real?" When the half demon nodded it looked like the green-haired boy was about to hug him. "That's…so awesome."

"…" Ichigo blushed and fidgeted a little bit. "It's not that cool really, it's just us."

Eri stood up and took the long route around the couch to leave the parlor. "I'm going to go vent on the punching bag in the gym down in the basement if you need me." She shot Shiro's back a glare and then disappeared.

"Akugi," Nikolai said, "What was the last thing you remember before you wound up here?"

The teenager frowned, and then rubbed his chin. "Well, we had just finished up with a weird ass experience that I couldn't explain even if I tried. I had been making impressive efforts towards snagging a date from Mizuki, when she irrationally shot me down."

Adriel snorted. "It sounds less irrational and more logical. Proves that she has taste."

Shiro glared at him, but Nikolai motioned for him to continue, so he dropped it and moved on. "Then I started to hit on this one girl and she sort of well…lit me on fire. Once I was extinguished I went to my room and got dressed in spare clothes. When I got back outside to meet Mizuki, we were surrounded by a big old tornado made of blue light. And then that scary freak spoke up out of nowhere, and claimed that our nightmare was just beginning. Then bam, we were falling through the sky."

"That's it?" Nikolai stood up out of his chair and sighed. "Then I'm nearly sure of it." Just at that moment a very downtrodden Mizuki came into the room. "I suppose I should offer you welcome…since you are not of this dimension."

The dark-haired girl stopped and stared at the Russian, as did Shiro. She was the one to break the silence first though. "You're serious?" When he nodded she looked like she was about to have a joy overload.

"Now hang on a second," Shiro interjected, holding up a hand. "Now while I'll admit that the whole different dimension idea sounds cool and straight out of an anime is there any proof for this theory?"

Nikolai nodded. "The first clue was obvious, which was that both of you dropped out of the sky onto us. A sudden shift in dimensional space tends to deposit whoever exits a certain distance into the vertical, or at least that's the theory. Second, the fact that you know of a different Duel Academy Kaiser who isn't our Kaiser means you are obviously not of this specific reality…or you're lying to us, but I'm quite certain you are who you claim you are."

"What makes you so certain?" Adriel threw in, noticing that he was getting glared at by Shiro again.

"It's rather simple to determine that they are not lying just by the way they reacted to the idea of demons and aliens being in the same room as them."

Adriel, Griff and Krieger all sweat-dropped at that. Wouldn't it make more sense that they'd be more suspicious because they were so quick to accept things that wouldn't have made sense to most people?

Ichigo stood up and clapped his hands together once. "Regardless of whether or not you guys are from another dimension isn't important right now. First let's make sure you're comfortable. Is there anything either of you would like?"

"Pilkington!" Adriel leapt out of his chair and glared at his rival. "What are you talking about? Let's figure out how they got here and if the different dimensions theory is true or not instead of trying to make them comfortable!"

Ichigo glanced at Adriel. "That's fine and well, but if they're our guests then we need to make sure they feel at home here."

The half dragon demon twitched a few times and then stomped out. "Suit yourself; just keep them out of my way!"

Mizuki blushed and bowed her head to Ichigo once more. "We're very sorry for intruding."

"Think nothing of it!" The half demon motioned to the living room. "Come on, I'm sure this has been really tiring for you both." He gave Nikolai a serious look and tilted his head to the kitchen.

The Russian duelist nodded and headed into the kitchen while Ichigo went to make sure that Mizuki and Shiro were comfortable in the living room.

-------------------------

_In a different dimension…_

A room lit only by a crimson light fairly hummed with tension as six figures surrounded one prone figure on the floor in the middle. One of the taller ones spoke in a deep and darkly masculine voice. "Trying to stop us was foolish, even if it was only for personal gain. Wherever you sent them, it doesn't matter, we'll follow."

Another voice spoke, this one having musical tones to it and being quite feminine. "Oh me, oh my, what an interesting situation we have here. Trying to hide them away from us were you? I think the answer here is simple, and I volunteer."

The fallen figure looked up and coughed before speaking. "You…what can you do? You can't follow them at all?"

Musical laughter was the response. "Oh me, oh my, I have no intent on following. Rather, I was going to send my Heralds after them. After all, it would be silly for me to soil my hands just to retrieve them."

Again the fallen figure coughed and replied. "Only I can traverse the boundaries of all places, you have no method to accomplish this and follow their trail."

The feminine voice snickered, and the figure raised a hand to their mouth. "Oh me, oh my, what a foolish notion that is. Or had you forgotten the power of Fifth-san?"

Another shadowed figure stepped forward, and casually pulled black gloves off his hands, revealing pale white skin. "If you intend to call me anything other than my name, call me as what I am 'third-kun'. I am the True Sin, Leech."

"Oh me, oh my, how silly of me. I'll make sure to remember next time Fifth-san. And don't any of you worry your pretty little heads. After all, as strong as my Heralds are, retrieving our targets should be easier than one, two, three."

---------------------------

Ichigo sighed and sat up on the counter of the kitchen, cat tail flipping back and forth behind him. "You were quiet because you were trying to pinpoint what was wrong with them too, weren't you?"

"Indeed." Nikolai glanced at the entrance to the kitchen to make sure no one was going to walk in while they were speaking. "It was very odd. There was nothing malicious or benevolent about the aura, but it felt like it was vibrating the dimension."

Ichigo sighed and slid off the counter. "I felt it…and something about Mizuki sent chills up my spine. I'm not sure why, but the energy vibrations coming from her were kind of unsettling to me. I felt…" He sighed as he realized that there were no words for it. "There's no real way to describe it. I know we should be focusing on finding out where those two are really from and how to send them back if they can't get there on their own. However I can't find the drive to do it. Something is telling me that they're not wayward travelers as much as honored guests."

"I felt no such thing, so I have to trust you on that. Apparently whatever you felt wasn't detected by me, meaning either you're more sensitive to whatever disturbance they are causing or it's all in your head. Either way," He frowned deeply. "This is rather disturbing. I have the feeling that we are going to find ourselves engaged in a battle soon."

"Yeah," Ichigo fished the Infinity Mind out from under his shirt and looked sadly at it. "Oh well, the peace was nice while it lasted."

-------------------

Alone in the living room, Shiro and Mizuki sat on the couch, staring at the TV. Shiro flipped channels and sighed. "So…this group is pretty weird, isn't it?"

Mizuki shrugged and crossed one leg over the other. "It isn't as if we're not weird after all. Right, 'Faith'?"

Shiro groaned and changed channels again. "I hate that dumb name just as much as you hate the one that fruity Aryan jerk gave you. Anyways, we're much more normal than they are, we're completely human."

The teenaged girl jabbed her companion in the side with her elbow. "Speak for yourself; we still don't know exactly what I am anyways. Hey…stop right there."

He stopped changing channels, and rolled his eyes. "The news? Why would you care about the news in a different dimension? It doesn't impact us."

"I care because we might be here for a while. And also, take a look at that. I knew this world was odd but…that girl she's…she's like a freaking Power Ranger!"

On the screen a single female form in armor stood atop a building, a dark blue cape flowing out behind her. _"I am the Hero of the Heavens!"_ She leapt from the roof and landed on the street facing the front of the bank. _"In the name of love and justice, I will not tolerate your actions of evil and greed! I am Starlight Savior!"_

Shiro raised an eyebrow, not sure what to make of the fact that this world had weird heroes. "Well, at least she's pretty cute."

As they watched a group of masked men ran out of a bank and were promptly dispatched by a male form in black and red armor. Then the view switched almost immediately to a middle aged man with a microphone. "This was the scene early yesterday morning, where once again the strange female hero called 'Starlight Savior' appeared. Only this time she was aided by a new hero calling himself 'Captain Zeta'. As bizarre as this seems, it's all fact folks. Tokyo now has its very own resident super heroes."

After listening to a few more minutes of the report Shiro muted it and turned to Mizuki. "Okay, I'm bad at this stuff, so I want your opinion. What sort of people, in terms of energy, are dealing with here? You're good at sensing auras and stuff."

Mizuki threading fingers through her hair, letting out a deep sigh. "The alien guys have a weird energy that is unlike anything I've ever felt before, same with that strange Rysel person, only a different type. Amero-san definitely feels like a demon, and powerful at that, as is that Adriel person. I get weird vibes from the glasses guy and the huge girl, as well as a dark aura from the Russian guy. But the weirdest thing I've felt…it's from that Ichigo guy."

Shiro leaned in, too curious to pass this up. "What was weird about him? I mean, besides the obvious stuff."

She didn't respond immediately, as she seemed to be thinking. "It's difficult to describe but, his energy it sort of…I don't know, stirs something in me. I can't really figure out a way to say it, but I feel as if we should accept any hospitality he offers."

Her green haired companion groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "Why do I get the feeling we're going to be thrown into battle again?"

A sudden loud crack caught everyone in the house's attention, and they all began to run outside to cries of "What now?" When they made it to the garden they were startled to see an orb of darkness taking up the space where flowers and trees were supposed to be.

Nikolai narrowed his eyes at the sight of the orb. "It's like a Darkness Game; however…it's as if it was called out without a target in mind."

The darkness began to split down the middle, spreading back and upwards like a pair of dreadful demonic wings. Everyone readied themselves, prepared to unleash the varied and strange attacks that they had gathered between them. Eri growled, her white hair whipping about in the wind created by the game splitting. "Someone's coming out!"

Finally the darkness split enough into its wing shape to reveal the figure within. His white blonde hair was swept back against his skull and he wore a dark set of clothing, with knee high brown leather boots. His most notable feature was the blue trench coat with the gold embroidering on the sides.

The young man in the trench coat swept his gaze across the group, a dark smirk reaching his lips at what his blue eyes saw. "Hmmm, it seems I've stumbled upon an interesting set of people, now haven't I?"

"Oh, it's just Harrison," Shiro walked back inside. "Excuse me while I go drown myself in a bath-tub."


	94. Another World Mirror Connections Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

Ahem, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to welcome you to the crossover with Seeker of the Soul's Rising Star to the Heavens. Yup, surprise surprise.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 94: Another World; Mirror Connections (Part 2)

Ichigo twitched a few times and looked over at Harrison, who was just looking out the window near the back door of the living room quietly. ("I'm going to lose it…I need a way to vent! I feel like I'm going to explode under this guy's oppressive aura.")

Hopping up out of seat, he jogged into the parlor where Adriel and Nikolai had been discussing the newest arrival from another dimension. "Hey guys, do either of you feel like you're on the verge of going insane while this guy remains in the house? I swear, it's like someone is holding a sword to my throat."

"Lightweight," muttered Adriel. "If this kind of energy residual can leave you upset then you need to work on your energy release. Let out a little bit of your spiritual…" He nearly fell out of his chair as the entire house started to shake. "Ichigo! No! Bad Ichigo!"

The half demon yelped and immediately pushed all of the energy he had been releasing back inside himself. "I'm sorry; I'm still working on this whole…" He realized that Adriel was looking at the entrance to the parlor.

Turning, he flushed bright red in the cheeks as he realized that Harrison, Mizuki and Shiro were all standing in the doorway, the latter two completely slack-jawed. "Eheh…ummm, sorry for causing an earthquake?"

Harrison narrowed his eyes dangerously at Ichigo. "That…raging torrent of energy was you?"

"Ummm, sorry?" Ichigo blinked a couple of times as the white-haired boy walked away with a scowl on his face. "What's the matter?"

Shiro twitched and stumbled away from the entrance to the parlor looking a little bit shaken. ("Oh man, I'm really bad at sensing this aura stuff and that was still like a fog-horn right in the ear.")

Mizuki just stared at Ichigo, and for a few seconds she felt weird. Part of her wanted to see the source of that trickle of immense energy, another part of her wondered if it was possible for her to achieve such power…and then she realized she had been staring off into space for about ten whole seconds. "I'm sorry!" She left before she could make a bigger fool out of herself.

Ichigo sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Should I even bother apologizing to any of them?"

"Why? Trust me Pilkington, if that much of your energy shook those three up like that then they need to get used to it. You suck at managing your energy. It's either a closed dam or a raging river, no in between." Adriel turned to look at Nikolai. "Anyway, as I was saying…"

-----------------------

Harrison felt angry now. No, angry wasn't the right word for it. He was furious. How could a disgusting half demon be that powerful? And what was even more terrifying was that apparently he had just been trying to nullify the natural amount of energy Harrison constantly leaked out to keep his store constantly working. ("It was like someone responding to a few smoldering embers with a fire-hose. The real question is whether or not it was intentional. Is he trying to intimidate me because he knows of what I am?")

There was no way to answer that question without confronting this Ichigo person, and after what he had just sensed he didn't particularly want to know at the moment. Perhaps once he had calmed down a little.

------------------------

Shiro stumbled up the stairs of the boy's side of the house, still a little bit 'deaf' thanks to that sudden shock. ("What was that anyway?") He walked by one door and stopped in his tracks as he could have sworn he heard the sound of someone talking to themselves. ("Hmmm,") The incident with the fog-horn of energy already forgotten, he pressed his ear against the doorway.

"Now let's see," came a muffled voice from inside. "If I tweak the controls here then I should be able to increase the height range by another inch or so. And let's see, Mizuki's measurements were…" The sound of rustling paper could be heard. "Ah yes, that's right. Alright then, now it is time to unleash my god-like abilities upon this poor and lonely piece of fabric!"

Shiro gently pushed the door open a crack, peeking inside. He nearly jumped back as a flash of rainbow light hit his eyes. ("What the heck was that?") Poking his head inside the room, he gaped at the blur of movement occurring at the table facing away from him.

Suddenly the blur stopped moving to reveal Masami, his back to the door. "What would I do without the extra reflexes of a demon, I ask you?" He held up a weird golden-looking remote thing and kissed it. "You, my dear GAD, are a blessing. The ability to genetically alter things at the touch of a button is the greatest gift you could ever offer me."

He tilted back his head a little and stretched out his back. "That gets me to wondering what Chris-chan or Teru would look like with a cute pair of cat ears and a tail. Heck, miss Mitsuhiro would…"

Shiro, somehow, managed to close the door and sneak farther down the hallway despite the pounding of his heart in his chest. He developed a rather strange tick to his right eye. "I must get this GAD for myself, this I swear will happen!" The door next to him opened and he found himself staring at a grinning Griff.

"You want Megame's little toy?" Griff's grin widened when Shiro nodded resolutely. "My dear friend let me show you the true skills of a thief in action."

-------------------

Masami sighed and zapped himself back to normal, going through the complex hand motions needed to change the GAD back into his belt buckle. Then he looked down at the mass of fabric he had threaded randomly and chuckled. "I was correct, dear Mr. Akugi wants my work of art. And plus he has Mohistava's help? Oh me, oh my, what fun we will have." He place the golden band on the table in plain sight and started moving about the room getting ready for their eventual attack. He had already completed the costumes he had in his mind anyway. Now was the time for a little bit of fun.

--------------------

Masami wandered down into the kitchen and pulled some bread out of the cabinet, along with a jar of strawberry jelly and a container of peanut butter. Setting the items on the table, he noticed that Harrison was sitting at the table with his eyes closed. "Ichigo's little outburst shook you up so much you need to meditate?"

"Do not speak with me. I've learned that all those which have green hair tend to be idiots capable of only further worsening my mood." The white-haired avenger furrowed his brow and tried to compose himself. ("Why can I not find my center? It's like my energy is shifting rapidly.")

Masami chuckled and started making himself a sandwich. "Well just to let you know, friend, but you won't find anyone in this happy little household that agrees with your rather blind stance concerning demons."

"I'm not here to make allies," He opened his eyes and glared at the smirking Masami. "What are you smiling about? Are you, like the other green-haired idiot, going to poke and prod away at me to try and get a reaction?"

"Nope," Masami heard a loud explosion from upstairs and a pair of screams of surprise. "I'm just enjoying a little game with a pair of guys who should know better than to try and steal. However, if you want to just sit there and figure out why you can't make your scary oppressive aura all of a sudden then go right ahead." Replacing the ingredients he took his sandwich and headed towards his room. "Let me know when you lighten up, you seem like a pretty cool guy. Also, you carry the Vergil costume well."

Harrison frowned as the green haired teen sauntered away. "Someone actually commented on my costume? He's the first to dare make a mention of it."

He frowned again as he thought back to what Masami had said. "Scary and oppressive? Humph, that's just my natural aura."

-----------------------------

"What was that?" Shiro yelled, patting out the small fires that had lit up along his clothing.

Griff coughed a couple of times and tried to clear the smoke cloud that had with a hand. "I can't believe it, stupid low-yield explosives. I should have known he wouldn't leave his room unguarded." He grabbed Shiro's sleeve and pulled the other boy with him as he made a run for his room. "We'll return shortly."

"Did you say explosives?" Shiro realized that apparently in this dimension people took their private space very seriously.

Stepping through the smoke cloud, Masami grinned and snapped his fingers once. "Off." The smoke cloud disappeared, along with the burn marks on the wooden floor. "Nice attempt gentlemen, but if you're so easily spooked by a hologram then you had best not oppose Masami-sama." He took a bite out of his sandwich. "Mmmm, sweet, sweet victory."

----------------------------

Masami whistled to himself as he walked through the garden, the golden belt buckle of his shining in the light as he took in all of the beauty of the flower-beds. "Ah, I love nature. The birds chirping in the sky and the smell of the flowers especially made the scene all too peaceful...

The bushes next to the boy rustled and Griff burst out of them, lunging for the GAD.

"…" Masami sighed, his hand clasped to Griff's wrist and easily stopping him from moving. "Do you really possess any skills as a thief? By your second attempt you're making blind lunges for the target?" He smiled as he heard a click from his belt and someone charged past him. "Ah, mister Akugi was waiting for the opening."

Shiro made a bee-line for the back door, and then was suddenly upside-down in the air as the snare Masami had installed earlier yanked him straight upwards by his right foot, the GAD flying out of his grasp and hitting the ground. "Oh man…"

Masami sighed and walked up to Shiro, hands behind his back. "Try again, I suppose." He smiled and glanced back at Griff, who seemed completely out of touch with reality. "And don't look me in the eyes, Mohistava. It's not healthy." Then he picked up the GAD and went back inside.

---------------------------------

_One hour and a couple more attempts later…_

---------------------------------

Shiro stomped into the kitchen in a huff. ("At this rate we aren't going to get anywhere!") And then his jaw nearly dropped.

On the countertop was the GAD in buckle form. And there was no one in sight.

"Do I dare walk into such an obvious trap?" Shiro asked himself aloud. Then he realized what this device represented. "Yes, yes I do." He marched proudly up to the band; ready to take whatever trap was sprung on him.

After a few seconds of nothing happening, he cautiously reached out and picked up the band, staring at it like he had just found the Holy Grail. "Now…now to just…" He grunted as he tried to twist the mechanisms of the device to change it to its remote shape…and something clicked. "Wait, no!" The band rolled and condensed itself into a golden sphere about the size of a pool ball, making itself impossible to change.

Masami wandered in. "Ah, that's where it was. Yeah, if you can't follow the complex hand motions to change its shape then it locks itself until someone with my grip strength forcibly unlocks it."

Snatching the ball out of the anime-tear shedding boy's grasp, he easily straightened it out and attached it to his belt. "That was another good attempt, but there's more to it than just taking the device from me. Plus it's in another language too, one I doubt you understand." Then he watched out while Shiro banged his head on the countertop a couple of times in frustration.

-----------------------

_Another hour and a few more attempts later…_

------------------------

Griff inched towards Masami's door, Shiro right behind him. "Don't worry, I heard him say he was going out. This is our one best chance if he left it in his room."

"Hey Griff," Shiro sweatdropped and walked past the bronze-skinned boy, opening the door calmly. "If he's not here then what are we sneaking for?"

"….shut up." Griff straightened up and walked inside. "Watch out for traps."

Shiro nodded and followed him inside. And he immediately wondered if he had died and gone to anime fanboy heaven. There was memorabilia for anime of every kind hanging everywhere and filling every section of the room. "This man, this man is…" He opened the closet and started drooling at box upon box of marked anime sets piled up as high as it would possibly go. "…my savior."

Griff threw open another drawer and searched them quickly, finding nothing. "Hurry up and let's find it already!"

Shiro looked a bit farther into the closet and gasped in surprise.

"Did you find it?" Griff asked hopefully.

"Look at all of these costumes!" Shiro heard a crash behind him and looked backwards to see that Griff had face-fallen. "Well it is pretty surprising."

"We're not here to look at Megame's creepy collection!" The Egyptian boy shoved past Shiro and started hurling costume after costume behind him. "Now search the room already!" He got no response and gulped. "Megame's behind me isn't URK!"

Masami sighed loudly, his left hand gripping Griff by the back of the neck hard enough to put pressure on his spine. "Now it was amusing when you tried, but when you put my precious costumes in danger because of it I take it as a personal offense." He glanced back at Shiro, who seemed more intent to look at all of his gathered anime objects rather than search for the GAD. "Mister Akugi, can I take it that…"

Shiro suddenly turned on one heel and pointed right at Masami's face. "There's only one way I can think of now that I've seen that you beat even one such as myself in the ways of the anime-lover! Masami-san, I challenge you to a duel!"

Releasing Griff's spine, Masami pushed his glasses up his nose with one finger and smiled quirkily. "What makes you think that a humble Otaku such as myself is a duelist?" When Shiro held up the Duel Monsters deck that had been sitting on the desk he chuckled. "Alright then, you win there. I assume that if you win you expect me to show you how to properly operate the GAD?"

"No," Shiro lowered his hand. "I don't expect anything except a challenge. What you do afterwards is up to you. I've already figured out the trick you placed behind that device…"

Masami smirked and bowed slightly. "Very well, let us relocate this outside then."

--------------------------

All three of them were outside now, with Masami standing at one end of the yard and Shiro at the other, the path that connected the wooden doors to the front door of the house being the line that separated their fields.

Griff sighed and sat with his back against the wall that was behind Shiro. "I need to warn you, Megame's a freak at dueling too."

"Yeah, I bet he is." Shiro activated the duel disk he was borrowing from Griff. "I already made the challenge though, and besides it's not like there's anything on the line for this duel."

Masami activated his duel disk, his thick glasses creating that heavy glare that concealed his eyes. "Would you like to go first, Mister Akugi?"

Shiro nodded and then both shouted, "Duel!"

Shiro- 4000

Masami- 4000

Shiro drew and looked down at the cards in his hand. ("I didn't look at what kind of deck he played, so I guess I can't go too crazy for right now. Let's see what he does first.") "I set two cards face-down and one monster face-down. End turn." A trio of cards appeared on his field.

"It's my turn, draw." Masami added his drawn card to his hand. "Mister Akugi, since you figured out the purpose behind the GAD being so difficult I won't take too long explaining it so that perhaps Mohistava can learn something. Until my respect is earned by you, you do not get to play with my toys. And to earn my respect there are one of three possible things you can do." He held up three fingers and started ticking them off. "One, you can prove it through dueling. Two, you can prove it through example of your qualities as an artist, or three, you can prove it by showing me your love of anime. Apparently you've chosen number one, and I can respect that. However it means your opponent is Masami Morioka the Duelist."

Shiro and Griff both sweat-dropped. Was it really that complicated or dramatic of a process?

"I summon Genetic Soldier." A semi-naked humanoid covered in metallic bands and a metal helmet appeared on Masami's field. (1000/1000) "When this monster is summoned I add one card with DNA Helix in its title into my hand." A card slid out of his deck and he coldly held it up. "I activate the magic card DNA Helix Explosion. One face-down monster on the field is removed from the game. If that monster is of the same type as a monster in play then all copies of that card are removed from your deck and hand."

Shiro gasped as his face-down Action Warrior-Super Spy (1100/1700) was revealed and then broke apart into dozens of little bubbles of orange-colored light. "And your guy's name is Soldier so that probably means…" A pair of cards spat out of his deck and dissolved as soon as they hit air.

"Exactly." Masami slid a card into his duel disk. "I activate the continuous magic card DNA Helix-Dragon, which lets me select one Genetic monster on my field and add dragon and air to its type and attribute." His Soldier howled in pain as he exploded in size, scales covering his body and a pair of massive green wings erupting from his back. "Also the targeted monster gains 500 attack points and when it attacks I can select one magic or trap card in play and destroy it. The card I select cannot be activated in response." (1500/1000) "Direct attack!" He pointed at Shiro's right-most card, which was hit by a blast of wind and shattered.

"Reverse card open!" Shiro's other set card flipped up and a trio of chanting women appeared on his field, a barrier of light appearing between their fields. "Waboku makes it so that during this turn all battle damage is zero. And my other card was the trap card Bait and Switch, which when destroyed and sent to my graveyard gets shuffled into my deck and lets me draw a card afterwards." He did so, grinning.

Masami's expression had yet to change, though inwardly he was smiling. ("So far he's showing that he's not inept. However I wonder how far he'll push me.") "I place one card face-down and end my turn." A card appeared alongside his DNA Helix card.

Shiro drew and breathed a silent sigh of relief. ("Good, a monster I can use.") After his Super Spy had been removed he thought he was in trouble. "I activate Grave Life, sending five monsters from my deck to the graveyard to gain 2000 life points." A green light appeared around him as he dumped some monsters into his graveyard. "And then I play Pot of Avarice, shuffling five monsters from my graveyard back into my deck and drawing two cards."

Shiro- 6000

Masami- 4000

Masami pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose slowly. ("Hmm, an interesting strategy involving recycling into the graveyard and then returning to the deck. Let's see where he goes beyond that part though.")

Shiro looked at one of his two drawn cards and silently cheered before throwing it onto his disk. "Here I come, Masami-san! I summon Action Warrior-Cyclist in attack mode!" A man riding on a motorcycle flashed into existence on his field. (1700/1300) "Attack Genetic Soldier!"

Masami glanced at his set card and then watched as the motorcycle revved up and its rider charged forwards, slamming into his monster and shattering it. "Upon its destruction I activate the trap card DNA Genocide. When a monster on the field is destroyed as a result of battle all same type monsters in play are destroyed. So therefore all warriors and dragons are finished."

Shiro frowned as his Cyclist was hit by a blast of light that blew him apart before he could even return to his spot on the field. "I have to end turn then."

Shiro- 6000

Masami- 3800

"It's my turn, draw." Masami added the card to his hand, the sides of his light blue coat fluttering at his sides. "You're not bad, Mister Akugi. However, you also have a glaring flaw I see in your deck. And that flaw is defense."

A card appeared on his field. "I activate the continuous magic card Genetic Recorder. This card lets me, once per turn, return one card with DNA Helix in its title from my field to my hand to draw one card." His Dragon Helix appeared in his hand and he drew an additional card. "And now I summon another Soldier." A second semi-naked humanoid appeared on his field. (1000/1000) "From my deck I search for a DNA Helix card and add it to my hand."

("So that's it…") Shiro looked at the cards in his hand worriedly. ("He'll gather up plenty of those Helix cards and keep powering up one monster. Plus he can draw an extra card every turn with the effect of that Recorder.")

"I activate the continuous magic cards DNA Helix-Badger, DNA Helix-Spider and DNA Helix-Dragon." His monster screams of pain turned into roars it exploded into some kind of hideous mix of the three named monsters. "This adds insect, dragon and beast to my soldier's type along with earth and air to his attribute. Also his attack increases by 1600 points total." (2600/1000)

Shiro got ready to brace himself, and therefore was taken complete off guard when the creature slammed into him at full strength, nearly plowing him through the wall. ("What…") He dropped to one knee while the creature loomed over him.

Shiro- 3400

Masami- 3800

Masami crossed his arms across his chest. "My apologies, but if this duel is to earn my respect enough to let you use my precious devices then I had to turn up the pain system up to a level capable of making me feel it. Would you care to stop?"

Shiro shook his head, even while he gasped for air.

"Good," Masami said coldly. "At this time the effect of DNA Helix Badger activates. When you take battle damage by the targeted monster you also lose an additional 800 life points."

Shiro grunted as the creature slammed one massive arm onto his back, pushing him down.

Shiro- 2600

Masami- 3800

"Also," Masami's monster snatched a card from Shiro's hand with one pair of tiny pincers. "When the monster targeted by Spider deals you battle damage one random card from your hand is discarded. End turn." The Genetic Soldier flew back over to its master's field.

Griff glared at Masami angrily. "This is low, Megame."

"It's ok," Shiro gasped out, stumbling to his feet. "I'm willing to endure it." He smiled, though the scrapes on his face showed that the blows he had sustained had hurt. "Draw!"

Masami shrugged his shoulders a little bit, trying to stop himself from smiling. ("He hasn't done much to warrant a smile, though I suppose…")

"Here we go!" Shiro snapped up his drawn card. "I activate Pot of Greed, drawing two cards from my deck." Both cards were slid into his disk. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

Masami nodded and drew. "You may have forgotten Dragon's effect, but I doubt it. You don't seem like one to forget things that easily." He motioned to Genetic Recorder, DNA Helix-Dragon appearing in his hand as he drew another card. "And now I summon Genetic Mistress."

A female semi-naked version of his Soldier appeared in play. (800/800) "When this monster comes into play all DNA Helix cards switch their selections to her." She screamed as she gained the horrible combination attributes from the two field Helixes. (1900/800)

DNA Helix-Dragon reappeared on his field next, his Soldier twisting as it changed into a humanoid dragon. (1500/1000) "Soldier, attack his life points directly and blast his rightmost set card."

Shiro frowned as his set card flipped up and was shattered by a burst of wind. "The effect of Bait and Switch, as you remember, is that when it goes to the graveyard I shuffle it back into my deck and draw a new card." He was about to do so but was forced to slide backwards as the Genetic Soldier punched him in the stomach.

Shiro- 1100

Masami- 3800

Masami frowned. ("He wasn't ready for this, apparently, however I cannot back off now so let's end this.") "Mistress, attack his life points directly!" His monster prepared to charge…

"Hold it…" Shiro came up again, still smiling wearily despite how beaten up he looked. "I activate Final Movie Punch. This card activates when you attack directly and negates the attack. The attacking monster is destroyed and for every Action Warrior in my graveyard you take 300 points of damage."

One of Masami's eyes could be seen now through the glare of his glasses, the scarlet orb wide as a phantom version of Cyclist appeared and roared across the field, running over the Genetic Mistress and then punching Masami full-force across the face, flooring him and sending his glasses flying into the far wall, the lens shattering instantly.

Shiro- 1100

Masami- 3200

Griff blinked in surprise at that. "Wow, that was pretty cool. Hit him again."

"Yeah, sure," Shiro muttered, clutching his side as he realized that the damage he was taking was very close to real at whatever level Masami had set it to. "Let me just stop him from blowing away my magic and trap cards first."

Masami slowly stood up, his scarlet eyes smiling. "Excellent job, Shiro-kun. You've gone up a notch in my book, if just because I was caught off guard by that. End turn."

Shiro drew, and added the card to his hand. ("Sheeze, I'm getting demolished by this guy. As long as that dragon card is running its effect I'm going to get torn apart without my traps to guard me.") "I set two cards face-down and activate Mass Driver." A cannon appeared on his field. "As long as this continuous magic card is in play I can sacrifice a monster on my field to deal you 400 life points of damage."

Masami smirked and wiped a little smudge from his cheek. "It'll take more than 400 points of damage to impress me, Shiro-kun."

"Yeah, I guess it will!" A martial artist appeared on Shiro's field. "I summon Action Warrior-Martial Artist in attack mode!" (1500/1200) "This monster can attack you directly for half damage! Go Martial Artist, attack Masami-san's life points directly!"

The self-proclaimed genius's smile got a little wider as he was kicked in the midsection, sliding back about five feet along the grass. And then he was forced back another five feet as Mass Driver fired right through the Martial Artist, disintegrating it and taking another portion of his life points.

Shiro- 1100

Masami- 2050

"End turn." Shiro wiped some sweat from his forehead. He was making some progress now, but there was a long way to go.

Masami drew and pointed at Genetic Recorder. "Return to me Badger." The card appeared in his hand and then he drew another card before pointing at Shiro. "Direct attack!" A blast of wind shattered one of Shiro's set cards.

"Reverse card open!" Shiro's other set card flipped up. "Bait and Switch negates your attack and returns to my deck, letting me draw a card. Plus…" He grinned and held up the card destroyed by DNA Helix-Dragon to show it was another Bait and Switch. "This card seems to like me today." Then he shuffled both into his deck and drew two cards.

Masami smirked and slid a card into his duel disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Shiro pulled the top card off of his deck, sweat sticking his shirt to his body. ("What is this guy? I'll admit he didn't take as much damage as I did but he should at least be a little tired, right?") And yet it seemed like Masami was more or less unaffected by the damage he had received. "Hey, don't you feel at least a little sore?"

"Not really." Masami rotated one arm a couple of times, feeling it pop once or twice. "Trust me when I say that I am taking the same amount of force you are though. It's just the strength difference between us both."

"That doesn't make me feel much better." Shiro slid his drawn card into his disk. "I activate Scrounging for Supplies. I may shuffle any number of cards in my graveyard into my deck, and for every four shuffled in I draw one card. I choose all eight of the cards in my graveyard." He did so, leaving only the magic card in his graveyard.

Masami waited to see what would be coming his way. ("He has replenished his hand and what I could only assume were dismal cards. Now let's see what he gained that will let him fight back.")

"Heh, I summon Action Warrior-Katana Master!" A dark-haired man dressed as a samurai appeared on Shiro's field and bowed slightly to Masami. (1400/1000) "Also from my hand I activate the equipment magic card Action Weapon-Supreme Cycle!" A jet-black motorcycle appeared alongside his monster. "The equipped monster gains 500 attack points and when it attacks you can't chain the activation of magic or trap card effects!" (1900/1000) "You should have used Badger on your Soldier, but it's too late now! Go Katana Master, attack now!" The Action Warrior rode the vehicle across the field and slashed through both the Soldier and Masami before he wheeled it around and slashed Masami in the back. "Did I forget to mention that Katana Master can attack twice?"

Masami smiled slightly and dropped to one knee, his lips curling up into a relaxed smile. "After your first attack I used Option Hunter to gain the original attack of my monster in life points."

Shiro- 1100

Masami- 750

Shiro sighed and slid a card into his disk. "I didn't think it was going to be that easy. I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw!" Masami grinned now, because he felt better about this duel. "Shiro, I've decided that if you win then you'll have earned my respect. Genetic Recorder activates!" Dragon returned to his hand and he drew. "Go Giant Trunade, returning all magic and trap cards in play to their owner's hands." His two continuous magic cards and Shiro's three magic and trap cards returned to his hand. "And now for Card Destruction."

Shiro twitched as he watched Masami discard eight cards and draw eight new cards. ("And I've got no magic or traps to defend myself with now.") He slid his five card hand into his graveyard and drew five cards.

Masami held up a monster. "I discard a Genetic monster from my hand to special summon Genetics Lord." A grey-cloaked humanoid covered from head to toe in steel banding appeared in play. (2000/1000) "Attack Katana Master now!" The Lord flew across the field and stopped right in front of the Action Warrior. It let out a strange shaking wave of sound that shattered the monster.

Shiro- 500

Masami- 750

Shiro gasped as he was forced to slide backwards from the force of the released blast. ("This guy's deck is really powerful. At least he didn't finish me in this turn.")

Masami inserted three cards into his duel disk. "I place three cards face-down and end my turn." A trio of cards appeared behind his monster.

Shiro was about to draw when he saw Mizuki out from the front. "Hey there, Mizuki!"

The dark-haired girl looked between the two dueling, and then pointed at her friend. "Wow Shiro, you look really tired."

He face-fell, one twitching leg in the air for a couple of seconds before he rolled back to a standing position. "Yeah, I guess so." He decided mentioning the whole boosted damage thing wouldn't be a good idea. There was no point in making her worry about him.

"Draw! I play Pot of Greed!" He drew two more cards. "And then I play Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two." He did so and held up another magic card. "I activate Magic Shard Excavation, discarding two cards from my hand to add Scrounging for Supplies from my graveyard to my hand!" Then he held up the magic card he had just recovered. "I activate it now, shuffling twelve cards into my deck and drawing three cards!"

Masami rubbed the back of his head and then glanced at his set cards. ("Hmmm, maybe I should activate it now before he sets himself up for…") His eyes widened as the front yard was swallowed up by a powerful tornado of wind that shattered his three set cards.

"Heavy Storm?"

"That's right." Shiro held up the magic card from his hand. "All magic and trap cards in play are finished. And that means that you're set up for a finishing play as well! I set two cards face-down and summon Action Warrior-Femme Fatale!" (1900/900) A beautiful woman with long black hair wearing a tight leather bodysuit that hugged her curvaceous figure appeared on his field. Over her right shoulder there was an assault rifle, which she turned and used on his two set cards, shattering them both. "When she is summoned all other cards on my field are destroyed. For every card destroyed I can discard one Action Warrior from my deck to the graveyard, but they must be different cards for each one."

Mizuki smiled at the card that she had given Shiro.

"From my deck," He held up two cards. "I discard Action Warriors Brawler and Gunner. During this turn their attack is added to her own!" (2000/800) (1800/1000)(5700/900) Femme Fatale lifted her freshly reloaded assault rifle and aimed at the Genetic Lord. "This is the end Masami!" Then she opened fire.

Masami sighed as his Genetic Lord wrapped itself in a barrier of gray light that deflected the storm of gunfire. "The effect of Genetic Lord lets me send one DNA Helix card from my graveyard to the bottom of my deck to negate one attack. Sorry Shiro."

"…." Shiro frowned and slammed the last three cards in his hand into his deck. "I place three cards face-down. At the end phase of this turn the attack of Femme Fatale returns to normal." (1900/900)

Masami snapped the top card off of his deck and his eyes widened at what it was. ("Brain Switch Ray…") Then he looked up at Shiro sadly. "I'm sorry in advance, Shiro. From my hand I activate DNA Helix-Squirrel on my Genetic Lord." His heavily armored lord was suddenly very furry in the parts of its flesh that were visible. From behind it a huge fluffy brown squirrel tail flipped into view as well. (2700/1000)

Mizuki wasn't sure whether to think the monster looked cute now or to laugh at it.

Shiro, if not for the fact that he was dead tired and sore at the moment, would have been laughing. "Come on then, let's get this over with."

"As you wish." Masami pointed at Femme Fatale. "Genetic Lord, attack now!" His monster launched across the field, moving with amazing speed.

"Reverse card open!" Shiro's set Bait and Switch flipped up, but the Lord kept charging. "Huh?"

"DNA Helix-Squirrel makes the monster it targets unable to be affected by traps." Masami frowned as his monster stopped inches from Femme Fatale and blasted her with sonic waves, shattering her instantly and bringing Shiro to his knees. "I'm sorry Shiro."

"Don't be sorry yet," His green hair matted to his head, the boy lifted his head up and smiled. "I activate another of my set cards, it being Dramatic Moment-I am the One." He stood up and brushed himself, looking completely restored. "When this card activates it can only work if one Action Warrior on my field is destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard. All battle damage from that Warrior's combat is zero. Also during my next main phase I may special summon that monster back to my field from the graveyard."

Masami chuckled as Shiro shuffled Bait and Switch back into his deck and drew a card. "Alright, I have to admit that was pretty cool." Then he looked down at his hand and the smile he had disappeared. ("I forgot…") "I activate the equipment magic card Transformation Gun on Genetic Lord." A toy-looking laser gun appeared in the grasp of his monster. "From my graveyard I can, once per turn, remove a DNA Helix card from my graveyard to give its effects to a monster in play. I remove DNA Helix Badger." (3500/1000) "Then I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Shiro placed his hand on top of his deck and smiled, feeling great now. ("I can do this, I just need to make sure that…") He started to draw, and then realized that something was wrong.

Across from him there stood another Shiro, who had the same field as he did. "Sorry Shiro, you lose here. Take a look at your duel disk."

"…..this is creepy." He noticed that Mizuki was looking at both of them funny too. Pulling the card in his disk out, he held it up in front of his face. "Brain…Switch…Ray?"

"That's right," Masami, having switched places with Shiro, said using Shiro's own voice. "My ultimate killer trap, this card can activate when your life points and mine are within 4000 of each other. You and I switch fields for the turn, or more appropriately, we switch bodies for the extent of the turn."

"They…they have cards like that?" Mizuki asked breathlessly, taking a moment to realize that this was unexpected.

"Correct," Masami said, pointing at his own body. "It's just holograms and such, but still it's fairly accurate. Anyway, during this turn I cannot set cards face-down or surrender. However, I will still win. Revive…" He caught a glimpse of the card he had drawn as Shiro…and twitched a couple of time. "No way…"

Shiro felt very light-headed as suddenly everything seemed like it was back to normal. Looking down at himself, he grinned widely. "Hey, I'm me!" Looking at the drawn card, he laughed. "It was the magic card Standoff Turn. During the turn this card is drawn the first activated card is negated and it is discarded to the graveyard." He slid the card into his graveyard and pumped a fist into the air. "Hah, I escaped your crazy weird trap!"

Masami sighed and rubbed the back of his head, back in his old body. "Yeah, I suppose so."

Shiro snapped one hand up. "Return, Femme Fatale!" The female Action Warrior reappeared in play, the single set card on his field shattering. "I discard Action Warrior-Slow-Mo from my deck to power up Femme Fatale by 1600 points!" (3500/900)

"If you remember though the effect of Genetic Lord lets me send back a DNA Helix to avoid destruction." Masami pointed at his monster. "Also the attack of your monster is now the same as mine."

"Yeah, but it's not over yet." Shiro held up the last card he had in his hand. "I activate the magic card Explosive Finale. I now select one monster on my field and power it up by 800 attack points." Femme Fatale loaded her assault rifle. "Battle!" (4200/900)

"Genetic Lord…" Masami started to reach for his graveyard, and then blinked as his Genetic Lord launched across the field.

"Explosive Finale makes the battle with the selected monster the last battle for the turn, however your face-up attack mode monster is the one that attacks my monster. Therefore," he smirked in triumph as the Action Warrior emptied the whole clip of her weapon into the genetic monster, destroying it. "I win."

Shiro- 500

Masami- 0

Masami turned off his duel disk and sighed, dropping to the grass and crossing his legs. "That was an excellent duel, Shiro Akugi. Now then, you wanted to learn about the GAD, correct?"

"The GAD?" Mizuki walked up to the sitting Masami. "What's that?"

"Ah," The self-proclaimed genius smirked up at her. "Allow me to tell you of my unbelievable invention."

"NO!" Shiro somehow covered the distance between them with incredible speed, tackling Masami to silence him.

Mizuki tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Now I'm curious, why does Shiro not want me to…"

"AH!" Mentioned green-haired boy leapt up and pointed at the path. "Look, there's Erian!"

The Traveler, who had been trying to sneak back into the house after he had escaped, turned tail and ran as Mizuki immediately turned her focus on him, following him down the street and shouting about letting her look at some designs for the Infinite Ships.

Masami, Griff, and Shiro all sweat-dropped as they watched the teenage girl chase the alien without mercy. Finally Masami shook his head and pulled out the GAD, which he unlocked from its belt form in a series of rapid motions. "Here, examine it carefully as I explain the true nature of the GAD."

Shiro held it in his hands, his eyes glowing fervently and Masami nearly took a step back at the sight. Suddenly Shiro held it aloft over his head and began cackling like an evil madman. "At last, this device's tremendous power and potential is in my hands! Mwuahahahahahahahahahaha!"

Griff groaned, and then glared at Masami. "Megame….I think giving him the GAD might have been a bad idea."

Masami grinned. "Bad idea for you, amusing times ahead for me."

---------------------

Eri snarled and slammed her fist into the punching bag for what seemed like the millionth time. Had she been in a right state of mind she might have thanked Halo for installing punching bags especially made to withstand blows from people her strength. However, since she wasn't in a right state of mind, she merely growled and punched the bag again. "Stupid so-called Dark Kaiser!"

She struck the bag with a left jab, sending it swinging backwards. "Stupid green-haired talkative weirdo!"

The bag made the return trip and she gave it a right hook, knocking it for another loop. "Stupid pretty, falling from the sky ruining moments girl!"

When the bag returned she smashed a roundhouse kick into it, stronger than anything Chuck Norris could ever pull off. "And they're always interrupting everything!"

She stopped the bag with one hand when it came back and panted heavily from the exertion. "I swear, if one of those idiot dimension hoppers interrupts me now, they'll see hell!"

Suddenly a popping sound filled the basement, and Eri turned around. To her surprise she was facing what looked like a spinning vortex of blue light. "What in the world…."

The tornado suddenly blew apart, revealing a figure within. Eri found herself face to face with a tall and pretty girl with long black hair in a thick ponytail. She was wearing an Obelisk Blue first year uniform, and was blinking rapidly. "No…not again…"

Eri's ears twitched along with her eyes as she stared at the girl in frustration. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this girl was yet another dimension hopper. The dark haired girl stared at Eri's twitching ears, her eyes widening. Eri sighed at the reaction and prepared for a scream of 'demon' or something similar.

Without even the slightest bit of warning the girl jumped, plowing right into Eri and knocking the petite demoness onto her back. Eri gasped as she realized that arms were wrapped tightly around her middle. "Get off you freak!"

The girl pulled back enough to be looking right down into Eri's eyes, her hands planted on either side of Eri's head. She grinned broadly, looking at Eri's twitching ears. "Your ears…so cute!"

Eri gulped as she realized that there was only a distance of about four or five inches between their faces. "Well now…this is awkward…"

_To be continued…_


	95. Another World Mirror Connections Part 3

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Savior's in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 95: Another World; Mirror Connections (Part 3)

Ichigo sighed and ran the towel through his hair once more; trying to let the steam from the hot shower he had just taken wash away all of the stress he was currently under. ("I need to apologize to Eri again. First though I need to get her away from this mad-house. I can already imagine that she's had her fill of this place and its company for the day.")

"Hey Ichigo," Adriel yelled, "It looks like they're starting up for the next round of the tournament. Hurry up and get down here, we've got snacks and everything ready!"

"Yeah, I hear you!" The half demon wrapped the towel around his waist and threw the door open, freezing at the fact that Eri was standing right in front of the door. "Ummm…can…" He blushed brightly. "…can I please…"

The demoness took one step to her right to reveal a black-haired girl in an Obelisk Blue uniform hugging her middle. "Ichigo, what exactly am I supposed to do here? I pondered violence, then reasoning…and yet she still won't let me go. And yes, she's apparently along with the other ones."

"…." Ichigo lifted an eyebrow and peered in at the girl. "Hello?"

"Hello," she said absent-mindedly to him, not even turning her head his way.

"By any chance…" Ichigo realized this, like his life, was ridiculously awkward while he was wearing just a towel. "Hang on a second." He slipped past both of them and disappeared into his room, coming out a minute later wearing a black undershirt and a pair of pants. "Alright, let's try this again. Hello there miss, do you have a name?"

"Chizuma," The girl said, still latched to Eri but now playing with demoness' ears.

Ichigo sweat dropped and shrugged to Eri. "She doesn't seem to feel like being very responsive. Is tolerating it an option?"

"It's not a matter of tolerating it," The demoness sighed, trying to ignore the fact that Chizuma's hands was getting very close to the nerve bundle located near the base of her ears that if manipulated correctly would turn off most of her higher brain functions. "It's a matter of time. Seriously Ichigo, I wouldn't come to you except that I don't think anyone else would be able to help me. I don't want to force her off, and she isn't responding to me at all beyond one-word answers."

Ichigo groaned and rubbed the back of his still damp head. "Well, I can't really think of an answer off-hand." He noticed that the demoness was fishing something out of her skirt pocket. "Hmmm? What's that?"

Eri flipped her cell phone open and pressed a number she had on speed dial. Holding it up to her ear she waited for the click on the other end of the line. "Masami, I need the GAD for…" A blur shot past her as Ichigo ran down the hall, nearly hurling himself down the stairs as he ran away. "Yeah, plan 'Sexy Distraction A' needs executing, get him on the way in."

A few seconds she heard the sound of the front door flying open, a weird humming noise, and then a scream of frustration. "You know, Chizuma, I'm not the only girl with cute ears in this house. In fact, I just heard the other one come in and…" She blinked as she realized that the dark-haired girl had already disappeared. "Wow, she's fast."

------------------------

_A few minutes later…_

-------------------------

Mizuki closed the front door and sighed loudly. "He got away again. I lost sight of him and then when I turned the corner he was gone. I'm never going to get to look at those plans at this rate." She walked into the kitchen and blinked at who was there.

At the table there was Eri, a strangely familiar brown-haired girl, and an extremely familiar girl in an Obelisk Blue uniform sitting next to the brown-haired girl and rubbing a pair of cat ears that were on the top of the other girl's head. "Chizuma? What are you doing here?"

"Mizuki-sama, you're here too?" The doll-faced girl couldn't believe her luck. ("This is heaven.") Part of her wanted to jump up and start dancing. ("Two girls with super-cute ears, and Mizuki-sama all in one place? I don't know how it happened, but thank you God!")

Mizuki lifted an eyebrow at the strange blush that went across Chizuma's face, and then she noticed that Eri had an oddly similar blush as well. "Ummm…is there a fever going around or something?"

Wandering around the actual kitchen section of the room, Masami quietly smiled to himself as he prepared the popcorn for the viewing. ("Ahhh, so many comments I could make…however I must prepare myself for the potential moment. When it arrives I will make the ultimate joke, I will make it and success will follow.")

Mizuki sat down in the chair next to Eri, putting her across the table from the very frustrated-looking brown-haired girl. "Hello there, I'm Mizuki. Are you one of the tenants?"

The currently female Ichigo sighed and shot Eri a glare. "You could say that, I guess. I am a victim of…" A twinge went up her back as Chizuma's hands hit a soft spot on her ears. "…something." Whatever she had intended to say got lost in her brain with that momentary thought spasm.

"Chizuma," Mizuki sweatdropped at her friend. "Maybe you should stop playing with her ears?"

"But they're so soft," The doll-faced girl exclaimed this by pinching a point near the base of Ichigo's ears gently. "She must use a really good shampoo or something."

Eri smirked and stood up, heading into the kitchen area. ("I wonder if I should even bother telling them who it really is.") Then she remembered Chizuma's reaction to the male Ichigo. ("Nope, sorry Ichan but it's every girl for herself.")

Masami, done with his preparations, rested his back against the countertop and removed the GAD from his belt, holding the golden item up and grinning to himself. "Ah, the use of my genius benefits all of…"

Shiro suddenly appeared in the entrance to the kitchen. "Hey Mizuki, look!" He pointed over at the front door dramatically.

Erian froze and paled. ("…..eep.") Then he turned and ran full speed back out the door, pursued by a full speed Mizuki seconds later.

Chizuma frowned a little bit at Shiro. ("I guess it isn't heaven on earth if he's around. Oh well, I guess we all can't have everything the way we want it.")

Shiro breathed a sigh of relief and then stomped up to Masami, pointing at him dramatically. "Masami, I thought we agreed you weren't going to talk about the GAD in front of Mizuki."

"I wasn't in front of her." The scarlet-eyed boy, having yet to put on his spare glasses, motioned to the table. "She was sitting over there with her back to me."

"…." Shiro twitched a couple of times. "You will not ruin this for me!"

"Alright, alright," Masami held up a hand reassuringly. "I won't talk about the GAD if Mizuki can hear me." Then he ran through the hand motions to change the device into its remote form. "It's a shame though, it seems like this is the kind of thing that she would go crazy over."

"What are you all talking about?" Chizuma walked up to join the conversation, leaving a relieved Ichigo to try and sneak away.

"We are talking about this," Masami motioned to the golden remote sitting in his hand. "My beautiful Genetic Alteration Device, or named the GAD for short. With it I can make any kind of change to a living target that can occur on the genetic…"

Shiro banged his head against the countertop. "Stop talking about it!"

"On the genetic level…" Chizuma was about to ask a question when the whole house shook violently and the sound of a breaking window could be heard.

From inside the living room a laughing could be heard. "LOL, the surround sound is complete, fellows! Come, let us enjoy the transmission!"

Chizuma realized just then that Ichigo was getting away and tackle-glomped her before she could get away, the two of them disappearing through the entryway into the living room.

"And now we have another new guest!" Rysel sat up from his seat and motioned to one of the couches. "Come, join us and let us all have many a laugh at the humorous antics of those who may be our potential opponents."

Masami and Eri both wandered in, carrying with them bowls of popcorn which they placed at different places for people to access. And then they both took a seat, rather surprised to see that the television which had originally been a fairly large set had been replaced by an absolutely massive monitor, along with a series of speakers that were hooked up all across the room.

"The entertainment center is of the finest quality!" Rysel sat back in a very comfortable-looking crimson armchair he had brought to the house from the Marrow. "Now, it begins!"

Shiro wandered in and sat down next to Masami. "So what is this now?"

"The Duel Monsters World Chain, the big world tournament." Masami flicked a piece of popcorn into his mouth as the monitor flicked to the channel that was broadcasting the tournament. "Oh, it looks like they've about to begin the first round. Good, we missed the commercials."

"Yay us," Ichigo muttered, trying to ignore the fact that she was now Chizuma's pillow.

--------------

On one side of the hovering duel arena stood a young boy wearing a green t-shirt and a yellow hat with a rather faded logo on it. "Duel!"

Across from him stood a tall young man with black-streaked red hair who was wearing a long red coat and a pair of black pants. He was also smirking at the other boy. "Duel."

"_Round Two; First Duel; Blaze versus Johanas Begin!"_

Blaze- 4000

Johanas- 4000

Blaze placed his hand on top of his deck and licked his lips. "Shall we play, boy?" Then he drew and added the card to his hand. "From my hand I summon Inferno Denizen!" A gaunt humanoid made of black and red fire appeared on his field. (1300/1000) "Also I set one card face-down on my field and end my turn." A card appeared behind his monster.

"Draw!" Johanas placed a card onto his disk. "I summon Hyena in defense mode." A mangy canine appeared on his field. (1000/100) "Also, I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

-----------------------------

Mizuki trudged inside the living room looking very depressed. "He got away…oh, what's on?"

"Shhh," Shiro said, eyes glued to the screen. "Big duel tournament."

-------------------------------

Blaze snickered and snapped the top card off of his deck. "Pitiful. During my standby phase Inferno Denizen special summons another of itself to the field." Another red and black flame humanoid appeared on his field. (1300/1000) "And now for a touch of heat. Enjoy it, boy." A card left his hand and was slammed into his disk.

Up in the air above his field a giant hole opened in the sky, revealing beyond it a screaming dimension of red and black fire.

-------------------------------

"Wow," Chizuma stared at the screen now, as did everyone else. "What did he play?"

"It couldn't be…" Ichigo struggled out of Chizuma's grasp and leapt up at the same time as Eri did, staring at the screen.

--------------------------------

"Hell Meteor deals you 4000 points of damage, boy. Disappear." Blaze watched the dimension with a smirk on his face as it belched out a roaring fireball of red and black flame.

"Reverse card open!" Johanas didn't know how his opponent had such a card, but he had a defense for it. "Beast Soul Swap lets me return one beast type monster on my field to my hand and then I special summon a same level beast type monster from my hand to the field!" A furry marsupial appeared on his field in place of his Hyena. "I summon Des Wombat!" (1600/300) "While this monster is in play effect damage won't work on me!" The howling meteor dissipated midway across the field. "Don't take me lightly or else you'll regret it."

Blaze just smirked and slid Hell Meteor into his graveyard. "And don't take my power lightly either. One miss doesn't mean a thing to me. My ammunition is limitless." Then he nodded to Johanas. "End turn."

---------------------

"….dude," Shiro was staring at the screen, along with nearly everyone except Rysel. "Did he say that card did 4000 points of damage? What's its effect?"

"That is its freaking effect." Eri snarled at the picture of the smirking Blaze on the screen. "That card is one of a kind and the single copy of it is in possession by my father! We have to have Halo report that guy for running fake…"

"It isn't a fake," Ichigo had her eyes closed. "Halo…he's there and he says it's real. If anything it's more real than the Hell Meteor Rikuo has. It carries active energy behind its activation."

Unnoticed by everyone, Harrison had slipped in and was now watching the screen as well.

----------------------------

"Draw!" Johanas looked at his drawn card and opened his field magic card slot. "I activate the field magic card Tropical Jungle!" Giant palm trees rose into view all around them both. "While this card is in play all beast and beast warrior monsters gain 300 attack points." (1900/300) Then his Des Wombat disappeared. "I summon Manticore of Darkness!" (2600/1000) A huge winged lion-like creature appeared on his field.

Another magic card appeared on his field. "Now I activate Wild Nature's Release, powering up my monster by its defense for the turn." (3600/1000) "Battle!" The Manticore roared loudly and charged across the field at one of the Denizens. "Take this!"

Blaze watched his monster get torn down by the roaring creature. "Reverse card open, Power Wall." He pulled a huge chunk of cards off of his deck and slid them into his graveyard. "This card activates when I take life point damage through battle. I may discard one card from my deck to negate the damage I take by 100. So therefore I discard twenty-three cards to negate the damage I would have taken entirely."

Johanas blinked in surprise at that. "Wow, Power Wall…people actually make use of that junk trap card?" Then he motioned at his monster, which exploded. "At the end phase of the turn Manticore is destroyed by Wild Nature's Release, but by discarding Hyena I can special summon it back to the field." (2600/1000) "End turn."

Blaze pulled the top card off of his deck and removed a different card from the remaining eight, another Inferno Denizen appearing on his field. (1300/1000) "And now I play Silent Prayer, reviving my third Denizen." The third black and red flame humanoid appeared on his field in a crouching position. (1300/1000)

-----------------------------

"Is every duelist in this dimension some kind of abnormal freak with all-powerful cards?" Shiro threw up his hands, still freaking out over the concept of a single card that could flash-fry anyone instantly.

"No," Eri noticed that Ichigo had disappeared, presumably to use the GAD and return to being a guy. "Hell Meteor was made by a very evil man twenty-one years ago. There is only supposed to be one copy of it."

"That doesn't seem to be the case here, though." Ichigo, back to being a guy, walked into the living room and brought his eyes upon the monitor. "Who is this guy? How does he have a copy of that card?"

Rysel turned up the volume a little bit. "STFU, my fellows. I am trying to watch."

--------------------------

Blaze pointed at Johanas. "Now then, it's time to give up."

"Are you crazy?" The boy held up his duel disk to indicate his field. "I'm well protected from your attacks with my Manticore guarding me."

"Well protected?" Blaze shook his head slowly, his red eyes closing. When they opened again his irises had changed to a molten orange color. "Not against me. No mortal is safe against me! Now, let me show you why I was not worried about that attack missing." He held up a card and his three Denizens all disappeared within a pulsing pillar of black and red fire. "It's because they are but my breath!"

----------------------------

Ichigo's hands dropped numbly to his sides, eyes trembling as the pillar of flame started to take shape. "No…you're kidding me…"

Mizuki watched the screen intently, eyes trembling but for a different reason. ("What incredible power...")

"_My summon is…" On the screen Blaze bared his fangs._

"…Hell Nova Dragon; Kifunsuiryu." Ichigo said at the same time as the man on the screen, the top of the pillar splitting into dozens of jets of flame that quickly formed into dozens of roaring draconic heads, each one connected to one immense serpentine body that stretched across the whole of the stadium. (XX00/XX00)

"….." Shiro stared slack-jawed at the screen and the utterly epic monster that had been summoned. "You guys duel stuff like that?"

------------------------------

The audience was like a riot, the fact that people could actually feel the hellish heat coming from the monster's body rather scary.

Blaze crossed his arms across his chest. "The attack and defense of Kifunsuiryu is multiplied by 500 for every card in my graveyard." (14500/14500)

Johanas gasped, feeling suddenly as if this was where his life would end. ("It's just a Duel Monster…but it feels so real…like it's about to eat me alive…")

Blaze held up a magic card that released a glow which erupted from his monster. "I activate the magic card Aural Shot. This card lets me sacrifice a monster on my field to attack you with an attack equal to that monster's attack strength." Kifunsuiryu dissolved into a glowing fireball of red energy.

Then he sighed as if remembering something. "Bah," He snapped his fingers and the fireball shifted back into Kifunsuiryu, which flicked a tail out and chopped the Manticore in half without touching the monster's wielder at all. "Stupid deal…" He turned and walked to the edge of the arena as the inferno that was the Hell Nova Dragon disappeared.

Blaze- 4000

Johanas- 0

Johanas dropped to his knees and felt cold, as if he had just been spared from death.

----------------------

The entire room was silent…until Ichigo twitched and dropped to his knees. "Adriel, your father is the biggest jackass on the planet."

"My father?" The half dragon demon stood up and glared at Ichigo. "Explain yourself before I make you pay for that remark!"

"He…" Ichigo groaned and his face hit the carpet, butt in the air and tail hanging limply to the side. "He's sponsoring the Children of Bahamut in this tournament…all freaking six of them."

"…." Adriel stomped out of the room, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. "Excuse me while I go yell at my dear father for an hour or so."

"What are the Children of Bahamut?" Harrison said angrily, rather frustrated that apparently Ichigo wasn't the only overpowered creature in this world, if the energy he had felt from that Blaze person was any indication.

"Bahamut is the god of justice and order for the dragon demon people." Eri said. "They're his children. They are God Cards of the highest caliber. And apparently…"

"Adriel's father, who had those cards placed in his care, allowed them freedom in return for their restraint on their abilities. There are six of them total, three good and three evil. The good apparently are keeping the evil ones in check." Ichigo groaned loudly, still locked in a state of permanent face-plant. "This tournament has now officially turned into a big battle royale. What's worse is that they're pulling lots randomly to clear the numbers, so it's not even promised that we'll be facing the Children of Bahamut in the next round."

The monitor suddenly went mute and Rysel turned in his chair to face Ichigo. "Excuse me fellows, but if you're more interested in speaking amongst yourselves instead of watching the transmission then please GTFO."

Ichigo stumbled to his feet and walked out of the living room. "Right, excuse me."

The half-demon passed right by Harrison on his way out of the living room, and failed to notice that the darkly foreboding aura that Harrison exuded was suddenly back in full force and stronger than ever. His fists clenched tightly and his jaw muscles clenched. _'That power…I must face it…I must gain such strength to overcome all obstacles!'_

He shot a glance at Mizuki who nodded briefly as she walked past him, following Ichigo. She had known him for two years, and knew him well enough to understand what he wanted now. Not that it mattered, since that was exactly what was on her mind.

---------

_Elsewhere…_

Lightning crackled as a blue tornado of energy spun into existence in the middle of an empty street. It whirled in place for a few minutes before dying down, revealing seven figures standing where the center had been.

Each one wore what appeared to be Chinese kung fu uniforms, though their color was a deep violet. The one at the very front of the group cracked his neck, his long brown hair shaking behind him. "Sheesh, that dimensional travel sure is a bitch."

From the back of the group a heavy snort could be heard, and from his crouch a giant of a man stood. He towered over the other members of the group and had shoulders that had to be at least three or four feet across, his body stretching the uniform to its limits. His bald dark skinned skull glinted in the sun. "Don't complain so much Katsuya, after all, we're getting to go out and have some fun."

A lanky and frighteningly thin teenager snickered and stretched his arms over his head as he walked out of the shadow of the larger man. His grey eyes had a strange glint to them as he ran his fingers through his wispy brown hair. "Hoo…I'm just eager to face that Rising Star girl in battle, she's quite the cute little thing."

Off to the side a female voice came, the source of it being a tall and almost frighteningly busty woman with long blonde hair. Her bust was nearly spilling out of the open top of her uniform. "You three shut your faces. You all talk too much, and it's giving me a headache."

Another of the seven, this one standing calmly in the same spot he had been, looked very much like a boy of about twelve. His eyes were wide and bright with what appeared to be curiosity as he looked around at their location. "This place is interesting…but I don't sense any sort of energy like what we should feel. I wonder where they are."

The sixth one was a second woman, this one clearly Asian rather than appearing European. Her hair was braided into two ponytails on either side of her head, and she seemed to have the best fit for her uniform, with a lithe martial artist's body. There was a case hanging from her wrist as well. "Perhaps then we should move along and locate them. Reconnaissance is the best option at this point. Watching the news is best, as we know not even where in this world they might be."

Last in the group to speak was a young man with copper skin who was about six feet and limber, with a mane of black hair that hung to his ankles. His dark eyes were narrowed carefully as he surveyed the area. In confident tones he addressed the others. "Lady Xiao Xiao has left me in charge, so be prepared to listen carefully. I will brook no complaints. Now, our first order of business is to discover where we are, and then from there we can begin our search."

All seven of them stood at the ready as a gust of wind whipped past them, the street making a whistling sound. The leader snapped his fingers and all at the same time the six other members of his team flickered and vanished. "Rising Star, we're coming for you. Prepare yourself."

----------------

Ichigo exited the building, threw his head back and screamed at the top of his lungs. Once he was finished after nearly a minute he placed his hands on his knees and drew in a few deep breaths to recover. "Not again…Ryu-san, I hate you right now so much…"

He yelped when suddenly he felt a hand placed on his shoulder. He spun around, and found Mizuki looking at him intently. "Ichigo-san…I know this may seem strange since we're not from this dimension but…that tournament, I need to be in it. We need to be in it."

The hanyou frowned, his gut instinct telling him that somehow Mizuki was right. But there was a problem. "I'd like to say I could help you get into the tournament, but at the moment that's impossible. The minimum number of duelists for a team is five, and you've only got four here to compete. Without five, you can't enter."

"Five you say? Perhaps I can be of assistance?" Ichigo and Mizuki spun around and looked up at a nearby fence. There, crouched on the top of it was a figure shrouded by a dark blue cloak that was flapping out to the side, despite a lack of wind.

There was a slight chuckle from within the cloak, and a hand reached out from within and gripped the edge. "I've heard this city has its fair share of heroes, but perhaps it wouldn't mind adding another to its list!"

The cloak was flung off, going flying into the air and revealing the figure beneath. It was a handsome young man with silvery hair and blue eyes wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform. He tilted his head up to look at both of them and smiled, his teeth glinting in the sun. "Sanzo Uzumaki, Hero Saint has come to save the day!"

_To be continued…_


	96. The Rotten Links in the Chain

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 96: The Rotten Links in the Chain

Sanzo nodded his head once, then a second time, and finally opened his eyes and smiled again, his teeth glinting. "Well at least its nothing terribly complicated."

Shiro gawked at the older teen who smiled so serenely. "Not terribly complicated? Are you crazy or something? We've been hurled into a different dimension and there's weird stuff like super heroes roaming the city and gods in a freaking Duel Monsters tournament! How is that simple at all?"

His inadvertent rival shrugged indifferently. "All I'm saying is that it's nothing to get worked up over. If anything, I really like the idea of a world with super heroes. I'd like to meet this Starlight Savior; she's got quite a knack for a hero's dramatic flare. I loved that entrance speech she gave in the video you showed me."

From off to the side Ichigo blushed and got a shake of the head in his direction from Eri. From his position leaning against the wall Nikolai sighed and took a sip of his soda. "Personally I find Starlight Savior's speeches to be utterly unnecessary and a waste of otherwise useful time."

Ichigo shot a glare at the Russian duelist who ignored it. "Well I think that Starlight Savior's speeches are just awesome!"

From the wall opposite Nikolai's Harrison took a sip of soda as he leaned casually back. He snorted and didn't even look at Ichigo as he spoke. "A prissy little woman like you would."

Before Ichigo could even respond Eri was right up in front of Harrison, glaring at him. "Where do you get off talking to Ichan that way? Watch yourself!"

Harrison finally lifted his head and looked Eri right in the eyes. "Get out of my face, you filthy demon."

Eri lunged forwards and grabbed the lapel of his trench coat and yanked him forwards. The height difference prevented her from really lifting him up, but she still showed that she could heft him with ease. "Watch what you say you arrogant bastard, or I'll rip your spleen out through your ears!"

The Dark Kaiser narrowed his eyes and looked down at her hands. Suddenly the room was filled with an oppressive aura that was distinctively Harrison's. "Release me or I'll show you my power."

Mizuki pulled away from Chizuma, leaving the younger girl pouting in her wake. She stepped between Harrison and Eri and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Calm down you two. We're trying to figure this all out, so fighting amongst ourselves is unnecessary."

Ichigo stepped in as well and placed a hand on Eri's opposite shoulder, giving her a significant look. "She's right."

Eri growled and released Harrison's coat, letting the white haired teen touch his feet fully back on the ground. He calmly brushed his coat off, but inside he was seething. ("That filthy demon touched me…how dare she?")

The tension in the room was shattered like a soap bubble when Rysel poked his head in and glared at everyone in the kitchen. "Not to interrupt what seems to be an important argument, but WTF? I'm watching the transmission, so both please be silent and watch or you will have to face l33t skills, my friends."

When he returned to the living room, everyone in the kitchen looked at each other and shrugged. Then they headed to the living room, the only one making any comment being Shiro. "Oh come on, doesn't anybody ask why he talks like that? It's weirding me out!"

--------

Eki- 4000

Roxanne- 1300

Roxanne, a young fifteen year old girl wearing a pink skirt and pink shirt, struggled to draw in breath as she faced off against her opponent.

"What's the matter?" Eki smiled, his perfectly white teeth glinting in the light coming from the numerous spotlights above. "Are you tired?" His simple beige t-shirt, shorts and bandana left him looking almost completely normal, but the smile he had was not normal. It was one of a person who was in complete control of a situation and that was toying with his prey.

"Draw!" She held the card up and then threw it onto her disk. "I summon Berserk Gorilla…"

"Reverse card open." Eki's face-down card flipped up to reveal a picture of a blob of slime consuming a monster. "Absorbed Alive stops your monsters summon and removes it from the game. Then a Slime Captive Token is special summoned to my field." (1000/1000) A blob of clear slime appeared on his field.

"…I place two cards face-down and end my turn." Roxanne couldn't understand. What was this guy? What had he done to her teammates? "What did you do to them?"

"Do?" The boy drew, still smiling calmly. "I did nothing to them, my dear. They're just shaken up because they lost to my other personalities, I suppose." Then he held up a card. "I activate the magic card Appearance of the Worldly Threat. This card lets me return one monster that has been used in previous duels during this round to the field at the stats it had before it left."

A tornado of pink appeared on his field. "I return my personal favorite monster! Come back to terrorize my enemies, Anime Character-Dragonball Z; Super Buu!" The creature that formed on his field was some kind of pink humanoid wearing a pair of white pants, a sinister sneer on its bizarre face. (500/1500) "Buu's special ability is that whenever he defeats an opponent's monster in battle that monster card goes into my graveyard. While it remains in my graveyard Buu gains half the original attack of the monster, as well as access to its effect. Also, when used in a special rules duel he brings his old victims with him into other duels. Therefore…"

Two cards slid out of his graveyard and he held them up. "Your first teammate used Airknight Parshath against me and your second teammate used Jinzo. It's such a shame that they failed, and that their monsters now are my monster's power!" (2650/1500) Super Buu opened its mouth impossibly wide and roared, the force of the scream alone nearly sending Roxanne sliding backwards. "Also, I'll be sacrificing the Slime Captive Token and sending your Berserk Gorilla to my graveyard with its effect!"

The blob on his field flew up and hit the back of Super Buu, being sucked into the creature's body. (3650/1500)

"I reveal Scapegoat!" One of Roxanne's set cards flipped up and four colored goats appeared on her field. (0/0)x4

"It's such a shame…" A card slid out of Eki's graveyard. "That one of your earlier teammates used Lightning Vortex on me. If you remember any duelist that loses while my tournament continuous magic card Pillage the Fallen is in play allows me to make their graveyard mine when they fall. Also," A card from his hand was slid into his disk. "I activate the tournament magic card Fast Learner. I select one magic card that has been played in this round by one of the opponents on the opposing team. Then, if a copy of that card exists in my graveyard, I may add it to my hand."

Flipping over Lightning Vortex, he continued to smile. "By discarding one card from my hand all monsters on your field will be obliterated!" A torrent of lightning crashed down and shattered all of the Scapegoat Tokens instantly.

Roxanne's eyes widened in fear. Because Super Buu was copying the effect of Jinzo she couldn't use her set Magic Cylinder, and that meant that she was defenseless.

------------------------

Sanzo's eyes widened at what he saw on the screen….

-------------------------

All around Eki there was a pulsing aura that flowed like water, extending tentacles of itself forward slightly and caressing his monster. "It's a shame that none of you could stand against me. One by one my personalities struck each of you into the floor."

"_And now,"_ The flowing aura said, its voice like some kind of insane chorus of hundreds of different voices speaking at once. _"You will become part of me, little girl."_

Super Buu roared and launched across the field, slamming one heavy pink fist into the girl's gut at the same time that a single tentacle from the liquid aura lanced out and shoved itself down her throat. She gasped for air, head thrown back…and then the tentacle pulled itself from her mouth, dragging with it a pulsing semi-clear white mist.

"_What?"_ The semi-clear white mist throbbed, an echo of Roxanne's voice coming from it. _"What's going on? Where am I?"_

Time seemed to have stopped, the conversation occurring on a level that made it pass by in a moment. The tentacle that had latched onto the throbbing mist started to laugh, its insane cacophony of voices amused. _"You lost to me, dear little child. Now I'll be taking my prize. Every skill, every bit of spiritual energy you have and everything that makes you unique or special…it will all be mine!"_

Another tentacle launched out and like a knife expertly cut away a hunk of the mist, letting the rest of it return to her body. _"And the best part is the rest of you, your core consciousness, won't even know it's gone. Welcome to the fold, dear. Welcome to spending eternity with me."_

"_NOOOO!"_ The piece of severed white mist struggled, slowly being pulled into the mass of clear aura. _"I don't want to disappear…I don't want to lose everything that makes me what I am…let me…"_ The rest of its cries disappeared into oblivion as it was consumed, the liquid aura growing just slightly larger.

Eki smiled cheerfully to the now kneeling girl as the field cleared away. "Oh well, perhaps next time you'll do better, no?"

Roxanne stared at the ground, the single card that had been in her hand fluttering to the ground in front of her. ("What am I even doing here? What ever made me think that I could actually succeed in this kind of competition? I'm not a duelist…") She looked at the card that landed in front of her, the one she had dropped.

It was her rarest, her King of the Jungle card…but it brought her no joy or comfort to look at it. Despite all of the memories such a card carried with it, there was nothing but pain when she looked upon its face now. Tears welled up in her eyes and she stumbled away towards the bunker, not even bothering to pick the card up. There was nothing but pain and sorrow now. ("What's the point of living? Who will miss me? Who will care that I'm gone?")

Eki turned and placed the gathered cards that were not his onto a platform that hovered up alongside him, its purpose to return the cards to the other team. ("All that's left in you is an ugly scar where all of your once happy memories and thoughts were. Like most of my victims, you will most likely kill yourself or go insane after a few days of unending pain without any chance of relief.") He chuckled to himself and watched the bunker bridge extend slowly.

------------------

Sanzo shuddered and felt as if his veins had turned to ice. "That duelist…he's a monster!"

Griff shrugged and stretched out on the couch. "Not really, if you saw the team we faced the other day you'd realize that compared to a lot of people that guy's not too scary a duelist."

With a shake of his head Sanzo made his reply. "No, that's not what I meant. I mean, he was a monster. That guy most certainly wasn't human. I understand that none of you could see it, because my powers relate to detecting evil and danger but…it was unlike anything I had ever seen."

Mizuki looked over at Sanzo with concern in her eyes. She had only heard Sanzo this worried about powers he had felt once before. "What did he do? What was so frightening about it?"

"I'm not sure how, but he ripped away her skills, and even her will to live and…ate it. It was like he was a living being of fluid tentacles that just ripped into her and absorbed all she had to offer when she lost. It was disturbing to see." To the side Ichigo closed his eyes, and Eri and Adriel watched him carefully.

Ichigo opened his eyes seconds later and shrugged. "Halo says he didn't feel anything and he was watching that duel. If Halo couldn't sense it, it's hard to believe somebody else could."

For the first time since the incident in the kitchen Harrison spoke. "Before I say anything else, let's get this out of the way. I dislike all of you, and all of you hate me as well."

There was silence for several seconds in response to this, until Mizuki quietly spoke. "But…I like you. Don't believe him everyone. He's really just a big puppy, he's all bark and no bite."

("Maybe more like a pet snake or something, because he certainly isn't anything in the canine family.") Eri snickered to herself at that line of thought.

Harrison coughed into his hand, sending a surreptitious glare Mizuki's way, making her squeak and go silent. "Moving on. I've known Sanzo for quite some time, and his abilities of detection have never been wrong. If he says this boy is a strange monster, believe him."

Adriel shot the arrogant boy a glare. "Yes, and it makes perfect sense that we should trust you, even though you've given every indication that you're an evil jackass."

Shiro rolled his eyes. "That's exactly what I've been saying…"

Harrison, on the other hand, just smirked at Adriel. "Evil? What a petty concept, just like good. In this world there are only the weak and the strong."

Sanzo stood up from the couch and placed his hands in his pockets. "None of this arguing matters. I originally declared myself a fifth for Mizuki's desire to enter the tournament as a perfect entrance line. However, at this time, considering what I've learned about the potential dangers at this Duel Monsters World Chain I feel it would be inappropriate for a hero such as myself to stand aside and let something like this continue."

He tilted his head over his shoulder and looked directly at Ichigo, his eyes calm and focused. "Since that's the case, I respectfully request your aid in gaining entrance into this DMWC for the five of us. Unless there are any objections of course."

Mizuki shook her head, and Harrison smirked. Shiro squeezed his hand into a tight fist. "Heck, I'd love a chance to kickass in a world tournament even if it's in another dimension. I'm in."

Chizuma hopped up and jumped to Mizuki's side, wrapping an arm around the other girl's shoulders. "And if Mizuki-sama is in, then I'm in as well!"

The Hero Saint smiled lightly at Ichigo who folded his arms over his chest and looked from duelist to duelist. "Well Ichigo-san? What do you say?"

Ichigo's eyes drifted shut and he sat there for several seconds. When his eyes opened he looked confused. "Halo says that there's no problem, and he even has a sponsor in mind for you five. However…he was laughing manically about something. I have no idea what though."

--------------

Harrison's left eye twitched almost violently at what he was looking at. "You can't possibly be serious. This…thing…is going to be our sponsor?"

The 'thing' he was referring to was currently bouncing around the living room, hopping from item to item as 'it' inspected the newly installed entertainment system Rysel had created. "So cool! I didn't even know you could get televisions this big!"

Rysel smiled calmly as he watched a petite girl with golden blonde hair jumping excitably around at his system. "My dear, you have exceptional taste of electronics. I have told them repeatedly that they are to PHE4R my l33t entertainment system."

Shiro, once again, twitched at the sound of Rysel's voice. "How can he possibly be serious with all of that stuff?"

Ichigo smiled even while sweat-dropping at the girl who looked strikingly like a female version of himself stopped in the middle of the room and squealed with joy. "Well, she does have enough shares in Halo's company to be capable of sponsoring you. So she's really the only person available on short notice. Besides, what's so bad about her?"

Harrison's eye continued twitching. "She's…she's…she's like a pixie on sugar! She's like a little child; she's less mature than the Akugi idiot!"

Shiro sneezed and shot a glare at Harrison. "I'm right here you know!"

The blonde haired girl looked over at the white haired teen and smiled brightly, holding up one finger. "Maybe I'm kinda childish, but if you wanna get sponsored in the DMWC you're gonna have to be a good boy."

Her male counterpart snickered. "Alahandra, maybe you shouldn't provoke him. He doesn't seem exactly stable."

Alahandra waved the comment away, obviously unworried. "Anyways, I'd love to sponsor you guys and see you all duel, but there's one important thing we have to do first."

The room grew dead silent, surprised at the serious look on Alahandra's face. But their surprise turned into shock when a huge smile stretched across her features. "Pick a team name!"

Everyone in the room face-fell. And when they recovered, Chizuma was hopping up and down with joy, her hand raised in the air. Alahandra pointed at her. "Yep, you've got an idea?"

Chizuma nodded, her face lighting up at having been called on. "For super cute duelists like me and Mizuki-sama dueling while sponsored by a super cutie like you, the only choice is obvious! Team Sexy!"

Shiro snorted and pushed her aside, getting in front of Alahandra. "That's a stupid idea and you're weird just for thinking of it. No, to strike fear into the hearts of freaks like that Eki guy and those gods, we've got to have a badass name. Like Team Hellhound!"

Out of nowhere a tea coaster came flying, knocking Shiro on the side of the head and sending him to the ground. Mizuki sighed and shook her head. "We should probably pick something simple. Maybe Team"

She was cut off when Harrison suddenly spoke up. "We'll be named Team Avenger, and I'll brook no arguments."

Sanzo flicked a lock of hair out of his eyes and smiled, shining brightly at Alahandra who applauded in response. "For a group such as ourselves, perhaps the name 'Team Hero' would work best."

Masami smirked. "I like the way they think."

Griff raised an eyebrow at the other teen. "You know, not everybody has a weird ego like you do."

Chizuma suddenly pushed past them, shoving both out of the way along with Sanzo and Harrison as she jumped over to Mizuki and grabbed onto her. "Everybody shut up, Mizuki-sama was picking the name, and we'll go with hers."

Mizuki blushed slightly at seeing everyone suddenly looking at her. With her eyes downcast she finished what she had been saying before. "Team Virtue…sounds like a sort of nice name, right?"

The doll faced girl applauded Mizuki's team name. "Hurray for Mizuki-sama, hurray for Team Virtue!"

Alahandra applauded as well, being the only one to join in. "Hurray, I like it a lot! Team Virtue sounds like a really sweet name!"

Eri glanced over Harrison who was scowling as usual. "He doesn't seem too virtuous to me, are you sure the name is well chosen?"

-----------------------------

Ichigo sat in silence, eyes closed and the Infinity Mind that was hanging around his neck glowing. ("Well, let's see if today's the day or not.") "Awaken Scorpio, Soul of…" He waited patiently for a response. "Come on, I know you're in there! The last month or so you show up and glow like a beacon, but when I come in to get you there's nothing there. What are you, an illusion power or something?"

His door opened and Eri walked in, arms crossed across her chest. "You sound crazy yelling at yourself."

"I am crazy." The half demon fell onto his back and kicked his legs up into the air. "Seriously, what the heck is the deal with these last two zodiac symbols? Scorpio is mocking me and Cancer has yet to be found."

"Why are you trying to force them?" She sat down on his bed. "Those things come out as they wish to, right?"

"It's because I want to try and reach the maximum potential as Starlight Savior." Ichigo sat up and slapped his face a couple of times to wake himself up. "Seriously, I'm supposed to be the leader of the group but half the time I'm tripping over myself because I'm a girl in that form. Stupid Infinity Mind…why not just call it the Infinity Head or something, because there's no mind in there from what I can tell."

"Well at least you make a good magical girl like that. After all, when you were a guy you were the mysterious weird guy saving people and beating monsters. Now you're the mysterious weird sexy girl saving people and beating monsters, which results in many more hits for my Savior website, and also increases the sale of my assorted photos of you and the others." The demoness grinned widely, her tail wagging as she remembered all of that lovely money she had made.

Ichigo sighed and patted her on the head gently. "Yes, yes, I get it. Besides, thanks to your training I'm starting to get better at moving as a girl." Then he leaned his head in towards her. "However I've noticed a lack of pictures of a certain yellow-haired Savior on the before-mentioned website."

Eri stuck her tongue out at him and smirked, holding up a finger and waving it in his face. "It isn't my fault that I haven't needed to transform since that one time four months ago. And it isn't my fault either that I forgot to bring my automatic camera too."

"Sure it isn't," he sat down next to her on the bed. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind next time you need saving, missy."

"Hmph," She huffed out, turning away from him. "It's my job to keep you guys safe anyway, so what makes you think that anyone will wind up injured in any way, shape or form…" Her head turned and she smiled devilishly at him, eyes semi-closed. "Unless I so wished that a certain someone might be harmed…just a little bit."

"Oh my, scary…" Ichigo leaned in towards her and returned the look…

The door to the room opened and Adriel walked in, looking deep in thought. "Pilkington, I need your advice on something."

Both original occupants of the room quickly developed a tick to their faces. However Ichigo slowly slid off the bed and turned to look at the half dragon demon. "Yes Adriel, how can I help you?" His tone was slow…and very menacing.

"Well, you see I came across an interesting problem when I looked up some information on most of the teams. They all…" Adriel kept talking, and Ichigo seemed to zone out…

------------------------

Mizuki set out her cards in front of her and drew the top five cards, placing them down in front of her one at a time until she had them lined up. She hummed slightly as with her eyes closed she reached for the first one. "Rune Symbol-Hagalaz, merkstave."

She flipped it over, and though she didn't look at it the card was exactly as she had claimed, Rune Symbol-Hagalaz upside down. She reached for the second card, and her hand twitched. "Rune Symbol…Rune Symbol…"

Her eyes slowly opened and she sighed and slid the cards back together. "Dang it, I don't get it. Normally this helps me calm myself and focus, and it lets me refine my skills. But right now…it's just dull."

She grimaced and shuffled the cards back into her deck. "Sheesh, I don't normally feel this annoyed unless Shiro is doing something stupid. And my cycle is next week so it can't be that."

Mizuki threw up her in arms in the air in frustration. "Gah! I can't even think straight right now! What's wrong with me? And how come I just feel like smacking someone?"

With a shake of her head she picked up her deck and marched up the stairs towards the girls rooms. "I'm going to bed, this is too much for me right now."

------------------------

_A few minutes later…_

-------------------------

"…and then I realized that you might know…" Adriel frowned as he realized that Ichigo wasn't even listening to him. "Pilkington? Come on man, focus! This is about whether or not we'll be able to win the DMWC!"

Ichigo lifted one hand and pointed at the door. "Out."

"What do you mean out?" Adriel glared at his rival. "This is important business!"

"What I am currently doing is also important business." The half demon stomped over and grabbed his soul-forged katana from where it sat against his closet door. "Get out."

"Or you'll what?" Adriel planted his hands on his hips, and then blinked as Ichigo slowly drew the silver-bladed weapon. "You're serious?"

"Get out!" The half demon shouted. "Out, out, out!"

"…." Adriel slowly backed out of the room and closed the door. "Ummm, good night."

Sheathing the weapon, Ichigo put it back where it was supposed to go in the room and then sat down next to Eri on the bed. "Okay…finally it's you and me, alone…" Suddenly he charged across the room and kicked the door closed as it started to open. "GO AWAY!" Then he locked it and returned to his seat. "Okay, now we're…"

_("Ichigo,")_ Halo's voice echoed in the half demon's head. _("I have some information about…")_

("Burn in the eternal pits of fiery hell, you emotionless bastard!") Ichigo then proceeded to boot Halo out of his thoughts, quickly erecting barricades to keep the enforcer out. "Okay, and now…"

Rysel's head came into view in front of the window, which made both jump back in surprise because they were on the second floor. "Do not mind me; I'm just taking notes on the mating habits of earthlings. Continue on as if I wasn't here."

Eri and Ichigo both flushed tomato red. "Who's mating?"

"Ho? I had it wrong?" Rysel tapped his chin with his pencil and scribbled down a few notes in his notepad. "I'll have to make sure to include 'extreme denial of actions' in my notes on this occurrence." Then he disappeared from view as the curtains were closed. "Now that's not very sporty of either of you."

"GO AWAY RYSEL!" They both screamed as loud as they could.

"Very well, enjoy reproduction or whatever it is you are doing, my fellows." Then the shadowed image of Rysel projected against the curtains disappeared.

Ichigo stumbled over to the light switch and flicked it off. Then he threw a blanket over the window and used a pair of tacks to hold it in place. "I don't care what they think now; I just want them to leave us alone!" He collapsed face-first onto the bed, his breathing ragged and his ears twitching rapidly in irritation.

Eri smiled and started rubbing his back. "At…"

"No!" Ichigo leapt up and placed a hand on both sides of her face. "Do…not…jinx…it!" Then he kissed her as hard as he could, praying that they could just get even one minute of undisturbed peace.

---------------------

Mizuki bolted upright in her bed, her nightshirt clinging to her as she gasped in surprise. Then a heavy blush spread across her cheeks as she realized that she was feeling pressure against her lips, but there was nothing there. "It…it tastes wild but sweet…is this what a kiss is like? But there's…what?"

Her blush deepened when she realized what else she was feeling. Then her face turned completely red when a golden eyed face with semi-pointed canine ears popped into her mind. "Gah! Bad thoughts!"

She gulped and took a few deep breaths as the sweet pressure slowly parted from her lips. She shook her head, her dark hair bobbing back and forth as she did so. "Of all people, I was imagining kissing the demon girl? But…I'm not like that…am I?"

Slowly she drew her knees up to her chest and tried to banish the strange image of her lips pressed against the demon girl's from her head, but it refused to leave. "No…what is this? This isn't what I want, is it? I don't understand any of this…"

"**Worried about your sexuality? What an amusing thing to hear and you've got no experience there at all. You've never even kissed a boy now have you? So maybe you don't swing that way, and that's why you can't reciprocate Shiro's feelings." **Mizuki grabbed her head and squeezed it tightly as she curled herself even more into a ball.

("Shut up!)" A dark voice laughed madly in her head and a pounding pressure struck the sides of her skull from the inside. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the feeling, but she couldn't find her center of focus.

"**Without even realizing it you've been pitching for the other team this whole time, isn't that right Mizuki-chan?"** The bed began to shake and the lamp on the nearby desktop vibrated as all objects on the ground shook.

("Shut up!") The voice laughed even louder as the pressure grew stronger, effectively stomping out Mizuki's attempts to focus herself. And flashes of the image of her kissing the demon girl were just making it worse.

"**You want that fear to go away, maybe you should realize that dream. And I know just the way to realize that dream and then crush it in one blow. I'll show you what the real thing is like Mizuki-chan!" **Mizuki's body grew limp and she fell backwards, her head hitting the pillow.

Shadows drew themselves in from the corners of the room, coalescing into a menacing but beautiful woman who had to be at least eighteen or nineteen. She had a curtain of wild black hair that went most of the way down her back, and seemed to be dressed in a dress made of moving shadows.

With a chuckle the woman drew a hand through her wild hair, not even trying to tame it, just enjoying the feeling. Her lips curled up into a fearsome smile, revealing fangs. Her smile was made worse by her bright blue eyes that seemed to dance with a mad inner light. And her palely beautiful features looked as if they could have been Mizuki's in a few years. "It's been a while since you let me come out to play like this Mizuki-chan."

She smirked and looked down at Mizuki's sleeping form and casually brushed her fingers across the young girl's cheek. "Mizuki-chan, this time I won't make the mistake I did before when physically released. This time, I'm going to play the game as long as I can."

Mizuki's body floated up out of the bed and darkness leaked out of the older woman's body, wrapping around the floating girl. Bit by bit she was covered by the darkness until she was suddenly pulled into the woman's body. Then there was no sign that Mizuki was anywhere. There was only that woman standing in the room. "Oh I'm so going to enjoy their sobs as their dreams as crushed beneath my heel, but for now I wait. Let's enjoy the show shall we, Mizuki-chan?"

Her body flickered and moments later she was dressed and looked exactly like Mizuki, down to even the nightshirt she had been wearing. She looked down at herself and did a little twirl. "A little smaller up top than I'm used to being, but still pretty impressive. This body, it's quite the killer for a sixteen year old Mizuki-chan. I hope you don't mind if I borrow it for a while."

She snickered and tossed herself back down on the back, her arms behind her head. "Today has been a busy day, and tomorrow is going to be quite interesting. Everyone…I hope you're ready to face your worst nightmares, because Nightmare has awoken once more."

Her tongue dragged across her lips as she flashed back to the image that had been in Mizuki's mind. "To sleep, perchance to dream. What an ironic sentiment eh, Mizuki-chan? Dream inside of me, and I'll show you that dream come true in all its horrible reality."

_To be continued…_


	97. The Rise of Virtue

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 97: The Rise of Virtue

Ichigo's eyes snapped open and he sat up in bed, sheets stuck to him thanks to the cold sweat he was giving off. After a few seconds his eyes adjusted fully to the darkness of his room and he felt a little better. The clock on the nightstand said that it was 4:32 in the morning, far earlier than he was used to getting up. ("What was that place? It was like…")

He only had one example in his head, and it scared him to think of it. ("It was like when I dueled Eon and I had died…it was a void between life and death, where I should be dead but I wasn't because it could not happen there.") Even his mental explanation made little sense, but it was the closest he could compare it to.

What made the experience worse was that it had felt so real. Even now, awake, he could not convince himself that it was a dream he had just experienced. "I…" One damp hand came up and pressed against half of his face as he tried to compose himself. He felt lost, confused, and wishing for a guide. "I…was transported somewhere?" Then he shook his head weakly. "No, that's not it. Maybe it was a vision?"

That didn't make sense either, unless the world was going to turn into what felt like some a perverted version of the Darkness Realm. "Endless space…endless nothingness with no one to share it with. Eternal solitude, trapped in a dream-like state from which awakening cannot be done without the light, which can never be found alone." Now it hurt. He felt like crying…for himself? No, that wasn't his nature. He had used up all his tears concerning himself long ago.

He couldn't concentrate anymore. Something unseen in his mind was trying hard to remove the memories… ("Halo…Halo! Wake up, you're the only one I trust enough to let into my mind.")

Somewhere far away he felt a single spark of black light awaken. _("Explain.")_

("I was taken somewhere…it felt so real, but something is trying to pull the memories from me. It's trying to stop me from concentrating on anything other than the void, and I can't take it. Please Halo, help me.") Ichigo felt a tingle as the enforcer's mind touched with his, and suddenly he felt nostalgia. And along with that feeling of nostalgia was clarity of thought. ("Halo? Do you know this place?")

_("Not personally, but it reminds me of…well, there is no concept for it in your mortal mind. I suppose 'home' would suffice. It reminds me of home, Ichigo.")_ Halo's mind slowly probed, collecting pieces of scattered information that had once been Ichigo's thoughts. _("There was a prescense here, forcibly keeping you from awakening from whatever nightmare you were having. However…it is gone. That should not be possible, as this level of mental scrambling cannot occur unless the creator is quite literally in your head.")_

("So…") Ichigo groaned weakly and for a few moments had memories of his experiences as a child of waking up terrified of something that could not be seen or sensed. ("They're in here, listening to us?")

_("A highly illogical conclusion, to say the least. My telepathic powers are strong enough on their own, but considering this is quite literally my mind just as much as it is yours, I am god here just as you are. No, there is no sentience here. The source of the disturbance has been found. However there is nothing in this section…just a single point where the scramble is coming from. I cannot stop it because there is nothing to stop. There is no gap, or hole. It is simply…coming from this spot. Yet there is nothing here.")_

("I get it, you can't stop it. Quit repeating yourself for my benefit.") Ichigo rolled free of his bed and stood up in the middle of the room…for about three seconds. Then he dropped to his knees as the force intensified. ("Halo…slow it down at least.")

_("At this point I wish I could just to spite the mystery source of it, but I cannot. This is something beyond my ability, Ichigo. The more active you try to be, and the more you try to pull yourself from this strange…void and terror filled semi-sleep the harder it tries to pull you in. I will look for something on this mystery. For now return to bed and try to find a medium where the drain on your thoughts is at a minimum without plunging yourself into the final result.")_

Ichigo nodded, even though the enforcer could not see or sense the movement, and then rolled back into bed. ("Halo...I'm scared.")

_("You're looking to the wrong being for comforting words. When Alahandra awakens I'll send her in here to try and at least replace this emptiness with something enjoyable to fall into, but there is little we can do. For now, Ichigo, you're essentially grounded to bed.")_

-------------

Ichigo sighed from his place on the couch, finding it difficult to even pay attention to whatever the TV was playing. The emptiness and fear was still dragging him down. ("It's like the world has lost all color to it.")

"Yahoo!" He forced his head to lift and look off to the side. Taking the steps down from the girl's rooms four at a time was Mizuki, a huge grin on her face. ("At least somebody has energy.")

She hopped up and sat cross-legged on the arm of the couch right next to Ichigo, looking down at him with a curious expression. "Looks like you've got a bad case of the Mondays, neh Ichigo-chan?"

His right eye twitched, and he found just enough energy to glare at her. "Something like that, maybe."

"Chan? Nobody can call Ichan with that suffix but me!" Eri stood at the foot of the stairs, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes narrowed at Mizuki's back.

Mizuki tilted herself completely backwards so that her spine was arched, letting her face Eri while upside down. She grinned, looking happy but awkward from her position. "Ooo, somebody is getting jealous. Nothing to be jealous of Eri-chan, but little Ichigo-chan is just such a kitty that he can't be anything but 'chan'."

She sat back up and flicked one of Ichigo's ears, grinning playfully at him. "Right, nyao?"

The demoness grabbed the back of Mizuki's nightshirt and pulled her off the couch and away from Ichigo. "That's enough oddity out of you. Weren't you the most respectful of your weirdo group the other day? What's with you now?"

Mizuki flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned to Eri. The demoness pulled backwards slightly as Mizuki leaned forwards, her arms behind her back bunching her shirt together so that it accentuated her attributes. "Me? I just had a little dream last night that made a few things clear, and now I'm enjoying myself before things get interesting. That's okay, right Eri-chan?"

She batted her eyes at the other girl, who blushed in response. Ichigo, watching the whole thing but almost completely unable to move, blushed as well. Eri took a few steps back from Mizuki. "What are you talking about?"

The dimension hopping girl laughed warmly and stepped up to Eri, wrapping her arm around the other girl's waist. She gestured with her left arm, sweeping it across the room as if showing a grand expanse. "Don't you see Eri-chan? Thanks to you I'm open to a whole new world with marvelous people in it, all of whom I can have a lot of fun with. And make suffer horribly."

Eri blinked, and tilted her head to look the other girl in the eye. "What was that last part you said?"

Mizuki batted her eyes innocently at Eri, her lips forming a pout. "Who said what now? Don't get wrapped up in semantics Eri-chan, it's just you and me and a whole new world! Why don't we enjoy it…even if you're kind of smaller than I'd like."

Eri's blush deepened when she realized that Mizuki was now looking at her chest. She pulled away and jumped about five feet backwards, her arms covering her upper body. "Who's small? And what's with you?"

The room practically lit up as Chizuma appeared in the entrance to the living room, her eyes beaming like two giant hearts. "Mizuki-sama, you've come over to my way of thinking! Let me be your Madonna, everybody says mine are big and you can even use them as a pillow!"

Ichigo pressed his face into a couch pillow, trying to avoid everything he was feeling and hearing. Or smother himself into an early death to get out of a situation even more awkward that he was used to. "I'm so not hearing any of this…"

The door from outside slid open and Alahandra practically bounced in, waving at everyone. "Hiya!"

There was silence as everyone adjusted to her presence, and then suddenly Chizuma dropped to her knees and clapped her hands together. She looked up at the ceiling, sparkles floating all around her. "Oh Lord, I thank thee for bestowing upon me this plentiful bounty of fine silky adorable creamy flesh. I'm totally gonna humbly serve and pray to you and stuff from now on!"

They all sweat-dropped, even more so when Mizuki suddenly dragged Chizuma to her, putting one arm around that girl's waist and the other around Eri's, causing both girls to blush. "Today is a new day, so let's get out there and wreak terrible carnage throughout the land! Neh, ladies?"

Chizuma laid her cheek against Mizuki's shoulder, sighing with delight, while Ichigo shoved his face deeper into the pealing. "I'm so not hearing any of this…"

Standing at the edge of the living room Griff grinned at the sight of the three women so close together. "I'm so totally hearing all of this."

Masami stepped up beside Griff and raised a boxy object in one hand, placing it over his eyes. "And I'm taking pictures of all this!"

Griff looked over at the green haired boy and narrowed his eyes. "You're a weird one, aren't you Megame?"

The other teen pushed his glasses up and smirked. "For research purposes, I assure you. I am after all an omnigenius."

Mentally Mizuki smirked, imagining the girl that floated within the endless expanse of darkness that made up her flesh. ("Mizuki-chan, thank you for giving me this perfect opportunity to scar you for life. I'm going to enjoy it thoroughly.")

Alahandra giggled and snapped her fingers as if remembering something. "Sorry, I forgot. I came in to tell you that lots were drawn shortly after I entered Team Virtue the other night. You guys have your first round duel in thirty minutes. Guess you guys have to get ready, right?"

There was a sudden flurry of activity, and Masami smirked as his glasses shined. "Ah, now the chance to see my costumes in action. This should be marvelous."

-----------------

The three-tiers of stands for the DMWC were absolutely packed to the brim, and the floating arena looked ready for immediate action. Moderator tapped on his microphone twice, getting the audience's attention. _"For our next round we have Team Wildfire of Fireheart Oil versus Team Virtue of Goddess Delivery Services!"_

Seven duelists stood on one side of the arena, while on the opposite the five dimension hoppers stood together, with Harrison glaring at the floor. ("I'm representing such a ridiculous thing…")

On the side of Team Wildfire a short and slightly obese man chuckled and patted a dark haired young man with red eyes on the back. "My, your opponents certainly look serious. Go get them my boy!"

Harrison scowled and reached into his trench coat, pulling his deck free. "Let me get this out of the way, I'll duel first."

Moderator's voice cut through the noise of the audience as the bridges extended to the arena. _"First duel is Harrison Wilhelm the Third of Team Virtue against Henry Fireheart, the son of Jason Fireheart, the team's sponsor!"_

The two duelists stood opposite each other as the bridge retracted, and Henry brushed his Italian suit down. "Before we get this duel under way, I'll have you know that I got this position through skill, and not through family relations. Call me Fireheart, the only duelist you'll face in this tournament before you lose. Duel Vest on!"

Harrison smirked and thrust his duel disk clad arm into the air. His blue trench coat billowed out behind him as he did so. "Step back from the heart of darkness boy, or you will be swallowed whole. I am the Dark Kaiser, Harrison Wilhelm the Third. Pay your respects to the king."

Shiro groaned and planted his face in his hand. "He already used that line before." Sanzo nodded in agreement.

Fireheart- 4000

Harrison- 4000

Fireheart held his hand in front of his Duel Vest and it popped a card out at him. "First turn honors are mine, and I summon Oil Tainted Penguin (900/1400) in attack mode!"

A cute penguin waddled out onto the field, its body sticky with thick black oil. "From my hand I activate the magic card Oil Slick. During my opponent's next turn, a monster they summon has its attack reduced to zero and its effect removed."

With a smirk he slid another card into his duel disk. "I set that card and end."

Harrison drew and fanned out his hand of six cards. "Anything I summon? Pathetic, even with zero attack points and no effect my choice of monster will destroy you."

From the TV back at the boarding house Adriel leaned forward with great interest. "Let's see what sort of style this arrogant guy plays."

The Dark Kaiser slapped his chosen monster down and his field shimmered. From the ground came a white haired man wearing a red coat over his open chest. Holstered at his sides were a pair of pistols, and he was grinning confidently at Fireheart. "Legendary Demon Slayer Dante (0/1200) has come."

Eri's left eye twitched at the sight. "Of course, a demon slayer. How fitting."

Fireheart threw back his head and laughed. "Your monster is called legendary, but at the moment it's a no attack weakling. It can't even defeat my penguin!"

Harrison held up a magic card which immediately began to glow. "I activate the equipment magic card The Nevan, which gives the equipped monster an additional four hundred attack points."

A demonic guitar appeared in Dante's hands and he practiced a few strums. "At this time I activate The Nevan's effect, discarding one card from my hand to destroy a magic or trap on the field. This effect can only be activated once per turn."

Dante hit the strings hard and a swirling of bats erupted from the guitar. They flew out and swallowed up the set card, picking it apart. "So what? Your monster is still weak."

"Weak? That word never applies to me. The card I discarded was A Second Chance. When discarded from the hand for a cost it can be removed from the graveyard to draw two cards. I do so." Harrison slid the named card into his back pocket and then drew twice from his deck.

With a smirk he took two of his hand cards and slid them into the cemetery. "I have no intention of going easy on you because I'm irritated and don't feel like dragging this duel out. So I discard two cards from my hand to add this card from my deck to my hand."

He held up the card added to his hand and a swirl of shadow engulfed Dante. "From my hand I activate Combat Style-Swordmaster! I tribute Dante and shuffle all cards on my field, in my hand, and in my grave into my deck!"

His field was wrapped up in the explosion of dark energy as he shuffled his deck. "Next I may switch out any number of cards from my deck with cards from my side deck. I choose the maximum of fifteen allowed."

It took him almost no time to reform his deck with the cards from his side deck. "Part three; I draw cards equal to the number shuffled in from my hand. So I draw three cards."

The cards left his deck, and then he narrowed his eyes as the darkness on his field burst apart. "Final part, this monster is special summoned. Be born from the darkness Legendary Demon Slayer Dante the Swordmaster (2400/2100)!"

The summoned monster looked identical to Dante in every way, with no apparent differences. Fireheart frowned, realizing that he was in trouble. His Oil Slick magic card only reduced the attack power of the first monster the opponent summoned. ("However, when Oil Tainted Penguin is destroyed in battle the opposing monster has its base attack reduced to zero.")

Harrison thrust his hand forward and Dante raised his right arm into the air. "From my deck, when he is summoned, I can place one equip card on him. My choice is Swordmaster Armament-The Nevan! At this time Dante gains one thousand attack points."

Dante spun the guitar in his hands and then leveled it towards Fireheart. "Dante the Swordmaster (3400) attacks Oil Tainted Penguin!"

A wave of bats once again shot out of the guitar when Dante hit the cords, sending them all flying to the bird. Fireheart grimaced as they picked the penguin completely apart. "You activated my monster's effect, reducing your monster's base attack to zero!"

Fireheart- 1500

Harrison- 4000

Swordmaster's attack fell to one thousand, but Harrison actually laughed. "Even with that, your end is at hand! When Swordmaster destroys a monster in battle he gains a Devil Trigger Counter. So now I activate his effect and Devil Trigger Dante!"

Dante's features darkened, becoming more demonic and actually taking on some attributes of the demonic bat-like guitar. "While Devil Triggered Dante gains five hundred points, giving him fifteen hundred attack. But I don't even need to activate the abilities The Nevan gains at this time, because Swordmaster's normal effect kicks in!"

Fireheart's eyes widened as Dante jumped fifty feet into the air and held the guitar up above his head. Then he started to come flying back down. "What? What is this?"

Harrison smirked and folded his arms over his chest. "For every equip card on him, Swordmaster gains one attack. Learn what it is like to face the strong in combat!"

Dante touched down, slashing the demon guitar across Fireheart's chest. The dark haired teen screamed and dropped to his knees, his life points shooting downwards. Everyone on his team was dead silent.

Fireheart- 0

Harrison- 4000

Even the normally jovial Jason Fireheart couldn't help but gape in fear at the Dark Kaiser. "One…turn….kill."

Moderator interrupted the silence. _"Ladies and gentlemen you saw it here, a one turn kill by Harrison Wilhelm the Third, the Dark Kaiser of Team Virtue! This late-comer team has just shot their way into the forefront of this tournament in one turn!"_

Harrison turned on his heel and stalked across the bridge, his trench coat flaring out behind him. "Next time, I hope my opponent isn't a weakling."

Henry Fireheart walked morosely across the bridge, stopping amongst his teammates. One of them, a brunette teen with blue jeans and a shirt with a shark on it reached for him, but his hand was slapped away. "Don't try to console me, just make sure they don't win."

Even though he was generally disliked by his fellow teammates, they understood. It was terrible to be crushed so badly. The boy with the shark shirt grinned and cracked his neck as he started for the bridge. "Hey, I'll crush whatever opponent they send my way for sure!"

Back at the house, there was silence. Having themselves faced a team of one turn kill duelists and succeeding they found it almost scary to consider that they had just seen a one turn kill succeed, and from a team other than their own. "That guy, he's strong…"

On Team Virtue's side the duelists stepped aside as their next duelist began to make his way towards the arena. _"Our second duel, already, is going to be Terry McGillis of Team Wildfire versus Sanzo Uzumaki of Team Virtue!"_

_To be continued…_


	98. Hero Rising

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 98: Hero Rising, Judai's Surprise!

_Fireheart- 0_

_Harrison- 4000_

_Even the normally jovial Jason Fireheart couldn't help but gape in fear at the Dark Kaiser. "One…turn….kill."_

_Moderator interrupted the silence. "Ladies and gentlemen you saw it here, a one turn kill by Harrison Wilhelm the Third, the Dark Kaiser of Team Virtue! This late-comer team has just shot their way into the forefront of this tournament in one turn!"_

_Harrison turned on his heel and stalked across the bridge, his trench coat flaring out behind him. "Next time, I hope my opponent isn't a weakling."_

_Henry Fireheart walked morosely across the bridge, stopping amongst his teammates. One of them, a brunette teen with blue jeans and a shirt with a shark on it reached for him, but his hand was slapped away. "Don't try to console me, just make sure they don't win."_

_Even though he was generally disliked by his fellow teammates, they understood. It was terrible to be crushed so badly. The boy with the shark shirt grinned and cracked his neck as he started for the bridge. "Hey, I'll crush whatever opponent they send my way for sure!"_

_Back at the house, there was silence. Having themselves faced a team of one turn kill duelists and succeeding they found it almost scary to consider that they had just seen a one turn kill succeed, and from a team other than their own. "That guy, he's strong…"_

_On Team Virtue's side the duelists stepped aside as their next duelist began to make his way towards the arena. "Our second duel, already, is going to be Terry McGillis of Team Wildfire versus Sanzo Uzumaki of Team Virtue!"_

Terry paused at his end of the field and rolled his shoulders, stretching himself. "Alright Sanzo guy, I'm going to teach you what its really like to face the power of Team Wildfire."

Sanzo tilted his head up, his brown cloak shifting around his body. His silvery hair drifted in front of one eye, and slowly his lips curled up. "You sound quite confident in yourself. Why don't you show me why?"

Terry- 4000

Sanzo- 4000

Team Wildfire's duelist drew and then took almost his entire hand and shoved it into his duel disk. "I set four cards face down and set a monster in defense mode. Then I activated Coins from Heaven, replenishing my hand and giving you nothing!"

Sanzo barely made any motion as he drew, while Terry snatched his six cards swiftly from his deck. "Heh, this works out perfectly. Go face down card, Magical Spotlight! By sacrificing cards on my field I can add magic cards from my deck to my hand, though they can't be activated for the next three turns."

His three other set cards shattered, and he fanned out his deck to search. "Don't worry though, because these cards don't need to be played to get their effects. I set all three face down, and then I play Emergency Provisions on them!"

Terry- 7000

With a chuckle he flipped around the cards he had just sacrificed. "Two of the cards I gave up to Emergency Provisions were called Establish Contacts. When they go to the cemetery I get to search my deck and add a monster from it to my hand. The third was Repayment of Losses, and when it goes to the grave I can draw a card."

Moments later he spread his hand out again at eight cards total. "Alright, since its still the first turn I guess I'll set these two cards face down and end my turn."

Sanzo drew and then reached up to his cloak. "Its time I show you what lies within this team that illuminates even the darkness. I am the pure light which pushes back the shadow and reveals the truth within!"

He cast off the cloak, revealing an armored blue bodysuit which had a stylistic dragon-head reaching down the right arm, ending in a glove with fangs over his fingertips. Stretching over his left shoulder was a patterned design that resembled an angel's wing folded over his body. "I am Sanzo Uzumaki, the traveler from beyond, the Hero Saint!"

His dragon-arm's fist squeezed tight and he looked up at his opponent, his eyes shining. There was applause from the audience, including whistles from the female members. Slowly he reached up with his left arm and brushed the lock of hair aside, letting it fall back into place moments later. "Prepare for defeat."

Jason Fireheart applauded until the obese woman to his right smacked him upside the head. "Dear, I understand that you enjoy theatrics, but he's the opponent of our team. Try to remember that."

Sanzo drew fiercely, and held up the drawn card immediately. "For the start, I will show you the brilliant fire in a hero's heart! Polymerization!"

--------

Elsewhere in Tokyo, a brunette young man in his mid-twenties gasped in shock at what he saw on his television. "No way!"

----------

Sanzo flipped around the cards he as fusing, revealing them to his opponent. "Fuse together, Elemental Hero Burst Lady (1200/800) and Elemental Hero Featherman (1000/1000) to form the monster that was the favorite of the first Hero Deck legend, Yuki Judai!"

Fire burst out of the vortex that the two monsters had been pulled into. The moment the fire dissipated the muscular form of Sanzo's hero was revealed, and the hero raised his dragon arm while extending his angel wing. "Elemental Hero Flame Wingman (2100/1800) makes it to the field!"

----------

The brunette young man laughed happily at the sight of the monster. "Flame Wingman, awesome! This guy, I like his taste!"

---------

The hero saint snapped his fingers and Flame Wingman aimed his dragon arm at the set monster. "Flame Shooter!"

A stream of flame engulfed the monster, flipping it up before shattering it into nothingness. "You destroyed Spell Sower (500/900) whose flip effect lets me add a magic card from my deck to my hand, which can't be played during this turn."

His searching his deck was interrupted when Flame Wingman flew right in his face and bathed him in flames. Sanzo smirked at the sight. "Did I forget to mention that you take the attack of any monster beaten by Flame Wingman as effect damage?"

Terry- 3500

Calmly Sanzo placed a card behind his Flame Wingman. "End turn."

Terry cracked a smile as he drew. "You're obviously tough, so this should be fun. Of course, I'm gonna wash that Flame Wingman out! Reverse card open, Declared Intentions!"

His card showed a hand with several cards facing out to those looking in. "Declared Intentions lets me show you every card I'm going to play from my hand this turn; in exchange I can use them without cost. I've got Hydrogedon (1600/1000), Oxygedon (1800/800), Water Dragon (2800/2600), Bonding H2O, Graceful Charity, and Torn Magic!"

Sanzo's eyes widened as he realized what was coming. "And though Declared Intentions prevents you from playing cards other than those, since their costs are negated…"

"That's right! I special summon Hydrogedon (1600/1000), Oxygedon (1800/800), and Water Dragon (2800/2600) from my hand!" A brownish ground walking dinosaur creature formed, followed by a winged creature made of air, and a serpentine dragon of pure water.

"Normally Water Dragon has a special summon cost, but Declared Intentions gets around that. I also now play Bonding H2O, which normally requires as a cost the tribute of two Hydrogedons and one Oxygedon, but that cost is sealed! So from my deck I special summon a second Water Dragon!" Another of the water creatures appeared and roared at Sanzo.

With a lighthearted laugh Terry slammed his next card into his disk. "Graceful Charity lets me draw three cards, and even though it doesn't say it's a cost, the two card discard is one, so that's negated! Which means I just got a free triple draw!"

Finally he took the last card he was able to play from hand for that turn and showed it. "Torn Magic normally costs fifteen hundred life points, but now I get to take back a magic card from my cemetery and play it when I want at no cost! So I take back Bonding H2O for later."

He thrust out his hand and Water Dragon opened up its jaws. "Attack with Aqua Punisher!"

Water spewed out of the creature's mouth and then slammed into a glowing barrier. "Draining Shield negates your attack and adds Water Dragon's points to my life."

Sanzo- 6800

"It doesn't matter! My second Water Dragon will finish off Flame Wingman!" Sanzo's fusion was crushed under the pressure of the water monster's attack, squishing it flat.

Sanzo- 6100

"Now I follow up with a direct attack from my two remaining monsters!" Sanzo winced as he was bombarded by a blast of wind and a gust of something noxious smelling. He shook his head to shake off the feeling.

Sanzo- 2700

"Since I can't set or play any other cards, I'll just end my turn right there." Sanzo nodded and snapped a card off his deck.

"Your combo was truly impressive, but I'm not out quite yet! I activate the Monster Rebirth, allowing me to shuffle one monster from my cemetery back into my deck. My choice is Featherman." He held up the monster and returned it to his deck.

"Next I activate the magic card Future Fusion, which lets me send fusion components from my deck to the grave to special summon a fusion monster. I send Featherman, Bubbleman (800/1200), and Sparkman (1600/1400) to the grave!" He slid the three named cards into his cemetery. His field immediately started glowing.

From the sky above descended a green armored man with metallic wings and a gun for a right arm. "Meet Elemental Hero Tempester (2800/2800)! Of course, during this turn Future Fusion, which has equipped to him, prevents him from attacking."

Terry frowned, seeing a monster as strong as his Water Dragon. Vainly he tried to remember this monster's effect, but so far nothing was coming. "I'll still take it down and blast your life points to nothing! You're tough, but not tough enough!"

Sanzo chuckled and held up one of his two remaining cards. "Elemental Life Draw lets me draw one card and gain one hundred life points per total level of Elemental Heroes on my field."

Sanzo- 3500

He tucked the two cards left in his hand into his disk. "I'll just place those cards down for now. Let's see what you've got Terry!"

"You better believe you will! For the start of my turn, thanks to Torn Magic, I can play Bonding H2O at no cost! So my third and final Water Dragon is summoned to the field!" His field was immediately filled up, giving him three monsters of strength equal to Tempester.

"Now, its time to bring down Tempester! Even though it will cost me one of my precious monsters, it's still worth it. Go, Aqua Punisher!" As the water pressure beat down on Tempester, Sanzo's lips quirked up into a smirk. From miles away the brown haired twenty-something grinned, knowing what was about to happen.

"Tempester can let me send a card on my field to the grave to prevent him from being destroyed in battle, so I sacrifice one of my set cards for that effect!" A swirling vortex of air appeared in front of Tempester, pushing back the water. And then Tempester shot straight forwards, directly in front of Terry.

"What the heck?" Sanzo smirked as Tempester leveled his gun arm at Terry, leaving nothing between the two of them.

"The card I sent to the grave was Tempest Vortex, and when its sacrificed for Tempester's effect I can negate that attack and have Tempester attack you directly! Chaos Tempest!" Terry screamed as he was blasted with energy from the fusion hero's weapon, knocking him backwards.

Terry- 700

The water duelist brushed his chest off and flashed his opponent a grin. "That was a strong attack, but I'm not finished! My monsters are still gonna win, so Aqua Punisher once more!"

The second Water Dragon fired its attack, and Sanzo's face down card shimmered and faded away as the attack pounded against the monster. The Water Dragon shrieked and exploded into a million pieces. "Since our monsters were the same attack strength and yours was protected, only mine was destroyed, but my third one is going to end it. Aqua Punisher!"

"Counter-attack with Chaos Vortex!" The two attacks met in mid-air and struggled against each other for several seconds before they both exploded. When the smoke cleared both monsters were gone.

Sanzo smiled, even though there were two monsters facing him down now with direct attacks. "Before you continue, the second card I sacrificed was Hero Medal. When it goes from the field to the cemetery I can shuffle it into my deck and draw one card."

"It doesn't matter! Double direct attack!" The same twin attacks that had struck him directly earlier pounded into him, draining his life points almost completely.

Sanzo- 100

Terry smirked and held up one of his cards from his hand. "Nominal Summoning lets me discard two cards to special summon a monster from my grave that has special summoning costs. So I'll be discarding four cards to bring back my two Water Dragons!"

The two aquatic dragons roared as they hit the field once again, giving Terry three monsters to work with. "I end my turn!"

---------

Ichigo sighed and shook his head. "It's a pity, that guy Sanzo is good, and his handling skills with the Elemental Heroes is excellent. But it looks like he can't measure up to Judai-sensei."

--------------

Sanzo drew and held up his drawn card. "Warrior Returning Alive brings a monster back to my hand. And now I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200)! Since I have no cards on my field I draw twice!"

Terry hooked his thumbs in his belt loops, grinning. "That blue buddy of yours isn't going to be enough to beat my real water monsters."

"Maybe that's what you believe, but what about an army of Bubblemen? Go, Shadow Hero War Zone! This lets me select one E-Hero in play and special summon clones of them to the field in all available zones!" There was a blast of water and suddenly five of the blue armored water wielding heroes were on Sanzo's side of the field.

"Not only do I now have five monsters, but Shadow Hero War Zone lets the effects of the clones be activated even if the needs aren't met. In this case, I draw two cards for each of my four summoned Bubblemen!" In mere seconds Sanzo had gone from two cards in his hand to ten, and the crowd roared with excitement.

"So what? Even with ten cards in hand what are you going to be able to do against my monsters? Face it buddy, you're good, but not good enough." To his surprise Sanzo just smiled and reached for one of the cards in his hand.

"Oh? Is that so? I guess that means you never learned that the hero always wins. And if you had failed to notice, I'm the hero! Activate magic card, Instant Summon! This now lets me make an additional normal summon!" Two of his water heroes faded away.

"Now come forth my ultimate monster, the cornerstone of my Neo Elemental Hero Deck! Be born from the depths of space, Elemental Hero Neos (2500/2000)!" A sleek white armored hero appeared in the place of the previous monsters and flexed his arms, the jewel on his chest glowing.

-----------

Ichigo and Erian each gasped at the sight of that familiar monster. "Neos…no way!"

------------

Sanzo smirked and flipped up another of his cards. "Fusion Rush Hour lets me sacrifice monsters on my field whose levels will equal the level of a fusion in my cemetery or fusion deck, provided one of those monsters is a fusion component of my choice. If I meet this costs I can special summon my chosen fusion to the field!"

Another two of his Bubblemen shattered and the familiar form of Elemental Hero Tempester shot out from the ground out onto the field. "Thanks to the fact that Bubbleman is one of his fusion components, Tempester has come back. But he won't be staying long, because I'm going to fuse him!"

--------

The brown haired Yuki Judai, from his Tokyo home, gasped in surprise. "A fusion of Tempester? But even I don't have such a thing!"

--------

"Polymerization now fuses together the Tempester on the field with the Elemental Hero Edgeman (2600/2300) from my hand! Come forth, the hero of the air and the blades, Elemental Hero Tempest Edge (3600/3200)!" His monster was a golden version of Tempester with razor edged wings and long golden blades attached to each arm.

Terry gulped and pointed to his set card. "Now's as good a time as any to use this trap. Nominal Life gives me life points equal to the total attack of all nominal summon monsters in play. That means I gain life points from my dragons and your fusion!"

Terry- 12700

Sanzo laughed to Terry's surprise. "I love it when my opponent give me a challenge, but this challenge isn't going to be quite enough! For instance…its time to activate the effect of Elemental Hero Neos!"

----------

Judai gasped again, his body on the edge of his seat. "But…that's impossible! Neos is a normal monster!"

----------

"Prepare yourself Terry, I activate Contact Fusion! This lets me shuffle Elemental Hero Neos and one monster on my field back into my deck to special summon a fusion from my fusion deck that contains Neos and the other chosen monster in its components! My choice to fuse with is Tempest Edge!" The two monsters swirled together in a prismatic vortex, and even Terry felt himself growing weak with fear.

----------

"This guy…he's amazing! A fusion of a fusion of a fusion! It's a third level fusion monster, a rare creature of which there are almost none in existence. Its power is bound to be incredible!" Judai had lost his surprise and was now focused on the powerful plays made by Sanzo Uzumaki, this strange Hero Saint who played the same deck as he did.

----------

The monster that emerged from the prism vortex was an impressive sight to behold. Its body was glowing with a great inner light and it had a double set of metallic angel wings extending far out from its back. It had sleek golden armor with spiked shoulder pads, and in its right hand it held a lance of pure light. "What an amazing beast!"

Sanzo held his hand out to his creature, which glowed in response. "Face its wrath, the power of Elemental Hero Neo Tempest God (5000/2500)! And now, I activate its first effect! Lance of Power!'

Neo Tempest God slammed the butt of its lance into the ground and a wall of light shot outwards, striking all of Terry's monsters. The water duelist held an arm in front of his eyes to guard against the light, but still saw as his monsters evaporated. "Neo Tempest God can attack all monsters in play."

Terry- 0

Even as Terry's shoulders slumped Neo Tempest God glowed even brighter than before, and Sanzo was bathed in the light. "Although I didn't intend to end this duel in such an embarrassing fashion, your strength forced me to reveal my full power against you. The attack points of any monster slain by Neo Tempest God are added to my life points."

Sanzo- 11900

The crowd roared with excitement as Sanzo gave his opponent a salute, smiling as his monster faded. "It was excellent to face you, I'm glad we got this chance to duel."

Terry smiled right back at him. "Even though I lost it was incredible, so I'll bow out with a smile on my face. Thanks Hero Saint."

The two duelists turned and walked back to their teams as Moderator declared Team Virtue's second victory. _"This next duel could determine which of these two exceptional teams advances to the second round, so let's see what they've got!"_

On Team Wildfire's side leaning against the wall was a youth with short reddish brown hair who appeared a little bit older than Terry. "So…these guys are strong. I guess that means I'll have to duel, doesn't it?"

A pretty girl with blonde hair in a ponytail nearby grinned and slugged him on the shoulder. "Quit being so lazy Alex. If you wanted to duel you just had to say so."

Alex shrugged and pushed off from the wall, starting towards the arena. "I'll take on whoever the give me and burn them to ashes. This should be interesting to say the least."

Moderator leaned forward with excitement, nearly eating his microphone in the process. _"Each team has made their decision, and in this duel Team Wildfire has to win or else they'll be knocked out of the tournament! Next duel is between the two team leaders, Alex Hardcore and Mizuki Mitsuhiro!"_

----------

Seven figures in kung fu outfits sitting around a television set smirked at those words. The gaunt one chuckled and patted his deck. "So Rising Star, that's where you've been this whole time. Tokyo eh? Looks like that's our destination."

_To be continued…._


	99. Last Stand of Wildfire

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 99: Wildfire's Last Stand

_On Team Wildfire's side leaning against the wall was a youth with short reddish brown hair who appeared a little bit older than Terry. "So…these guys are strong. I guess that means I'll have to duel, doesn't it?"_

_A pretty girl with blonde hair in a ponytail nearby grinned and slugged him on the shoulder. "Quit being so lazy Alex. If you wanted to duel you just had to say so."_

_Alex shrugged and pushed off from the wall, starting towards the arena. "I'll take on whoever the give me and burn them to ashes. This should be interesting to say the least."_

_Moderator leaned forward with excitement, nearly eating his microphone in the process. "Each team has made their decision, and in this duel Team Wildfire has to win or else they'll be knocked out of the tournament! Next duel is between the two team leaders, Alex Hardcore and Mizuki Mitsuhiro!"_

Alex walked out onto the arena and looked around, waiting for his opponent to appear. "I don't intend to wait forever. I don't want it this way, but if nobody is going to show up to face me, this should be a point for my team for forfeit."

"That won't be necessary little boy! I've already arrived!" There was a gust of wind, and Alex raised his arm to keep the dust out. He frowned as leaves swirled in a circle on the opposite end of the dueling arena.

"Show yourself already then so we can get this out of the way!" There was a warm giggle, and the leaves blew out in every direction, revealing a girl suddenly standing there.

Mizuki stood gracefully on her side of the field, dressed in a little black dress. It was tight with short black sleeves, which at the end were tied off by red strings. The skirt was short, going to just about mid-thigh, and the wind whipping it about showed that underneath it was pink.

Sitting on top of her was a wide-brimmed black hat, which had a red cloth wrapped around it, with two red streams of fabric fluttering off from the back in the wind. Her hair was mostly under the hat, but what could be seen fluttered down the sides of her head in long locks. She giggled and did a twirl, spinning the skirt. "Aren't I just adorable?"

Alex gulped, his eyes drawn almost immediately to her long legs, which ended in red spiked high heels which were strapped down. His head was jerked back up when he heard her chuckling, and found that she was now wagging a finger at him. "Eyes to the front mister. This is a duel, not a show."

--------------------

"You could have fooled me," Teruha growled out, glaring at Masami.

The green-haired boy shrugged innocently. "The true talent of an artist such as myself is that you can swallow your pride and make anything the wearer requests. Miss Mitsuhiro just happens to be a fan of such a thing, I suppose." He glanced back at the one of the farthest away couches. "Do you not agree, dear Kaiser?"

"Huh?" Eri yelled out, realizing that she had been looking at the costume Mizuki had been wearing much the same way she was sure Griff had been looking at it. "Uh…yeah, sure Masami…" She shot a sideways glance at Ichigo to see if he had noticed.

The half demon was too intent on rubbing his eyes and trying to keep the ever-strengthening void in his mind from pulling him under to care right now.

-----------------------

Alex- 4000

Mizuki- 4000

Despite her words she waved up at the audience, her face beaming at the whistles she was getting from the crowd. She was also getting a pair of whistles from her own team's side, notably from Shiro and Chizuma.

Alex grimaced and slashed a card off his deck. "Let's get this going! I summon Revolver Wyvern (1500/1600) in attack mode!"

A short red-feathered creature with a long sinuous neck flapped down onto Alex's field. Its nose was shaped like a barrel. "I conclude my turn with one face down card."

Mizuki giggled as she drew and Alex narrowed his eyes as she held up the drawn card. "Rune Charm-Summon allows me to special summon one monster from my hand regardless of summoning costs. So let me crush that little monster of yours in one move."

Her field shook and something began to rise up from the ground. Its shape was obscured as it continued to grow taller, until finally it reached a full massive height of about eighteen feet. It had large broad shoulders and ropy muscles, all a grayish color. Moving about on the beast's skin were rune symbols. Alex gulped as he looked up at the creature. "What in the hell is that thing?"

--------------------

Eri's eyes widened as she recognized the design of the monster. ("Behemoth of the Night? No, it never had runes on its body…")

--------------------

"This? Oh it's a special monster known as Rune Behemoth (3500/3000)! And he's about to crush your monster. Attack!" Alex grimaced and reached for his set card as Behemoth swung one of its huge clawed arms at the wyvern.

"Activate trap, Flame Spiral! If I have a fire monster in play this card lets me negate your attack and deal you three hundred points of damage!" A bolt of fire shot out of the trap and Mizuki stepped casually to the side, letting it fly past her.

Mizuki- 3700

"So you're strong, I guess I'll just set one card face down and end my turn." She placed her right hand on her hip, grinning while she watched Alex draw.

"At the start of my turn I must reduce Revolver Wyvern's attack by five hundred and choose one of two options. This time I choose to deal you five hundred points of damage! Go, Revolver Fire Shot!" A bullet of flame was shot out of the creature's gun-like nose, and once again Mizuki hopped to the side to avoid it.

Mizuki- 3200

He fanned out his hand, and then held up one of the cards. "By discarding Cyclone Wyvern (800/600) I can use it as a tribute for a dragon. So I offer it from my hand along with Revolver Wyvern in order to tribute summon Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500)!"

A huge brown-skinned dragon flew down onto the field, an impressive crown-like ridge frill extending from its skull, and a pair of horns coming out the top. It roared and belched flame into the sky. "Tyrant Dragon is one of the mightiest of the dragon lords, and he's going to become strong enough to beat Rune Behemoth in just one moment."

He held up one of his cards and Tyrant Dragon began to glow. "I activate Dragon Heart, which lets me send three dragons from my deck to my grave to power up one dragon on my field by one thousand points for the turn."

Alex selected three dragons quickly and shoved them into his cemetery before shuffling his deck again. Then Tyrant Dragon's attack points rose to thirty-nine hundred. "Tyrant Dragon, attack Rune Behemoth!"

Mizuki merely watched passively as the flames from the dragon spewed out over the mighty behemoth, melted its flesh off and destroying it. "Oh no, my ultimate monster, whatever shall I do?"

Mizuki- 2800

Her opponent frowned, not liking how sarcastic she sounded. "I set one card face down and play Super Rejuvenation. During my end phase I draw one card for every dragon discarded from my hand or sacrificed this turn. Now I end."

When he reached for his deck, Mizuki pointed to her face down card. "I activate Rune Symbol-Thurisaz! Its reverse effect allows me to special summon a monster from the cemetery, so I recall Rune Behemoth to the field."

Alex grimaced as she started her turn, seeing as she now had her mighty monster back on the field. "During my standby phase Rune Behemoth removes all monsters in my hand from the game. Which means I lose Rune Fencer (1700/1200) and Rune Berserker (2000/1200)."

Mizuki tucked the two cards into one of the cords of fabric that tied down her sleeves, smiling the whole time. "However, in exchange Rune Behemoth lets me special summon a token of that monster to the field which shares the same name but has no effect."

A man dressed in a white fencer's outfit with a fencing sword in hand appeared, followed by a man wearing little but his muscles and a loin-cloth with runes written all over his body. Slowly their bodies turned a grey color.

Shiro frowned from where he stood. "Something about this is odd. This doesn't seem like Mizuki's playing style at all, and I've never seen Rune Behemoth before. I thought Rune Paladin was her strongest monster."

Sanzo frowned as well, folding his arms over his chest as he thought about the situation. "Perhaps she's merely reacting to the environment of having a large crowd watching her duel. As for Behemoth, perhaps she merely recently acquired it. Jumping to conclusions is foolish."

Mizuki laughed and pointed at the Tyrant Dragon. "Rune Behemoth, attack and destroy that little dragon lord!"

Its clawed fist plowed straight into the dragon, punching a hole in its chest. Then the behemoth wrenched its arm back out, shattering the dragon lord. Alex winced at the sight. "Damn…"

Alex- 3400

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Adriel sighed and rested his chin on his hand. "Am I the only dragon-using duelist in the world besides my father that doesn't look horribly weak like this Alex guy?"

"Considering how many times you've lost to Ichigo in the past, you aren't one to talk," The comment was made by Griff, and he noticed that Adriel had no comeback for that. "Yeah, exactly."

-----------------------

"Rune Berserker, direct attack!" The muscular man charged forwards and punched Alex across the jaw, making him nearly stumble off the edge of the platform.

Alex- 5400

Mizuki snickered as he slid the card that had been set on his field into the grave. "I get it, so you activated Nutrient Z when I attacked since you were about to take two thousand damage. Nice save."

"I don't really need thanks, just finish up your move." Mizuki nodded and snapped her fingers. Immediately her Rune Fencer stabbed Alex in the chest with his rapier, making him wince at the impact.

Alex- 2700

She grinned and slipped a card into her disk. "Now that we've basically reached even life points, I suppose I'll end my turn."

Alex drew, giving him three in hand. "Alright, I'm going to bring your beast down this turn! I summon Phoenix Wyvern (1000/1000) to the field!"

A small feathered dragon, just like the previous one, fluttered down in front of Alex. This one had rainbow tail feathers. "I active my wyvern's effect, sacrificing it to special summon one wyvern back from my grave. Come forth my favorite monster, Giant Wyvern (2400/1500)!"

A massive feathered dragon, roughly the size of Tyrant Dragon, stomped into play, making heavy footfalls with its impact. It shrieked, its feathers standing on end and flame shooting from its nostrils. "Once I've successfully made my summon, Phoenix Wyvern's last effect gives me five hundred life points."

The wyvern burst into flame and flew into the sky, then flew straight down and flowed into Alex's duel disk. "Thank you for the efforts my friend."

Alex- 3200

Next he pointed at Rune Berserker, and Giant Wyvern opened its mouth and gathered up its flames. "During the turn it is summoned Giant Wyvern can't attack, however its effect destroys one monster on your field which has a defense less than or equal to the original attack of my monster. The difference is dealt to your life points as damage!"

The flames from the wyvern shot out, consuming Rune Berserker and melting its flesh from its bones. Mizuki narrowed her eyes as her monster was incinerated. "Strong, but not strong enough."

Mizuki- 1600

"I'll show you strength by activating Dragon Renewal, which lets me add a dragon from my cemetery to my hand. My choice is Tyrant Dragon, but he won't be around for long. I activate the final card in my hand, Polymerization!" Tyrant Dragon appeared on the field for a few seconds before it and the wyvern were pulled into the normal vortex.

"Behold the strongest monster my deck can produce, the almighty Wyvern Overlord (3700/3000)!" The new monster had a crest like the Tyrant Dragon, but its wings had red feathers which overlapped the scaly skin. Its tail swung back and forth, its bladed edges making swishing sounds.

Its yellow eyes narrowed at Rune Behemoth, which stepped itself in front of Rune Fencer. "If you were hoping for a quick kill you chose wrong, because Rune Behemoth prevents you from attacking the tokens it summons."

"That's just fine with me, because when summoned all monsters on your field lose one thousand points from their current position. So Wyvern Overlord reduces Rune Behemoth to a much weaker state." The behemoth shrank down in size, reaching a height of twelve feet as its attack fell to twenty-five hundred.

"And now, I have Wyvern Overlord attack your weakened Behemoth! Overlord Flame!" A spear of pure white flame seared into the Behemoth's flesh, melting a hole in its stomach before completely finishing it off.

Mizuki- 400

Her Fencer groaned and then blew apart, leaving her field nearly empty. "Just like I thought, when Rune Behemoth is destroyed its tokens go with it."

Mizuki shrugged and pointed to her set card, which flipped up. "I guess in response I'll just activate Rune Curse-Shadow of Life! This activates when a monster with 'rune' in its title is destroyed. It lets me select one monster in play and create a shadow copy of it, with all its effects. So meet my Wyvern Overlord (3700/3000)!"

Alex gasped as an identical version of his monster appeared on her field, and his monster shrieked as its attack points fell to twenty-seven hundred. "Damn…and since I have no cards in hand, I have to end my turn."

She nodded and drew, then pointed at his Wyvern Overlord. "During my standby phase Wyvern Overlord reduces the points of one monster on your field by one thousand. So your Wyvern Overlord is weakened again!"

Again he grimaced as his monster reached the strength of the average level four monster. "Since you've got no way to counter the attack, I'll strike down your monster with Overlord Flame!"

The copy of the supreme wyvern exhaled flame, consuming the original. Alex squeezed his hands into fists as his ultimate monster was burned to ashes. "Damn it…"

Alex- 1200

Back on Team Wildfire's side the girl who had been talking to Alex before gritted her teeth. "Come on Alex, fight back and beat that girl down! Team Wildfire needs a win!"

Mizuki shot a brief glance at the girl, a smirk touching her lips and then vanishing as she looked back at Alex. "Alright Alex, I set one card face down and end my turn."

Alex took a deep breath, and then top-decked. "Erin says I can't lose, and I know she's right. So don't expect me to back down now!"

He looked down at his drawn card and smirked in triumph. "Alright, from my hand I activate Wyvern Flight! One wyvern in play is returned to its owner's hand and I get to draw three cards!"

Mizuki clicked her tongue in disappointment as her wyvern faded away, leaving her field empty save for her set card. "I get it, advantage for you and nothing for me. Clever."

He snapped three cards off his deck and winked at her. "That's right; I drew the perfect card for the situation. I summon Enraged Wyvern (1600/1400)!"

His newest monster hissed and shook its feathers, its eyes a molten red color. "Enraged Wyvern's effect at this point is moot, since your field is basically empty. It attacks!"

It did nothing, causing him to glare at it. "Hey, I said to attack!"

Still the monster didn't respond, and Mizuki giggled at his frustration. "It can't hear you, since I activated the reverse effect of Rune Symbol-Eiwhaz, which prevents one monster on your field from attacking or switching modes for the rest of the duel."

Alex growled and looked down at his two other cards. "Fine, if I can't go on the assault with that monster yet, I'll just activate the continuous magic card Wyvern Flame Sphere, which will deal you fifty points of damage for every level of wyvern on my field during your standby phase. Then I set one card and end."

Mizuki drew and winced as a giant ball of fire rolled across the field and slammed into her before rolling back to Alex's side of the field. "You've really got me on the run little Alex, guess you are the strongest your team has to offer."

Mizuki- 200

Gloria Fireheart, wife of Jason Fireheart, hopped up and down with glee at seeing Team Virtue's leader at her last life points. "Excellent, if Alex defeats this girl then our team will get a chance to take on the next two duelists and even win this thing."

Jason patted his wife's hand, smiling warmly. "Dear, don't get ahead of yourself. Alex is an excellent duelist, but this duel is too close to call yet."

------------------------

Up in her private booth, Alahandra starting bouncing around excitedly. "Mizuki's the team leader, she can't lose!" Then she draped herself Halo, who was sitting down and watching the duel on the screens. "Ne, Halo, she can't lose right?"

The enforcer sighed at the fact that the goddess incarnate was nearly climbing over him. "You know it would be more productive to sit down and watch than to dance around in agitation."

"But I like dancing," She whined.

-----------------------------

Mizuki held up her drawn card and a space on her field started glowing. "I play Rune Symbol-Berkano, which allows me to special summon a monster from your cemetery to the field. So come back out, Wyvern Overlord (3700/3000)!"

Alex felt his shoulders shake in frustration at once again seeing his strongest monster facing him down. "I'm not going to lose just because of something like this. Activate trap card, Wyvern Revolution! By sacrificing my Enraged Wyvern I can create a copy of one wyvern on the field or in the cemetery with a bonus of one thousand attack points!"

His field shimmered and produced a second Wyvern Overlord, this time giving him the copy while Mizuki held the original. "Thanks to Wyvern Revolution my Wyvern Overlord has one thousand more attack points than yours, and now its effect reduces your monster's attack by an additional one thousand!"

Mizuki watched as her summoned monster fell to twenty-seven hundred attack, giving his monster a two thousand point advantage just like hers had in the previous round of wyvern against wyvern. "That's fine; I'm not really worried considering the last card in my hand."

She laughed and slapped down the last card she held, and a white blob of strange liquid floated out onto a space on her field. Its body pulsated with the moving rune symbols on its surface. "Meet the deadly Rune Symbiote (?)!"

Alex blinked, not sure what to make of the summoned creature. "That's your summon? Why are its points question marks?"

"Because it happens to be a union monster! Go Rune Symbiote, union yourself to Wyvern Overlord!" It leapt at the wyvern, wrapping around the shrieking creature. Slowly the ooze faded, until all that remained were the pulsing rune symbols that flowed like water over the flesh of the Wyvern Overlord.

"Rune Symbiote equips to one monster in play, and if that monster is not a 'rune' monster then it becomes one. So I now have my very deadly Rune Wyvern Overlord!" It threw its head back and sprayed white flame into the sky.

"Its attack points don't seem any different to me, so how has Rune Symbiote helped it?" Mizuki snickered and watched as the numerous runes on the wyvern's body began to glow.

"That's an excellent question, so allow me to demonstrate! Rune Symbiote doesn't grant the equipped monster any bonus attack points, or bonus defense points. Instead it provides the equipped monster with one new special ability." Alex tapped his foot impatiently, just wanting to hear what Mizuki had to say about this monster.

"Get on with it! Tell me what your monster does already!" Mizuki snickered and wagged her finger back and forth at him.

"I said I'd demonstrate, not explain. So here I go, Overlord Flame!" Alex's eyes widened as her wyvern shot fire out of its mouth across the field.

"Are you crazy? Your monster is going to be destroyed and you'll lose the duel!" To his surprise she winked at him, and then the flame zipped past his own Wyvern Overlord and washed over him as he screamed in surprise.

Alex- 0

As the flames cleared and the holograms faded Alex fell to his knees, looking shocked and slightly burnt. "I see…so Rune Symbiote lets the equipped monster attack directly."

"You guessed it, which means I've won, and so has my team. But hey, don't worry about the loss; it'll be the least of your worries soon." Alex frowned and started back towards his team, not sure what to make of what she had said. He was also frustrated with his loss and his team's defeat.

-------------------------

"Well, that was oddly similar to our total win streak against Team Reaper." Krieger glanced over at Ichigo, who was slowly walking out of the living room. "Oh Ichigo, where are you going?"

"Just going to clear my head, that's all." The half demon stumbled out into the hallway and then towards the front door. ("It's getting worse, I need to get away from them for now…before…") Then he threw the front door open just in time to collapse face-first right outside on the small cement porch of the boarding house, unmoving.

--------------------------

"_Ladies and gentlemen, that makes this the end! Team Wildfire has been eliminated and Team Virtue advances!"_ Mizuki made it back to her teammates, who were looking at her oddly. She jumped down from the bridge to meet them, smiling the whole time.

"What's with the faces everyone? I just gave us our third win and moved us on to the second round didn't I? Shouldn't you all be happy?" The response was to have Chizuma jump to her and nuzzle against her neck.

"Mizuki-sama is awesome! So very awesome!" Shiro and Sanzo exchanged worried looks, but when they tried to look Harrison's way he merely scowled and turned from them.

Mizuki smiled and patted Chizuma on the top of the head before pulling away. "You guys go celebrate; I'll join you as soon as I can. There's something I wanted to do real quickly."

They watched her go, worry plain on their features. At least except for Chizuma, who simply looked disappointed that Mizuki had left.

---------

All seven members of Team Wildfire were in their changing room, sitting around on the benches and looking disappointed. Suddenly Fireheart stood up and kicked a locker. "Damn! I can't believe we were eliminated without even a single win! What an embarrassment!"

Alex glared up at Fireheart from his seated position. "You're one to talk, you got beaten by a one turn kill, and you didn't even hurt your opponent."

The two team members glared at each other, but were stopped when a cold laugh ran through the room. "Little boys, don't get at each others throats. After all, you've got much worse to worry about."

They all turned, and found themselves looking at the entrance to their changing room where a beautiful woman in a pitch black dress with long wild black hair stood. Her blue eyes glowed in the darkness of the hallway as she licked her lips. "I'm glad I caught you all here, it means I don't have to look."

Alex narrowed his eyes at the woman, his hand going to his duel disk automatically. "What are you doing here, who are you, and what do you want?"

The woman chuckled and a pitch black duel disk formed on her arm out of nowhere. Suddenly the room was plunged into darkness, the benches and the lockers gone, replaced just by pure shadow. "What am I doing here? I'm here to challenge all of you to a duel."

She tapped her nose with one long finger, smiling and showing fangs while she did so. "Who am I? I am the creature that exists without dreams. True Sin, Nightmare."

All seven members of Team Wildfire stood and watched her, feeling chills run up their spines. "As for what I want, that's a bit complicated. But the ultimate truth is that what I desire is the elimination of all dreams. So I'm going to crush you and strip you of your dreams, leaving only nightmares!"

Alex held up his right arm, motioning for his team members to step back. "Stand aside guys, I'll deal with this crazy lady."

Nightmare threw back her head and shrieked with laughter. The sound froze Alex in position, his muscles locking up. Slowly her laughter died down and she lowered her head. "Just you? That's not what I meant. I meant I wanted to face you all, seven on one, right here, right now! Duel!"

Nightmare- 4000

Team Wildfire- 28,000

_To be continued…_


	100. Enter the Nightmare

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 100: Enter the Nightmare

_Alex narrowed his eyes at the woman, his hand going to his duel disk automatically. "What are you doing here, who are you, and what do you want?"_

_The woman chuckled and a pitch black duel disk formed on her arm out of nowhere. Suddenly the room was plunged into darkness, the benches and the lockers gone, replaced just by pure shadow. "What am I doing here? I'm here to challenge all of you to a duel."_

_She tapped her nose with one long finger, smiling and showing fangs while she did so. "Who am I? I am the creature that exists without dreams. True Sin, Nightmare."_

_All seven members of Team Wildfire stood and watched her, feeling chills run up their spines. "As for what I want, that's a bit complicated. But the ultimate truth is that what I desire is the elimination of all dreams. So I'm going to crush you and strip you of your dreams, leaving only nightmares!"_

_Alex held up his right arm, motioning for his team members to step back. "Stand aside guys, I'll deal with this crazy lady."_

_Nightmare threw back her head and shrieked with laughter. The sound froze Alex in position, his muscles locking up. Slowly her laughter died down and she lowered her head. "Just you? That's not what I meant. I meant I wanted to face you all, seven on one, right here, right now! Duel!"_

_Nightmare- 4000_

_Team Wildfire- 28,000_

Every duelist drew their opening hand, and Nightmare drew a sixth card. "I'll give all of you an advantage by going first. That means all seven of you will get a chance to attack me…if you can!"

She looked over her six card hand, and then began inserting cards into her duel disk. "I'll place three cards face down and a monster in defense mode. Then I play Forked Magic, which normally lets me spread an effect between targets, but in a multi-player duel lets me spread an effect between players!"

Her seven opponents frowned as she held out the last card in her hand. "With it being my last card I can use it, Hand Obliteration! Now thanks to the combination of it and Forked Magic all seven of you have to discard your entire hand!"

The members of Team Wildfire grimaced and slid their hands into the graveyard, meaning that they would be top-decking during their starting turn. "Don't get so anxious, I'm going to give you all brand new hands in just a moment."

She snickered and pointed to her left-most card. "But first I'll activate this normal magic card I set, Dark Impunity! For the next two turns, one card on my field I select can be activated regardless of any circumstances. So I choose my middle card."

A pitch black aura surrounded the named card, leaving only the right-most card left. "And now my final card activates, Treasure of Hell! Each player must now draw until they hold six cards, but they draw from the bottom of their deck."

All eight duelists began to draw until they held their new cards, feeling as if they were using a corrupt version of Coins from Heaven. But once her opponents had their cards, Nightmare laughed darkly and her last set flipped up. "Prepare to suffer, because I activate Crushing New Hope! When any player not I draws outside of their draw phase this card can register all those drawn cards and send them to the cemetery. That means all of you discard your new hands!"

Once again all of Team Wildfire braced themselves as they were forced to empty their hands, meaning they had gone through eleven cards from their deck each. "If you thought that was all, for each card you discard from this effect you take one hundred damage. Meaning that's forty-two hundred points of damage total!"

They screamed as they were engulfed in a crushing black aura, which squeezed the life points out of them by force.

Team Wildfire- 23,800

Nightmare fanned out her hand of cards, sneering the whole time. "If you thought that maybe I was done with you then you thought wrong, because the pain is only now beginning! You see, I've been discarding your cards for good reason…so I could use them to crush you!"

She thrust one of her newly drawn cards into the air above her head and silver lightning crackled across the expanse of darkness. Team Wildfire looked around, feeling their bodies growing cold. "My card is Hateful Past of Nightmare! This card allows me to add to my hand all cards in each of your graveyards that were discarded there by my cards during this turn. In other words…"

One by one all of the discarded cards shot out of their cemeteries and flew towards Nightmare. Together they formed a vortex of Duel Monsters cards which floated around the demonic woman. She snickered as she looked at them. "Ah, now I have an eighty-two card hand, and seventy-seven of them belong to you seven!"

She licked her lips as one of the swirling cards moved away from the others and turned to show its face to the team. "Go, Bonding H2O! And though I don't have the monsters in play as the cost, by discarding Audit Trick from my hand I can use up the cost!"

A third card moved out of her hand and formed into the massive serpent dragon of water. "And now it is here, Water Dragon (2800/2600)! But if you think you've seen it all, then you're dead wrong. Go, Oil Spill! By sacrificing one face-up Water Dragon on my field I can special summon a special monster from my deck."

Nightmare snapped her fingers and a fourth card moved forwards. "Of course I don't have such a card, so I'll use a team support card you managed to give me to make up for that. Joint Summon lets a player special summon a monster mentioned in a card text from another player's deck, even if that player is just a member of their team and not actively dueling."

Fireheart glanced over at Terry, who shrugged. Then they both sent a glance at the tomboyish girl who planted her hands on her hips. "Sorry for having a strategy that was meant to benefit us for team play. But you guys, that's your joint monster anyways."

The dark haired woman snickered as a dark taint slid through the watery flesh of the Water Dragon, until it was a moving black liquid body. "You all should be glad to face your own monster, the mighty Oil Slick Dragon (3600/2800)!"

In succession ten cards were pushed away from the swirling flock of cards and then burst into light. "I offer four cards to Emergency Provisions and then offer an additional four following that with a second Emergency Provisions."

Nightmare- 12,000

She pointed to another of her cards, which began to glow. "Comedic Offering lets me send a monster in my hand to the cemetery to grant its attack points to another monster in play."

Another card flipped around. "The magic card Weapons Sale also activates, letting me play equip cards as if they were on the field simply by discarding them. Therefore I offer Red Moon Baby (700/900) from my hand and also send an additional group of equips with it to power up my Oil Slick Dragon!"

The dark dragon's power began to shoot upwards as Nightmare discarded one card after another. "United We Stand, Mage Power, Axe of Despair, Cross of Despair, and Rebellion are all discarded!"

The dragon stopped growing once it was roughly fifty feet in total length, taking up most of her side of the field. "And at long last, Oil Sick Dragon (9400/3300) has its power completed. Or at least it will be completed shortly, as I set four cards face down. Which grants it two thousand points from Mage Power's effect!"

Team Wildfire looked over at a tall youth wearing a leather jacket with slicked back black hair. He folded his arms up and glared at them. "So my deck runs a lot of equips, it's not my fault she got some good ones."

"Shut up and watch you idiots! I end my turn, discarding all the remaining cards from my hand. And thanks to the effect of my magic card, these cards go to my graveyard instead of yours!" She folded up her remaining six cards as all of the remaining cards she had stolen were slid into her graveyard.

The first duelist, a man of about twenty wearing a business suit drew from his deck. "Perfect draw. I play Pot of Greed."

He slipped two cards off his deck, and then smiled slightly. "This will make an excellent deal. I place both cards face down and end my turn."

The second duelist, a young girl with pig-tails drew and squealed with delight when her partner flipped up one of his set cards. "Awesome play Salvador!"

Salvador gave her a nod of the head. "It is my pleasure Sandra. Now, allow me to explain the effect of Special Offer to our scary opponent. Once per turn, not counting my own, I can place a card from my cemetery into that player's hand. If they activate it, I gain one thousand life points."

Sandra jumped up and down with delight as a card appeared in her hand. "And they card he chose is Pot of Greed, so I draw twice!"

Team Wildfire- 24,800

She looked over her three cards and then placed two of them onto her duel disk. "I set one card face down and play a monster in defense mode. End turn."

The next duelist, the one with the leather jacket, drew. "Alright freaky lady, now its Eric's turn to play Pot of Greed!"

Team Wildfire- 25,800

He winked at her as he held up one card. "I play the magic card Fairy of the Enchanted Spring, placing an equip from my deck into my hand. It can't be played this turn. Then I set one card and end."

Fireheart frowned as he held up the Pot of Greed that had appeared in his hand. "I'm intelligent enough not to pass up such a useful offer, even though I prefer to battle for myself."

Team Wildfire- 26,800

"I summon Oil Tainted Bear (1600/1200) in defense mode. Then I play the continuous magic card Spill Clean-Up, which gives me five hundred life points per 'oil' monster in play during each of my end phases. End turn!" Oil floated off of his brown bear with black splotches, as well as from the sickening dragon.

Team Wildfire- 27,800

Terry drew and slammed into play his gained card. "Just like everybody else its Pot of Greed time!"

Team Wildfire- 28,800

He frowned at what he had drawn. "I set one card face down and end my turn."

The tomboy girl Erin held up her gained greed. "Pot of Greed is getting old, but if it works then it works."

Team Wildfire- 29,800

She grinned and slipped two cards into her duel disk. "I set those, and then I activate the team player magic card Doubled Efforts. Next time one of our team plays a card previously owned by another of our team, that card's effect is doubled!"

The team leader Alex snapped a card off his deck and then flipped around the Pot of Greed he had gained from Salvador's card. "I now play Pot of Greed, and thanks to Doubled Efforts it lets me draw four cards!"

Team Wildfire- 30,800

He fanned out his hand, and then slammed one card into play. "I summon Shadow Shot Wyvern (1200/1000) who when summoned deals you one hundred points of damage for every card in your grave! Regret having stolen our cards!"

The dark feathered dragon opened up its beaked mouth and shot a jet of black flame at Nightmare. Nightmare simply laughed as the fire engulfed her. "You seven are strong, and I'm going to love crushing your spirits completely!"

Nightmare- 4100

"Yeah, well its time for the attack! Erin, its all you!" The blonde girl nodded and pointed to one of her face down cards, which flipped up.

"My team trap card, Useful Power, lets me allow one member of our team to activate a normal magic card that a member of our team has even if it's set on the field. So next, I pass the move to Terry!" Terry smirked with delight and picked up his set card off his duel disk.

"The normal magic card Freeze Frame now activates, preventing our opponent from activating face down cards until the end phase of this turn!" Nightmare shrugged as her four set cards were covered up by ice.

Alex thrust out his hand and pointed at Oil Slick Dragon. "I know that monster's effect reduces the base attack of any monster it faces to zero, but I don't intend to worry about that. Shadow Shot Wyvern (0/1000), attack it!"

Nightmare raised an eyebrow, surprised at the attack. "So you intend to have my Oil Slick Dragon (11400/3300) vaporize about half of your life points?"

Eric smirked and snapped his fingers, causing his set card to flip up. "Not quite lady! My quick-play magic card Battle Fusion increases the attack points of our monster by the attack of yours, making them even!"

Again Nightmare just shrugged. "It's a tie in battle, and when Oil Slick Dragon is destroyed my Water Dragon is special summoned back into play."

Salvador guffawed as his remaining set card activated. "That's where it becomes my chance, as I activate the trap card Weapons Grant, which allows me to pay one thousand to increase the attack of a monster in play by an equal amount. That means Oil Slick Dragon is finished."

Alex clenched his fist as the flames shot out and engulfed Oil Slick Dragon. "That's exactly right; we're not going to lose here at all! Shadow Shot Wyvern (12400) is going to finish off your dragon!"

Nightmare snickered even as the flames covered her beast. "Perhaps you're stronger than I thought. But are you strong enough?"

Alex nodded and slammed a card from his hand into his duel disk. "More than strong enough! Wyvern Fire Power increases my monster's attack by seven hundred at this time!"

Erin thrust her hand out over her remaining set card. "Chain Strike now activates during this chain! It deals you four hundred damage times the number in the chain that it is. And since its number four, that means you take sixteen hundred damage!"

The Oil Slick Dragon exploded, spraying oil all over the field. Then the Water Dragon (2800/2600) reformed in its place. Nightmare laughed darkly at the sight. "You seven are an amazing team, so I'm going to enjoy this more than I thought."

Nightmare- 800

Alex slid another card into his duel disk. "I end my turn!"

Nightmare drew, and then pointed to one of her set cards. "I activate Return of the Nightmare, which special summons one monster destroyed during the past two turns to my field. So return to me, Oil Slick Dragon (3600/2800)!"

She licked her lips and swiveled her arm to point at the card that had been next to it. "I activate Afterimage of Ghost, creating a duplicate token of Oil Slick Dragon."

A second dark aquatic dragon formed, and all three of the dragons roared at their former owners. "Activate trap card, Shadow Permanence! This trap card prevents any monsters on my field from leaving play during this turn in any manner. Which at last gives me the answer I need to crush you all!"

The darkness shuddered as her field slot opened, and she held up her drawn card. "Prepare for the beginning of the end, for I activate the field magic card Court of Shattered Dreams, the realm where dreams end and nightmares begin!"

Salvador yelped and hopped to the side as a giant grey column erupted out of the shadows and shot into the sky. Behind it another formed, and another, and another, until an endless corridor of enormous pillars surrounded them. Each one was chipped, battered, and splattered with blood. "The first step…when Court of Shattered Dreams is activated all other cards return to their controller's hand!"

All of the cards in play save for the three dragons vanished, giving Nightmare entire field domination. "Prepare for utter annihilation! Water Dragon, Oil Slick Dragons, attack them directly!"

Two sprays of oily water pounded into Alex, while the jet of water hit Fireheart, driving the two duelists to their knees. Erin reached out for Alex, seeing his pain, but was stopped when dark tendrils wrapped around her, holding her in place. "Alex!"

Nightmare wagged a finger at her. "Sorry girly, but lover boy there isn't going to get any help at all."

Team Wildfire- 20,800

Terry glared at Nightmare, his hands shaking with rage. "What the heck was that? You nearly crushed them with those attacks! What sort of duel is this anyways?"

She smirked and ran her tongue over her fangs. "What sort of duel? My special brand of Darkness Game, where the loser has the worst nightmare come true! And in this duel, whenever a monster is destroyed its owner loses one of their precious dreams."

Eric gulped, feeling his legs tremble. He couldn't deny the realism he had seen, not now. "So wait…doesn't that mean you would have lost a dream when Oil Slick Dragon was destroyed? Why would you place such a penalty on yourself just to hurt others?"

The dark duelist tapped the side of her head, looking smug. "I always have to explain this. I am what my name says, the embodiment of a nightmare, thus I have no dreams, only nightmares. Even my purpose in life, the destruction of other people's dreams, exists to me as a nightmare. It is the nightmare that one day I will succeed and have no further purpose. So it's no disadvantage to me!"

Alex shuddered and stood up to his feet, his body shaking and his shirt in tatters. "You're nothing but a monster, and we're not going to let you walk away from this duel. We'll fight will all our power, and Team Wildfire will crush you!"

Nightmare narrowed her eyes and looked over at the beaten boy. "Just for that, your dreams will be shattered first. Court of Shattered Dreams, I invoke your special ability!"

The field began to shimmer as shadow energy leaked between the giant columns. "From wherever it exists, I can activate one card with 'Twisted Dreamscape' in its name. So I unleash you, Twisted Dreamscape-Loveless World!"

A pulse of energy swept over the area, and suddenly everything was grey. There were no colors, and even all of the duelists and monsters were swept clean by that faded color. Alex gulped and his legs buckled. "What…what is this place?"

Nightmare looked around, smirking. "This? This is Loveless World, a plane of existence in which love is impossible. A plane where those who fear never experiencing love would not dare to tread if I didn't bring them. This is the place you fear most, Alex Hardcore!"

He gulped and looked to his left, only to discover that his grey teammates were unmoving. "What have you done to them?"

She winked and suddenly she was standing right next to Erin. "She's a pretty girl, this Erin Crystal. Too pretty for one such as yourself, isn't that what you think? You think she could never love you, and so you never share your feelings."

Alex's eyes widened and he backed up a step away from the smiling True Sin, who brushed a hand against the frozen girl's cheek. "How do you know these things?"

"Oh? It's simply my nature, to know all that exists in the darkest recesses of the human mind. Oh, and if you were wondering what Loveless World does other than scare you…it possesses an effect that could not exist in the normal game. It forces one duelist of my choice to make an important decision." Alex jerked back when Nightmare was suddenly standing in front of him, her right hand on his right shoulder.

"Boy, you have to decide. You can either give up on love forever, or forfeit this duel. If you forfeit the duel you can remain capable of love, but if you choose not to forfeit, then your capability to love will be removed forever. It will be irreversible." Alex felt frozen, his mind roaring through questions, trying desperately to come to an answer.

"Oh, and don't believe that your time is unlimited. You have sixty seconds to make your choice, or you will automatically have your ability to love stripped away for all time. Tick tock little boy." Alex fell to his knees, his hands held in front of his face, shaking terribly.

Slowly he tilted his head to look at Erin, who was as frozen as a statue. "Erin I…I never could admit that I cared for you as more than a friend…and I can't let that chance in the future slip away. I'm sorry but…I forfeit."

The grey area shattered and Alex's eyes began to dull. Nightmare knelt in front of him, smirking the whole time. "Perhaps I forgot to mention that if one player forfeits in a team duel, all players forfeit."

Team Wildfire- Forfeit

Alex stared up at her in horror as she stood up and turned away. "Sorry little boy, but it's over for you now. And I hope you seven enjoy being trapped forever in your eternal nightmares. I'll leave that to you now."

Seven screams reached her ears, and she shook with joy, her face ecstatic at the sounds she heard. "Music to my ears. And there are so many duelists left in this tournament to shatter!"

She laughed and exited the darkness, her body shifting until it appeared identical to Mizuki's once again. "This little world is filled with miracles…I'm going to enjoy taking every last one and turning them into nightmares!"

---------

_Lightning crackled down upon the scorched remains of the world. There was nothing left but the melted hulks of what had once skyscrapers. It was over, Earth was finished._

_Starlight Savior struggled to draw in breath, the shattered remains of dozens of different crystal weapon combinations littering the ground around her. Her armor was cracked in hundreds of places, and she looked like she was on the verge of collapse. ("I can't give up yet. I still have one weapon left. Scorpio, you can break this thing's defense.") She closed her eyes and reached out with her mind, trying locate the eleventh zodiac symbol. "Hear my plea, weapon of destruction. I ask for your power, I ask for your skills! Awaken Scorpio!"_

_A thunderous roar of rage filled what would have been silence, followed by a series of very human screams not too far away and the sound of explosions that could only be bodies being blow apart from the sheer force of its fists._

_And yet nothing came. Scorpio's symbol hovered in her mind like a beacon. However, unlike a beacon of hope the only thing it symbolized was her utter weakness. This opponent was beyond her strength. The other Saviors were dead, and all she could was hit it over and over again with weapons that instantly cracked upon landing against its armored skin. "Please!"_

_The screams of terror and fear intensified as the explosions and sounds of bodies being torn apart grew louder. It was a beast beyond comprehension. Its rage was beyond being possible to calm. There was no way to stop without the power of Scorpio!_

_And yet Starlight Savior could not summon the weapon. No matter how hard she pleads to it, all she got in response was a mocking pulse of its might. "Come out, please! For all their sakes, come out and fight! Please!" And yet no crystal flower formed. The weapon continued to mock her weakness._

_A loud crunch noise came from directly behind her. **"There is nothing left, Savior. I have killed them all. Now then, are you ready for punishment for failing to protect humanity and your friends?"**_

_Starlight dropped to her knees, her will to fight gone. "There's nothing left to protect, so do as you wish to me. I'm ready to die for failing."_

"_**Death is not a punishment in this case."** The massive creature stepped past her. **"Now observe."** There was a flash of light and suddenly the two of them were standing in the middle of Tokyo again, everything restored. The people walked around them as if they were not there though, as if they had yet to exist. **"As I kill them all again. And all you can do is watch. I am your real nightmare, protector of the world. Enjoy, because you'll get to see them die one after another. Let the images be burned into your mind, because it is your fault this has happened."** Then time seemed to speed up, Tokyo and the world rapidly falling under attack by wave upon wave of Vengeances._

_Starlight trembled and tried with all her strength to grasp Scorpio, but it would not heed her call. "Please…please…" She collapsed, hands digging into the pavement even as it change to dirt. In her mind was each and every image of the horrors the Vengeances were unleashing upon the human race. She saw the other Saviors killed, her other friends dying begging for lives, and begging that she save them._

_And yet, unlike before, there was no hope. There was no weapon to fight with. Good had lost, and it would lose forever more as the scene reset, showing her a new and even more horrific end to earth._

---------------------------------

Ichigo, eyes only half open, lay unmoving and draped over the steps in front of the house, his hazel eyes dull and his mind slowly bleeding away. The void had claimed him, and there was no escape. So the cold water of despair slowly started to fill him, sucking the air from his lungs.

_**("Come back, lost traveler. Come back home.")**_

The half demon's shallow breathing and he leapt to his feet, sweat clinging his clothing to his body. ("I…I'm awake? The world isn't over?") When there was no answer he wondered where the voice had come from.

"Ichigo! Get back in here! Mizuki just won and they're about to start the secondary round!"

"Y..yeah." Mind strangely clear, but still shaken, Ichigo went back inside. ("What was that voice? How did it pull me back from the brink?")

------

Nightmare narrowed Mizuki's green eyes, and slowly her lips curled up into a smirk that looked out of place on Mizuki's innocent features. "Ichigo Pilkington…the darkest recesses of your mind are filled with such beautiful nightmares. I'm going to enjoy making you live out every last one of them."

She reached into the dark well of her power and extended it out as far as she could. "Ichigo Pilkington, prepare for your worst nightmare to come true…today."

_To be continued…_


	101. Savior Scramble

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. Nor do I own the dimension hoppers, those would be owned by Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 101: Savior Scramble

Somewhere within a pitch black warehouse a single computer started to wail, sparks coming from it. Its whining grew louder and it started to overload, pieces of itself blowing off as it reached critical mass.

MALFUNCTION…MALFUNCTION…EMERGENCY SITUATION PARAMETERS REACHED. UNDER ATTACK, OPENING ALL STORAGE CONTAINERS.

The sound of pressure being released in huge amounts could be heard and the hollow insides of the warehouse were filled with huge clouds of crimson mist. And then the mist stirred slightly as hundreds of now-awake Vengeances left their storage tubes.

"Where…are we? What are our orders?" One voice roared out. This was echoed by dozens of others. Why were they awakened? What was their purpose?

"Who cares what they want us to do?" Another voice cackled out, the sound of armored feet striking ground as it ran towards what it perceived to be the entrance. "Let's go destroy everything in our sight. Let's go obliterate…" There was a loud crunch sound and a scream of pain, followed by an explosion of crimson light.

"There will be no runners," a low voice rumbled out, carrying to the ears of the rest of the awakened Vengeances. "We are going to obliterate everything, but I do not like the idea of a low-life V1 telling me what to do."

"What gives you superiority…" The Vengeance that had been speaking screamed as it was vaporized instantly.

"Would anyone else like to question me?" When there were no protests a crimson eye could be seen glowing through the veil of slowly fading mist. "Good, then let's show the earthlings what the Blood Empire does to have a party, shall we?"

----------------------------------

"Awesome, they won!" Chris pumped a fist into the air and grinned at Erian, who looked relieved that he could finally get into the house without immediately being chased out to preserve the sanctity of Infinite technology.

Ichigo and Eri both sighed a little, trying to look enthusiastic but both of them having a lot of things on their minds.

Rysel yawned and stood up, brushing a few pieces of potato chips from his clothing. "Well, I suppose it's time to get to work."

"Get to work?" Masami said from next to the Blood Prince. "What are you…" And then he felt it, as did the other five Saviors in the room. It was like an overload of the normal danger sense that came with the appearance of a Vengeance. "By…get to work…you…" His hands started to close into a fist as he realized that Rysel had betrayed them. "You bastard…"

Rysel walked past Masami. "All of those wild Vengeances are not going to stop themselves. I'll go make sure that the lab is off-line completely and then I shall join all of you in defeating them."

The green-haired boy twitched a couple of times and blushed bright red. "Oh…right."

Nikolai frowned and stood up at the same time as Adriel and Chris. "Let's get to it."

Ichigo sighed loudly and forced himself to stand. ("I just hope I can concentrate.") "Eri, let's go…"

The demoness nodded meekly, trying to clear her current muddled thoughts away and focus on the task at hand.

Teruha waved to the lot of them. "Good luck, all of you! We'll be rooting for you from here."

"Right!" Masami gave her a thumbs-up and ran out the front door with the others. "Leave it to us!"

------------------------------------

Screams pierced the night air and swarms of people could be seen running away from the downtown area, while explosions, screams of rage, and hellish roars could be heard echoing throughout Tokyo. They had appeared all at once, like some ancient horde out of the nightmares of the people gathered. And without a word they started what had turned into a hellish orgy of destruction.

A giant beetle-like Vengeance clamped onto a parked car with its pincers and hurled it twenty feet into the air, where it was then pin-cushioned by a storm of needles by another Vengeance, this one resembling some kind of hedgehog with metal quills.

Just ten feet away another Vengeance, this one having a pair of giant metallic fists, punched straight through a wall in its way like the thick block of cement were made out of paper. "Where are humans? This so boring without bones to break!"

"Yeah!" Another Vengeance, this one made of fire screamed out in anger. "Where's my boiling flesh and evaporating blood?"

Not too far away the few remaining stragglers of the mob of escaping people made it past the police barricades, leaving only the Vengeances on the expansive street. All at once dozens of guns were lifted and aimed at the gathered creatures. "Ready, aim, fire!" Then a wall of lead came roaring in, most of the shots either clanging harmlessly against the bodies of some of the armored Vengeances or passing through the body of a couple of Vengeances made out of elements such as fire or water. In other words, it was a futile effort.

One thing did come from this though. It brought the collected attention of the dozens of Vengeances on the street onto the police and their barricades.

The one made of crimson fire stepped forward, a lance made of the same element burning brightly in his grasp. "Well would you take a look at this, guys? It seems the local law enforcement has shown up to tell us we're under arrest. I guess we should stop, right?" From behind him there were assorted snickers and roars from some of the less intelligent Vengeances. "Exactly."

He pointed at the now very frightened-looking police and the crowds of people behind the police lines that were too curious for their own good. "Oy, stupid humans, let us make ourselves clear right now. Compared to us none of you amount to anything more than food, target practice, or maybe both. However…"

A fireball of crimson heat formed in his grasp. "You…" He wound up throwing the attack, as did two other Vengeances. One of them was the metallic hedgehog creature from before and the other was a female humanoid made of water holding an icicle in one hand. "…cannot…"

The police officers took cover, knowing that even though they were behind cars and armored trucks that these things would pierce right through the heavy steel easily.

"…win." The flame Vengeance and his other two ranged counterparts opened fire, sending a wall of metallic needles, one huge fireball, and a storm of ice shards towards the defenseless police officers.

Right before the storm struck a glowing bubble of yellow light spread across the whole of the street, deflecting the numerous attacks all at once.

"What?" The flame Vengeance's orange eyes widened as he realized that there were five shadowed figures now standing in front of the police barricade. "Who the hell would dare to interfere with us?"

"_Apparently,"_ An echoing female voice said sadly. _"You things weren't given the correct programs concerning just who we are."_

"_Well should we even bother telling them?"_ Another female voice, this one much more cheerful, asked. _"I mean, they're about to get wiped out so does it matter?"_

"_Of course. A proper introduction is in order if we want these things to understand why they should fear us!"_ The third speaker was a male.

"_And besides,"_ A third female voice added. _"I haven't even gotten a chance to try out my intro."_

"_Why are you having a monologue, idiots?"_ Another male voice said. _"We need to beat the monsters, not stand around jabbering like fools."_

--------------------

Sanzo laughed, delighted at what he saw. "These Saviors certainly know how to make an entrance!"

Shiro also cheered with delight, while Chizuma goggled at Starlight Savior. "I love these guys, they're awesome!"

Harrison scowled and shoved his hands into the pockets of his trench coat. "They're complete idiots."

------------------------

"Damn it!" roared one of the Vengeances. "Let's just tear through them like the five little bugs they are!"

"_Bugs?"_ The first female voice laughed and her figure leapt atop one of the police cars. _"Now I know you need to be re-educated in just who we are."_ She stomped one foot down on top of the car's roof, a circle of light illuminating her and revealing the dark and light blues of her armor and hair. _"Don't worry, ladies and gentlemen, think of it as part of a show. Now allow myself, the super heroine of celestial justice, to entertain you for the evening."_

Another circle of light appeared, illuminating the car next to her and revealing a purple and black armored young man with spiky hair of the latter color. _"Let's just hope our supporting cast feels like participating."_

Off to Starlight Savior's other side a circle of light appeared and revealed the pink and red armored form of Fantasy Savior, who looked rather curious. _"You mean they had a choice?"_

Next to Vortex Savior another circle of light appeared atop a fourth police car, illuminating the dark green and aquamarine form of Valor Savior. _"This isn't a joke, so stop treating it like one. We've got a job to do."_

One final circle appeared on the side of Fantasy, illuminating a female Savior wearing a suit of armor with yellow armored segments attached over an orange bodysuit. Brushing back her yellow hair, she smirked. _"What's the fun in just tearing in and obliterating a bunch of weaklings like these guys if we can't make a show out it?"_

"_I am the hero of the heavens!"_ Starlight Savior pointed up into the sky. _"In the name of love and justice, I will not tolerate your rampaging natures."_ She pointed at all of them as she said this, and then thumbed at her chest. _"I am Starlight Savior!"_

"_I am the messenger of the darkness!"_ The spiky-haired hero gazed at the gathered creatures with distaste on his face. _"In the name of the void, I will suck all of you into nothingness. I am Vortex Savior!"_

"_I am the matron of the land of peace!"_ The purple-haired and red/pink armored Savior curtsied to the growling mob of Vengeances. _"And now let me sing you a sweet lullaby. I am Fantasy Savior!"_

"_I am lord of the piercing lights of the sky."_ The dark green hero made no hand or body motions. It was unnecessary. _"Prepare yourselves for death. I am Valor Savior."_

The final female savior grinned widely. _"You want to know who I am. Sure, let me tell you!"_ Then the yellow-haired young lady thumbed at herself. _"I am the maiden of shields, the protector of those who are defenseless, and the one who will not allow any of you to harm these innocent bystanders. I am Guardian Savior!"_

"What kind of trash are you five spouting?" The flame Vengeance lifted his burning weapon. "Let's tear them…" His molten eyes widened as he realized that Starlight Savior was forming something in her hands. "Attack now! Don't let them prepare!" And then the Vengeances on the street rushed forward like a flood of roaring and screaming death.

"Alright," Starlight Savior said calmly, the dark blue crystal crossbow of Taurus forming in her grasp. "Let's clean up, shall we?"

"**Ray of Omega."** Valor Savior snapped his fingers and sent a spray of dark green beams into the advancing group, piercing through most of them and destroying a couple. "It took only that to destroy a couple of them? This will be too easy."

"**Empty Demise!"** Vortex Savior summoned up a ball of blackness over his head, creating a powerful vortex that sucked a couple of the closest Vengeances into its depths, instantly destroying them. "He's right."

Fantasy Savior watched as trio of beetle-like heavily armored Vengeances charged in towards her…and then giggled as they tackled her and stopped dead in their tracks, huge cracks appearing in their exoskeletons. **"Pacifist's Guard."** Then her hand snapped up and slapped the cracks in the monsters' bodies. **"Lullaby Touch."** Winking, she dusted her hands off as all three of the creatures seemed to explode from the inside with pink energy shooting from the creases in their shells. "This really is kind of easy."

Guardian Savior charged in like a yellow and orange flurry, landing multiple blows across the bodies of anything inhuman in her way. Every blow shattered or cracked something, her strength amplified by the power of the armor. "Sorry boys, I don't have any fancy attacks. All I do is guard the team, but that doesn't make me unable to beat you the old-fashioned way!"

Starlight Savior fired point-blank into the face of a Vengeance and was already focused on the next one even as her current target disappeared instantly within the pillar of dark blue power. "This really is too easy. Maybe I should just summon the songblade and do the rest of these guys in? After all, we've still got to deal with the rest of the ones downtown right?"

----------------------------

He stood before the front entrance of the DMWC stadium quietly, like some kind of silent sentinel that was bathed in the shadow. ("Well then, come out humans. I can sense you in there. At least some of you have power that I want to experience until the Saviors arrive.")

Even in the shadow it was obvious that he was absolutely huge, a twelve-foot titan made out of metallic armor and muscle. Lines of crimson light appeared in his massive chest, arms and chest. "I do not need to hide myself." His voice amplified in strength, shaking the windows of the doors that were just twenty feet from him. "My name is Borui. There is no leaving from any of the exits of this stadium other than through the front. I have some of the strongest of the other Vengeances guarding all other potential exits, the air included. If you want to leave without dying by my hands then you have one of two choices!"

One of the windows cracked at the sudden raise in his voice. "One, the ones I sense in there with some modicum of power step out here and fight me directly. Two, the Saviors arrive and I fight them. There are no other options. Do as you please until then, I suppose. However, keep in mind that if I don't get either of those options fulfilled in ten minutes then I'll actually turn myself on."

One glowing crimson eye appeared within his helmeted face. "Trust me when I say that the release will damage the structure of the building and may result in the death of some people inside and in the surrounding buildings. However it will also more than likely signal the Saviors to come here and face me. The choice is yours, humans and otherwise." Then he went silent, becoming something like a statue once more.

----------------------

Sanzo grimaced, feeling his danger senses going crazy. "The level of power hidden by that thing is tremendous. I can feel it…its like a storm brewing beneath the calm surface of a cup. Such a level of power doesn't seem possible."

Harrison scowled, not sensing any such thing. However, he had learned over the past few years that Sanzo was always right about this sort of thing. "With my ability, I can defeat some of those creatures with it, but if that one is as strong as you say, then I wouldn't stand a chance."

Mizuki stood a little ways back from the rest, grinning sadistically. ("And the nightmare is just beginning.")

-----------------------

Valor Savior landed in front of the one of the Vengeances that had made it past the police barricade, eyes narrowed. "You want to threaten innocent humans?" His hand snapped up, a ball of dark green light glowing from it. **"Nova Cannon!"** Then the monster disappeared in a flash of light. "Then expect to get smacked down."

He glanced behind him as he realized that a group of photographers were taking pictures of him. ("I hate cameras…") Then he leapt back into the fray. They had already split up the first batch on that single street, and now they had separated to take care of the other few hundreds or so. Most were fairly easy to beat anyway.

--------------------------

Fantasy Savior landed on top of one Vengeance's head, grinning widely. "This is so much fun! Aren't you having fun, mister angry monster thing?" Then she leapt as it swiped at her, drooling and snarling. "Nope, I guess not!"

She dropped in front of it and slapped it on the forehead. **"Lullaby Touch."** Turning away, she eeped and jumped out of the way as a giant Vengeance hurled a car at her. It skidded past where she had been standing, crushed his now dissolving ally, and then kept rolling. "Hey now, I'm sure someone's car insurance doesn't pay for that!"

The giant Vengeance roared again and grabbed another car, hefting it above its head. "Die, you weak little speck!" Then it hurled the vehicle, sneering as it watched the car crash into the girl….and then that sneer turned into an expression of absolute confusion as she calmly lifted the blocked car above her head and then placed it down safely to her side.

"That wasn't very nice," she winked at the terrified monster. "Sorry, mister big scary thing, but I've been working out. You won't beat me in a battle of strength."

--------------------------------

A low growl came from a cat-like Vengeance that licked its chops at Guardian Savior. Its other Vengeances slowly stalked in a circle around the silent girl, getting ready to strike.

"**Aura of Force."** The yellow-haired Savior started to glow with a calm yellow light. "Now then…" She disappeared for a moment and then appeared with her foot buried in the chin of one of the stalking creatures. "Did you actually think I was just going to stand there and wait?" Her other foot came up and caught the Vengeance in the side of the head, sending it flying high into the air.

"Because if that what's you think of me, just because I'm the defense of the team…" Her right and left fists snapped back and collided with the claws of another Vengeance that was sneaking up behind her. "Then you're dead wrong."

-------------------------------------

"So I think you might be better off surrendering." Vortex Savior smiled, his hands buried in the ground and the whole length of street before him having turned into a writhing marsh of black tar that was slowly sucking the horde of Vengeances into its depths. "Of course since most of you can't speak right now, I guess you can't surrender. Oh well, your loss."

--------------------------------------

"**Awaken Aries, awaken Pisces, and awaken Aquarius!"** Starlight Savior held up the fully formed songblade and started playing from its pommel, the peaceful sounds of a flute filling the air as everything but herself and the dozens of Vengeances that were charging towards her faded into blackness. **"Celestial Songblade Dance!"**

A split-second later there were dozens of screaming hulks of dark blue fire hissing out a collective **"Good…shot…"**

---------------------------------------

"_And so…"_ The reporter on the television said sharply, flipping rapidly through the numerous pieces of paper that kept getting shoved in his face as updates to the situation around Tokyo were made. _"The mysterious group of heroes that call themselves the Saviors are tearing through the ranks of the monsters that have appeared across town with incredible speed. Even though the military has been called in, at this rate by the time they will have arrived most of the monsters will be destroyed."_

Teruha frowned at the pictures on the screen of the five separate Saviors tearing through the Vengeances with ease. "Hey, where's Masami? He left with them so I thought they would have reported…"

"_This just in…"_ The reporter grabbed the next piece of paper shoved in his face and gaped at what was written on it. _"A sixth Savior has appeared in the middle of the city, where the monster concentration is…"_ He twitched at what else was written. _"…was highest. Now though, the entirety of the middle of the city seems to have been cleared of all monsters in one fell swoop!"_ The picture on the screen changed to that of a large section of Tokyo bathed in flowing golden light.

Then it changed to a life video of a grinning Shining Savior standing in the middle of the street intersection with a glowing Seraph Scepter over one shoulder. He was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Whoops, maybe I overdid it a little?"

Back at the boarding house Teruha sweat-dropped, adopting a similar expression. "Yeah, maybe just a little…."

----------------------------------------------

Borui let out a low groan. ("It seems that there are very powerful enemies battling against our little bloodbath.") His single crimson eye, hidden beneath the depth of his heavy steel helmet, moved slightly to the left. "It seems that my compatriots fell." Then a loud click came from him. "Therefore, I suppose I may as well summon them to me."

Then he disappeared within a pulsing pillar of crimson energy that hurtled skywards and pierced the cover of smoke that hung over the city, illuminating Tokyo in bloody light. The DMWC stadium shuddered violently and the windows exploded inwards all at once, followed by which an earthquake shook the surrounding area for a few moments before the pillar dropped down and left Borui looking just as he had before.

The massive Vengeance stretched slightly and then noticed that a sword had struck his side roughly. "Hmmm?" Tilting his head down slowly, his single eye met with Starlight Savior. "Interesting…how did you get here so fast?"

The heroine couldn't respond. She was too busy being wide-eyed at the fact that her songblade had cracked itself hitting the creature's metallic flesh. "What…what…" Legs bunching underneath her, she barely managed to flip away in time before his fist crashed down where she had been standing, pulverizing a four foot deep hole in the cement from the released pressure.

"If you're wondering why your little sword didn't hurt me, it should be obvious." Borui flexed one boulder-sized chest muscle. "You should have been able to tell from that explosion of power. Don't worry, that was my full power so you don't have to worry about me holding back."

She wiped a little sweat from her forehead. It had taken quite a bit of power to use Capricorn and get to this location immediately because she had thought maybe a surprise attack would have let her kill what seemed to be some kind of incredible source of blood energy. Now though… ("I drained myself a little bit doing that. Oh well, at least I'm here.") She was already sure that Soul Savior was going to necessary for this one.

Borui let out of a low exhaling breath, a puff of crimson mist leaving the single opening in his helmet where a human's mouth would have been, if any humans were actually that big. "Starlight Savior, I assume?"

"Heh, I see my reputation precedes me." The heroine stabbed her sword into the ground and frowned at the creature. "Now what exactly are you?"

"My name is Borui, and I was created to kill you and the treacherous Prince Rysel." The giant Vengeance felt two blasts explode against his back roughly. "Another of your friends?" A kick crashed into the side of his head and something slapped his side, creating an explosion there that had no effect on him.

Starlight gulped as Fantasy, Valor, Vortex and Guardian landed alongside her, all of them between the creature and the entrance to the DMWC stadium. "Guys, I think it's time for Soul Savior. This guy…this guy isn't normal."

"Soul Savior?" Borui's right hand slowly closed into a fist. "Yes, bring out the white one. She might be worth this burning rage I have been instilled with. As it is now, your attacks are having no effect on me."

Valor Savior narrowed his eyes at the creature. "What did you…" Starlight's hand shot in front of him to stop him from attacking.

"He's right," she said slowly, trying to conceal the fact that if they summoned Soul Savior to use against him then the overall damage to the city would be massive. "Let Shining Savior deal with the leftovers, since his power is limited to a short amount of time. Meanwhile," Her hands dropped to her sides. **"Awaken Gemini, Soul of Hope!"** Then all five of them disappeared within a roaring pillar of white light that erupted into the sky.

Borui felt another prescense slowly approaching, almost in a leisurely fashion. "So you have come to save me the trouble, Prince Rysel."

"Indeed I have." Rysel slowly walked up towards the creature's back, his crimson sword held in one hand and a calm smile on his face. "I knew there were one or two earth labs I missed, and I knew that my dear brother would have sent out the codes necessary to tell the lab to automatically create something with the necessary power to kill me."

"If you know that," Borui still was watching the swelling pillar of white light with his single crimson eye, speaking calmly. "Then why did you come?"

"Because it sounds like fun…" The Blood Prince smiled at the monster that had been engineered to murder him. "After all, what's the fun in running from something like one of the first V3s that have actually seen production all the way to the end? Also, I can't let you destroy the planet I wish to protect. Therefore, it's time to prove my worth in guarding this world."

"Interesting sentiments you have…" Borui watched the beautiful rainbow feathers of Soul Savior's wings form. "I look forward to crushing you with my bare hands."

"Your words tell me to say 'Oh noes', but you have yet to prove it." Rysel's illumination from the white light coming from the pillar disappeared as Soul Savior finished forming. "Now then, let's see what comes to be."

The white-armored and white-winged rainbow-haired heroine slowly lowered to the ground, the metallic appendages flapping gently and folding behind her back. Her eyes opened to reveal her rainbow irises and she winked at the hulking titan, creating a small heart of rainbow light from that point. "Hey there big boy, my name's Soul Savior."

She mentally winced as she felt Adriel and Nikolai punch Ichigo as hard as they possibly could within the space they were hidden in while she existed. "In the name of celestial justice I, the angel of infinite beauty, will defeat you!" She winked again, this time to Rysel. "With a little help from a certain crimson prince if he doesn't mind sharing his dance partner, that is."

The Blood Prince bowed slightly. "It would be an honor."

Borui threw back his metal head and roared in a violent release of energy. "And now let the slaughter begin!"

There was an explosion crimson light that roared up into the sky around all three of them, forming into a circle of energy that quickly closed at the top to create a dome.

"Hmm?" Both Rysel and Soul Savior blinked in surprise, having expected to be attacked. ("What's this?")

Borui held up one immense arm, a giant crimson duel disk appearing in place there. "I challenge you both to a two on one duel. Is that acceptable?"

Rysel rubbed the back of his head, not having expected this. "How strange…why would you want to duel against the two of us? Wouldn't a physical fight be more preferable for one of your body type?"

"I have my reasons." The V3 glanced behind himself to look at the Blood Prince with his single crimson eye. "Do you accept my challenge or not, Prince Rysel?"

"I accept." Rysel leapt over the creature's head, his crimson duel disk forming around his arm. "Though I still am rather surprised by this." Then he turned to look at Soul Savior. "What about you, my dear?"

She smiled and a white duel disk with a field shaped on the outside like a wing appeared. "Hey, I'm all for it. Besides, I'm not a violence kind of gal." A deck was already in place. "Let's go for it!"

Inserting his deck into place, Rysel smiled calmly to Borui. "Alright then, Borui-kun, let us see just why you wanted to duel us instead of fight. Duel."

Borui- 4000

Rysel- 4000

Soul Savior- 4000

_To be continued…_


	102. Starlight Nightmare Embodied

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 102: Starlight Nightmare Embodied

_Rysel rubbed the back of his head, not having expected this. "How strange…why would you want to duel against the two of us? Wouldn't a physical fight be more preferable for one of your body type?"_

"_I have my reasons." The V3 glanced behind himself to look at the Blood Prince with his single crimson eye. "Do you accept my challenge or not, Prince Rysel?"_

"_I accept." Rysel leapt over the creature's head, his crimson duel disk forming around his arm. "Though I still am rather surprised by this." Then he turned to look at Soul Savior. "What about you, my dear?"_

_She smiled and a white duel disk with a field shaped on the outside like a wing appeared. "Hey, I'm all for it. Besides, I'm not a violence kind of gal." A deck was already in place. "Let's go for it!"_

_Inserting his deck into place, Rysel smiled calmly to Borui. "Alright then, Borui-kun, let us see just why you wanted to duel us instead of fight. Duel."_

_Borui- 4000_

_Rysel- 4000_

_Soul Savior- 4000_

Borui lifted one of his massive hands up and drew the top card off of his deck. "The both of you are supposedly strong at this form of combat. Let's see just how strong you can really be when compared to the strategy I was given." Adding the drawn card to his hand, he slid a different card into his deck. "I activate the magic card Painful Choice. From my deck five cards are selected and one of those cards is then selected by one of you. The card you select is added to my hand and the other four cards go to the graveyard." Five cards appeared above his side of the field. (Repayment of Losses, Repayment of Losses, Repayment of Losses, Dandelion, Eternal Loss)

Soul Savior frowned slightly at the last card. ("When Eternal Loss is sent from the owner's deck to the graveyard their opponent must discard two cards from their hand at the cost of 1000 life points.") "You can take Eternal Loss, since it will be a dead card in your hand."

Rysel nodded silently.

Borui added the trap to his hand and slid the other four cards into his graveyard slot. "The effect of Dandelion is that when it is sent to the graveyard two Fluffy Tokens are special summoned to my field." Two tiny balls of fluff with faces appeared on his field. (0/0)x2 "During this turn they cannot be sacrificed. Also, the effect of Repayment of Losses is that when it is sent to the graveyard from my deck, hand or field I draw one card." Three extra cards left his deck and were added to his hand.

Rysel continued to smile calmly, not worried very much. "Borui-kun, you are in grave error if you think that we will be defeated by any strategy you might be running. I am quite confident in my skills at this game, and the dear lady is the combination of five skilled duelists. You are at a disadvantage."

"Am I really?" The Vengeance inserted a card into his disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Ancient Gear Castle." A giant castle with numerous very old-fashioned armaments sticking out of it appeared on his field behind him. "While this card is in play whenever a monster is normal summoned or set a counter is added to this card. Also the attack of all Ancient Gear named monsters is increased by 300 points."

"Ancient Gears?" Soul Savior sweat-dropped. ("This is his big strategy? Well…it's…") She wasn't sure whether to laugh or not yet. Ichigo had memories of being told about this type of deck from Judai-sensei. According to common consensus it was rather slow, but it also possessed amazing power.

"I summon Ancient Gear Soldier." A half-destroyed humanoid machine holding a machine gun of similar design appeared on the Vengeance's field. (1600/1300) "From my hand I activate the magic card Ancient Gear Drill."

"Another Ancient Gear card, huh?" Soul Savior still was trying her hardest not to laugh. This was not what she had expected in two ways now. First was the challenge to a duel, and second was the type of deck her opponent was playing.

Borui inserted a card from his hand into his graveyard. "At the cost of one card from my hand I set one magic card from my deck onto my field." A card appeared face-down on his field. "This card cannot be activated during this turn. Also, I place two cards face-down on my field and end my turn."

Rysel slid the top card off of his deck, smiling widely. ("We cannot attack during this turn, but it doesn't matter.") "From my hand I activate the magic card Blood of Hephaestus. With this card's power I shall summon my Blood God from my hand to the field." A giant bloody centipede appeared on his field and screeched angrily. (3000/2000) "From my hand I discard one card to activate my monster's effect." Blood God opened its jaws and blasted Borui with an explosion of crimson mist. "Now you shall take the attack of my Blood God in life point damage."

Borui- 1000

Rysel- 4000

Soul Savior- 4000

Soul Savior whistled in amazement. "Wow, we aren't even allowed to attack yet and you nearly finished his life points off right there."

"Indeed, I am quite l33t, am I not?" The Blood Prince held up a magic card. "And now I give you a gift, Borui-kun. From my hand I activate the magic card Gem of Ancient Restoration. You gain 4000 life points."

Borui- 5000

Rysel- 4000

Soul Savior- 4000

"And then from my graveyard the trap I discarded activates." Rysel held up the card he had discarded with the effect of Blood God. "Blood Fountain triggers when you gain life points. By removing it from my graveyard I may draw one card for every 1000 points of life you gained." He drew four cards from his deck and added them to his hand. "I place two cards face-down and end my turn." A pair of cards appeared behind his Blood God, which hissed in aggravation at the V3.

Soul Savior slid the top card off of her deck and added it to her hand. Then she threw another card onto her disk and a blast of rainbow light exploded out of her field, a giant rainbow-feathered falcon erupting into the sky and coming to a slow glide onto her field. "I summon Rainbow Falcon in attack mode." (1800/1300)

Another card appeared on her field behind her monster. "I activate the magic card Dimension Feather. One removed from the game card is returned to its owner's graveyard and I gain 500 life points. I choose Rysel's Blood Fountain." A white glow fell around her body.

Borui- 5000

Rysel- 4000

Soul Savior- 4500

Rysel blinked at the girl. ("Interesting…a life gain deck? Is this the ultimate power of the Infinites when converted to this game?")

The rainbow-haired Savior pointed at Borui. "The effect of my Rainbow Falcon activates now! When I gain life points and it is face-up in play I may choose to send one magic or trap card in play back to its owner's hand." A rainbow wind erupted around the Ancient Gear Castle and it disappeared. "Also I place one card face-down and end my turn."

The giant Vengeance drew and added the card to his hand. ("These two are underestimating the power of my deck. I suppose I'll have to show them then…just how powerful my deck really is.") "I open the set card on my field which I placed last turn with Ancient Gear Drill." His face-down card flipped up to reveal Graceful Charity. "I draw three cards and discard two."

Both of his opponents got ready. They knew he was going to attack.

"From my hand I activate Ancient Gear Castle." The giant structure appeared once more on Borui's field. "And then…" One of his two set cards flipped up. "The continuous trap card Ultimate Offering allows me to pay 500 life points to perform an extra normal summon for the turn." His two Fluffy Tokens disappeared. "I offer these two creatures as sacrifices to summon Ancient Gear Golem!" A huge half-destroyed humanoid made of ancient metals appeared on his field. (3300/3000)

"3300?" Rysel chuckled. "I see. That is quite impressive Borui-kun."

"I am far from done." The Vengeance was surrounded by a red glow. "At the cost of 500 life points Ultimate Offering activates now!" Another Ancient Gear Soldier appeared on his field. (1600/1300) "And once more, but this time I'll be sacrificing my two counter Ancient Gear Castle in place of two sacrifices to summon another Ancient Gear Golem from my hand to the field!" (3000/3000) (3000/3000) (1300/1300) (1300/1300) A new titanic metal humanoid appeared on his field in place of the structure. "And now I attack."

Both Soul Savior and Rysel smiled slightly. They were ready to activate their set traps to protect themselves…so when the two Gear Golems slammed into their monsters they were thrown completely off guard. "What?"

"Perhaps I did not mention it, but I suppose I'll tell you now." Borui motioned to his set card. "I activate the power of Aqua Chorus first. Every monster on my field gains 500 attack points for every monster of the same name as itself on my field. Therefore…" (3500/3000)x2 (1800/1300)x2

The first Golem punched the Blood God in half in one strike, shattering it and sending a powerful shockwave across Rysel's field. The second crushed the Rainbow Falcon in one hit as well, striking Soul Savior with a similar strength shockwave. "Ancient Gear Golem and Gear Soldier, when they attack, cannot have magic or trap cards chained to their attacks."

Borui- 4000

Rysel- 3500

Soul Savior- 3300

Rysel pointed at one of his set cards. "I reveal Blood of Demetir. At this time all players may discard cards from their hands. For every card discarded they gain 500 life points." He discarded one card at the same time as Soul Savior.

Borui- 4000

Rysel- 4000

Soul Savior- 3800

"That was a very good tactic." The Vengeance pointed at the two of them. "Thanks to that I am unable to destroy either of you with the two attacks of my soldiers. However, I'll be sure to cripple you, Prince Rysel!" The two Ancient Gear Soldiers opened fire together, pounding Rysel's field with explosive blasts.

Borui- 4000

Rysel- 400

Soul Savior- 3800

"I place one card face-down and end my turn." Borui nodded slightly to Rysel. "It's your turn, Prince."

"Draw!" Rysel added the card to his hand and slid a card from his hand into his duel disk. "I activate the magic card Blood of Erebus. By discarding one card from my hand I will set one trap card from my deck face-down on my field." A card appeared set on his field.

"I summon Blood Owl in defense mode." A crimson-feathered owl appeared on his field atop a card. (300/1500) "Whenever my opponent takes effect damage I special summon one Blood Owl Token to your field. This token, when destroyed, deals you 400 points of damage, as well it cannot be sacrificed. Also I activate the magic card Blood of Metis, which lets me send one magic or trap card on my field to the field of a different player." A card appeared on Soul Savior's field. "End turn."

Soul Savior glanced at the Blood Prince, who was still smiling calmly despite how much life point damage he had taken. ("What's the matter with him? Doesn't he realize that…") She glanced at the card in her duel disk next. ("I wonder what it is.")

"Draw!" The drawn card was thrown onto her disk and an owl with rainbow feathers appeared on her field. "I summon Rainbow Owl in defense mode." (300/1500) "Every time I, or in this case my partner, gain life points I may draw one card from my deck." A magic card appeared on her field. "I activate Healing Salve. This card lets me draw one card to give 2000 life points to one duelist in play."

Borui- 4000

Rysel- 2400

Soul Savior- 3800

Rysel pulled one card off of his deck and added it to his hand.

She drew a card from her deck because of the effect of Rainbow Owl and then tossed a card into her disk. "I activate Feather of the Swan. This magic card lets me discard one card from my hand to make one magic card in my deck the top card of my deck." A glow of white fell around her. "And then the effect of Feather of the Swan is that I gain 1000 life points, so I draw the card I placed on top of my deck."

Borui- 4000

Rysel- 2400

Soul Savior- 4800

She held up her drawn card. "I activate the magic card Feather of the Sparrow. One duelist is selected and if they have a magic or trap card in their hand they set it face-down on their field. I select Rysel. Also when this effect completes I gain 600 life points." She drew another card and held it up. "I activate the magic card Feather of the Owl. When Rainbow Owl is on my field I draw two cards." Pulling two more cards off of her deck, she slammed them both into her disk. "I set two cards face-down. End turn."

Borui snapped the top card off of his deck. "In this turn I will destroy you both!"

"O RLY?" Rysel smiled and one of his two face-down cards flipped up. "I activate the trap card of the same name, on that note. O RLY? activates when there is at least one winged beast type monster on the field. If there is another winged beast on the field of a different player and they have a certain trap card on their field then it activates now. Also if the winged beast on my field has the word Owl in its title then during this turn for every card sent to my graveyard I gain 300 life points."

Soul Savior grinned childishly. "Reveal YA RLY!" The card she had been given by Rysel flipped up. "This trap card, when activated by the effect of O RLY, then allows the player that activated O RLY? to activate NO WAI on their field. Also if I have a monster on my field that has Owl in its title then during this turn for every card that goes to my graveyard the player that activated O RLY? may deal 400 points of damage to one player."

Borui's eye moved over to look at Rysel's field. "Are you mocking me?"

"NO WAI!" Rysel held up the other trap card from his field. "This card can only be activated by the effect of YA RLY. All cards in play and in our hands except for cards with Owl in their title are sent to the graveyard!" A violent blast of power shook the inside of the orb and almost immediately everything but Rysel's and Soul Savior's owls disappeared. "I lost two cards to the graveyard, so I gain 600 life points. Also, the dear lady has lost four cards total, so you lose 1600 life points."

Borui- 2400

Rysel- 3000

Soul Savior- 4800

"Also," The Blood Prince smiled as four copies of his owl appeared on Borui's field. "Because you took four different instances of effect damage, here are your Blood Owl Tokens, sir." (0/0)x4

Borui dropped to one knee and growled quietly, smoke rising from his body. ("Impossible…my entire field was utterly demolished.")

Rysel drew. "I activate the magic card Pot of Greed." He drew two cards and pointed at his owl, which disappeared within a pillar of crimson light. "And now it's time to end this. I offer my Owl to summon Blood Beetle." A giant crimson beetle appeared on Rysel's field. (2400/2200) "And now to pwn the n00b. From my hand I activate Blood-Stained Vision. I select one Blood monster on my field and during this turn it attacks all monsters on the opponent's field, however it can be my only attacking monster during this battle phase!"

The beetle charged across the field and bit down on each of the Blood Owl Tokens with its teeth, shattering them one by one. "For every one destroyed you lose 400 life points, and every time Blood Beetle destroys a monster as a result of battle you lose 300 life points! You lose, good day sir!"

Borui- 0

Rysel- 3000

Soul Savior- 4800

The crimson bubble collapsed and Rysel sighed loudly. "My dear brother was always such a bad bluff. V3 indeed…that thing's skill level is already zero and its power, while perhaps impressive at a first glance, might as well be zero." He turned and smiled, bowing to Soul Savior. "Thank you for assisting me regardless, milady Savior."

Soul Savior rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "There's no need for thanks. We're allies, right?"

Rysel nodded sagely. "Indeed, we are truly the ultimate team-up." He noticed that the people inside the lobby were shouting something. "Oh yes, that's…" Then he disappeared as Borui tackled him full force, the two becoming a pair of crimson blurs that disappeared into the lobby of the building and then through wall after wall at an insane pace.

"Rysel!" Soul Savior was about to leap towards the path of destruction to come to the Blood Prince's aid, when suddenly she disappeared and left a very confused group of Saviors that fell to their butts instantly.

"…." Valor sighed. "This is why I wish we could actually talk to her. I would have warned her about the time limit."

"It doesn't matter!" Starlight Savior leapt to her feet. "Let's do it once more! It's time to summon Soul Savior!" They nodded and she summoned up her powers once more. "Awaken Gemini, Soul of Hope!"

They all stood alongside her…and blinked a few times in confusion. Why weren't they combining?

Starlight twitched a couple of times. "Don't tell me…"

Vortex groaned loudly. "That it has…"

Fantasy pouted unhappily. "Got a recharge time? Awww, that stinks."

"Stink isn't exactly the word I was thinking of," Guardian muttered. "I'd prefer to use something like…oh…stupid."

Then a blur of crimson flew out of the blast zone that the lobby had turned into, headed right towards all of them.

"Split up!" Starlight Savior didn't move while the others leapt to both the left and right to run away. Sure enough, the blur flew directly at her…and then hit nothing but air as she used Capricorn to teleport out of the way of the charging Borui.

Borui slid to a stop and roared loudly. "I'll kill you all!" He turned on one heel and charged towards Starlight again. "You're my first target! Die, Savior!" His fist rocketed in towards her at incredible speeds, along with the rest of him…but was stopped when it hit a barrier of yellow light.

Starlight was about to smile, but then her stomach was in her feet as the bubble of yellow light around her was hurtled full speed into the DMWC stadium, leaving a crater in the wall and for a moment fading away before it picked up full force once more. And then she was under assault as the Vengeance appeared in front of her, pounding away at the barrier with anger that only something truly enraged could accomplish.

From the other end of the small plaza Guardian Savior dropped to her knees and let out a weak gasp of pain. "I…I can't keep a guard up much longer…"

"You won't have to." Valor Savior frowned at the fact that he was in a position where he was going to have to rely on that attack. "Vortex, I need you to prepare to restrict that thing's movements. Fantasy, tell Starlight that I need her to buy me time and then wait for my signal."

Then he ran over to an end of the plaza where his direct line of sight didn't have anywhere populated in it. Holding his hands in line with each other, he exhaled and began concentrating. ("I have to use this attack properly. We've already seen that our normal attacks don't have any effect on him.") It was going to take something extraordinary to pierce that thing's steel hide.

Starlight, though guarded by the shield, was getting so badly rattled inside it that she couldn't find her center of gravity anymore. ("If those strikes are breaking down the shields that Eri brought up then there's no chance I'll be able to take even one of those hits directly to my armor.") Then her eyes widened as an explosion of pink light went off on Borui's back. "Fantasy, don't get close to him!"

The Vengeance tried to backhand the female Savior but hit nothing but air as she landed on his head and then vaulted up to one of the overhangs of the stadium. "Valor says to buy him some time!"

"Buy him some time? Against this thing?" Starlight looked panicked for a moment, and then smiled just a little crazily. "Sure, let's give it a shot." ("Of course I can only take one or two hits more from this thing, so I'll need to use a long range weapon type.") A grin crossed her face and she rolled under the next incoming blow, already forming the weapon in her grasp. ("Sagittarius, Taurus, and Leo…all of my long-range powers in one.") **"Awaken Star Blaster!"** Then she turned to face the creature just as it punched her full strength with an uppercut, hurling her dozens of feet high into the air as it shook her waning barrier.

"Thanks for the lift, let me return the favor!" A heavy hand cannon made of dark blue crystal formed in her grasp, which she immediately aimed down at Borui's head. **"Stream of Stars!"**

The Vengeance roared in confusion and anger as he was buried beneath a raging torrent of dark blue energy that pushed him into a deepening crater that had formed in the ground. "I will…" Borui was forced to bring his arms up above his head to try and ward off the painful energy blast that was burning him.

Starlight felt the built up energy wane, and she dropped out of the sky. "Valor, if you're ready now's your best chance!"

The dark-haired Savior nodded and lifted up the pulsing bead of still-gathering light in between his hands. ("It's now or never!") **"Alpha Comet!"** The bead exploded forwards, transforming into a pulsing spear of dark green energy that hurtled towards Borui's back at maximum speed. "Now Vortex!"

"**Doom Mire!"** The other dark-haired Savior stabbed his hands into the ground and the stone under the Vengeance's feet turned to black slime that latched onto his legs.

Borui roared at the top of his lungs and turned just enough to face the incoming spear of dark green light. And then it crashed into his chest right where someone's heart would be, sending his back arching from the force as it dug into his flesh and started to pierce through him.

"And now for the kill!" Starlight already had the songblade in her grasp, falling down towards the creature's exposed back. **"Infinite Starlight…"**

Valor's eyes widened as he realized what had happened… "Wait! Starlight, stop!"

"It's too late…" Legs easily pulling free of the mire, Borui turned on one heel and punched behind him and up in the air. His fist crashed right through the yellow barrier and struck the heroine's stomach roughly, the sound of a gunshot echoing across the plaza as a hole exploded out of Starlight Savior's back and she was sent flying backwards into one of the walls of the Stadium, skidding down its slightly sloped surface and leaving a bloody streak the whole way down.

Eyes wide, the heroine coughed up a few gobs of blood as her brain caught up to the fact that there was now a huge hole straight through her midsection. ("I don't believe it…in just one hit?") Then the pain came with the blow and she passed out instantly.

Amidst the deathly silence that hung over the scene of total destruction, Borui turned slowly to look at the four other Saviors. "All of you seem to be taking what Prince Rysel said to heart...about my strength and skill not being near his. He was only half right…"

Then he was swallowed up in his own released aura of crimson power. "I am stronger than the prince could ever hope to be. That is all I have…and all I need. Now then, let me show you just what my strength truly means!" His hands clapped together, creating an echoing shockwave which flew outwards in all directions and shaved away a few inches from the ground it touched at first, but it nearly instantly changed into a roiling wave of power that moved out in all directions along the ground.

"Guardian, the lobby…" Then Valor and the others were blown away as the wall of sound-waves struck them full force, throwing the four of them within a pulsing and gathering wall of dust and vibrations.

As the power of his attack cleared, Borui slowly turned to look at the yellow barrier surrounding the lobby of the DMWC Stadium. "So you managed to protect the humans inside, huh? It doesn't matter. I wonder how many of you I killed with that one…" He turned to look at the rubble which was all that was left of most of the surrounding buildings.

His attack had instantly turned what had been a city street into something more like a war zone, an area covered with halves of buildings and debris. "I know that I didn't kill all of you yet. It's only a matter of time though, Saviors. Killing Prince Rysel is very difficult, even for me, so I simply disabled him for the time being. There is no help coming for you. In this world you might be heroes, but compared to me you're five posturing fools with not enough sense to accomplish anything beyond making me mad."

One of his hands brushed the dent in his armor where Valor's comet had hit. "Even this, an attack you had made specifically for piercing my heavy armor, failed. Just like all your other attacks will fail." Then he started forwards towards the general direction where the four remaining heroes would have been blown. "Let the hunt begin, my little rabbits."

The sound of footsteps suddenly filled the silence of the seemingly dead section of Tokyo. "Your hunt has been postponed. Now that I know for sure what you are supposed to be, I understand that I have to kill you on my own."

Borui turned to look at the single being approaching him. "I'm surprised you can still stand. After all, there is a hole in your stomach."

"Yeah…I know." Starlight Savior felt the dark blue crystal covering both sections of the wound pulse as her armor tried to restrict her movements while it healed her. "However, this is the end. In this moment one of us has to fall, because as long as you survive on this planet's surface humanity will not be able to experience rest."

"And just what will you do about it?" The titanic Vengeance pounded his fists together. "I can crush you like an ant in one hit, and your toys can't penetrate my armor. What will you do?"

A dark blue aura flared to life around her body. "I'll cut right through that armor of yours in one hit. I'll end it right now or die trying. Awaken now, sleeping Scorpio…awaken and give me your power! I don't request it this time, I demand it!"

"What will demanding anything out of your powers do for you?"

"**Awaken Scorpio..."** A flower of dark blue crystal appeared in her grasp. **"Soul of Parting."** The crystal expanded outwards rapidly, forming into a body-tall ridged blade. "This is the end, one way or another!" Her hands wrapped around the incredibly long handle of the sword, bringing it up to rest on her shoulder. However, when it landed on her shoulder she was nearly forced down to her knees from the impossible weight of the weapon. ("Is this why you wouldn't let me summon you before? Was it because of the sheer power you possessed?")

"Then come, come and fight me with your heavy-looking toy. It looks like you can barely stand with it in your grasp." Borui cracked his knuckles roughly and charged towards the stumbling Savior at full speed. Suddenly something shot right into his single crimson eye, leaving him stumbling around and screaming in pain as he was blinded.

"Huh?" Starlight Savior's eyes widened as she heard a familiar guitar string being plucked, the sound echoing across the ruined plaza. "That sound…it could only be…"

"_On such a beautiful night it is better to enjoy the fruits of romance than the spoils of war, wouldn't you say Starlight?"_ Atop a partially toppled metal pole stood a single form, a guitar held in his arms and a cape blowing out behind him as the moon framed his body. _"Riding the winds of passion and music, I am the everlasting bard of wonder and delight. My name is El Mariachi Verdadero, pleasure to meet you all."_ He tipped his hat and bowed slightly.

"Damn it, you bastards!" Borui stumbled about, swinging wildly and creating shockwaves with every object or damaged structure he hit. "How dare you attack my eyes, you cowards!"

"Cowards?" Starlight frowned and stabbed the heavy blade of Scorpio into the ground, watching it nearly sink all the way to the handle from that tiny amount of effort alone. "You're not one to talk!"

"You would dare to call me a coward?" The Vengeance roared in anger, trying to use his dull hearing to locate a target.

"Of course!" She shouted. "You would dare come here, amongst hundreds of innocent people, and cause this kind of destruction? Regardless of your power, you are a coward for endangering all these peoples' lives!"

"What will you do about it? You can't even carry your sword, and you can't possibly match my strength, woman!" Borui punched the ground full strength with one fist and cracked the earth in front of him violently. "Do you still think that you can possibly win, when there is no chance of success in the first place?"

"Yes!" Starlight declared loudly. "I might be lacking in overall strength, unlike you…but that doesn't matter!" She grabbed the handle of the heavy sword with both hands and pulled with all of her might, managing to just barely pull the weapon out of the earth. "Everyone's lives ride on my shoulders! If even one person dies because of you then it's my fault! Despite the odds, despite the difference in strength, and despite the fact I cannot carry this sword properly, I will defeat you in this one hit!"

"What are one or two human lives? Do you really care that much about them? If that's the case then this war will be the end for your sanity! I am far from the strongest amongst of Empire, and if you think you can emerge without even one casualty then you are truly insane!" Borui howled at the top of his lungs, prying the guitar pick free from his eye and feeling the wounded organ slowly repair.

The heroine closed her eyes, the crystal blade that she was barely holding up shuddering and changing as she manipulated it with her will. "You're my nightmare embodied, a creature that cannot be defeated by the Saviors…but that's fine! I've conquered personal nightmares far scarier than you! **Awaken Aries and Taurus!**"

The weapon exploded outwards, gaining a much more curved shape near the top of the blade, the crossguard, and the handle. Now it was like some kind of giant bird wing, the inner ridges of the crystal reflecting that look perfectly. The icing on the cake through was the bristling light blue crystal 'feathers' that lined the blunt section of the blade. **"**This is the most powerful weapon I can produce, the sword of the Celestial Navigator, the Wing of Cryox! It is the ultimate weapon, my ultimate power, and the ultimate creation of my dreams!"

Borui lowered his one hand to reveal his eye, now fully repaired. "You fool; you've made it even longer! How can you possible carry it, much less finish me in one blow?"

"I will do it because my friends are watching! I will do it because we represent the only defense this world has against you! I will do it because the hero never loses!" She somehow hefted the weapon up to her shoulder, nearly dislocating the appendage in the process. "And finally I will do it because you cannot scare me anymore, my living nightmare! If you are my nightmare, then this is my dream, and if this is my dream then I will not lose here!"

Her aura flared up and the ridged feathers of the winged blade started to blow in the wind of her aura, her hands grasping the handle of the mighty weapon as she stumbled forward at a rather slow rate. "This world is supposed to be beautiful and peaceful, and yet you bring your darkness and violence here in the hope to finish things started by evils long ago! I will not forgive you for that!"

-------------------------

Nightmare in Mizuki's form jerked back in shock and grabbed her head, eyes wide as they could go. ("Impossible! How can I be the one being forced out! You're not even conscious!")

Mizuki's voiced echoed in her mind. ("Ichigo-san was right about what he said. I could feel it, and hear it, even though you made me sleep. You're my personal nightmare, and I intend to squash that! I can't finish you off yet, because I still have my fears, but I'm not afraid of my own sexuality! What does that matter in the face of the desire to protect others?")

Nightmare screamed, and the other members of Team Virtue jerked around in time to be blown back by a blast of dark force from Mizuki as her body distorted, changing into Nightmare's physical form. "You can't stop me now! It's my body now!"

("You're wrong! This was never your body; this was always just a false image coated over my own body! And I'm not giving up myself to you without a fight when someone like Ichigo-san is willing to throw his life into protecting the lives of others! If he can do it, then I can do the same!") A silver helix of power erupted from Nightmare's body, and her eyes began to change color, shifting from blue to green.

The dark duelist screamed even louder, her fingers digging into her head as her hair pulled into her scalp and her body began to shrink down. "This isn't the end Mizuki, the moment you cannot control your fear I'll return and I'll have your life for myself, and destroy it utterly!"

Mizuki's body now stood in Nightmare's place, still wearing the gothic outfit that Masami had made for her. The silver helix of light swirled around her and then burst outwards, fading away. "Maybe you still exist, but I have no intention of just sitting around waiting for fear to overtake me. I'm going to give it my all, just like Ichigo-san!"

It was as if she could feel Ichigo's burning determination to protect others within her, and it gave her hope that there could be success against even the darkest and most powerful of opponents such as Borui and Nightmare. "Ichigo-san, do your best! Even from here, I'll fight with you as best I can!"

Time seemed to slow down in the arena as her green eyes became shining emeralds of light. "Ichigo-san, all my hopes and dreams, I'm sending them to you on wings of prayer! Win! I believe in you!"

-------------------------

Borui charged full speed towards her, his muscles bulging as a crimson aura sprang to life around him. "Even a child could see that your sword won't even touch me!"

("He's right…") Starlight Savior knew she wasn't even going to get the chance to swing the weapon once. It was so heavy all she could do was slowly jog towards him, while he was charging at her like a freight train. ("I will not back down though! Stubborn or no, I will not die here regardless of what the odds are! Obey this one time, Scorpio! Let me get that one strike!")

The Vengeance wound up to punch…and then found himself hurtling backwards head over heels as a shimmering mirror-like portal opened in the air directly in front of him, blocking him just as solidly as if he had hit a steel wall.

Starlight slid to a stop and stared at the pulsing mirror for a few moments, eyes wide in confusion. "What…in the…"

"_The Mirror Gate has been summoned to this world!"_ An echoing voice yelled out loudly. _"Savior, it is the divine power of the dimensions! However, it will only respond to those who are the same as the one who summoned it!"_

("It will only respond to those who are the same as the one who summoned it?") The heroine stared at the gate…and then bent at the knees, despite the painful strain the Wing of Cryox was placing on her just from sitting on her shoulder. "I have no idea what that means, but I get what I'm supposed to do!"

The mirror-like surface of the portal became clear, Borui visible through it and looking confused. "Apparently you can't see me on this side, so let me come on over!"

Her arm arched and the feathers of her sword straightened perfectly as she launched like a missile, using all of her remaining power to propel herself forward. ("If I'm wrong then I'll be flying head-first into a wall, but if I'm right…")

"What kind of interference is this? Mirror Gate, what exactly…" His single eye blinked once in surprise as a silver blur of light exploded through what had seemed to be a solid mirror in the middle of the air.

With her armor, sword, and hair now colored pure silver, Starlight Savior yelled out and snapped the massive sword above her head, the inertia from her jump carrying her straight towards the massive Vengeance. **"Zephyr of Starlit Hope!**" Then the blade fell, sending a roaring crescent of silver and blue light over the body of Borui.

The V3 shuddered, single eye wide in confusion…

Starlight landed down kneeling about ten feet from the Vengeance; sword resting over her shoulders once more and eyes closed.

"This cannot be possible. If I am of your nightmares…then why aren't you afraid of me?" A widening series of slashes appeared along the creature's body, and his eye slowly faded away as his strength disappeared because of the overwhelming power of the strike. "Didn't you learn that you are supposed to be afraid of your nightmares?"

"It's because I'm a hero." She said quietly, silver eyes opening to reflect the fearlessness that was now there. "Heroes cannot afford to be afraid of the enemy. They are the ones that people look up to, and the ones that people come to for hope. That is what my lesson to you is, Borui."

"**Good…shot…"** The giant Vengeance slowly fell backwards, and when his back touched the ground he disappeared within a massive explosion of crimson smoke and fire that shot high into the sky.

"And that lesson…" The silver coloring slowly faded from Starlight's body. "…is the power of a hero. Remember it well." Then she fainted, collapsing face-first to the ground as the Wing of Cryox shattered behind her.

_To be continued…_


	103. Unseen Connections

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 103: Connections Unseen

"_And it is most assured,"_ Halo said into the gathered microphones in front of him, _"That my company and the others will be working around the clock to assist in the repair from the damage deal to Tokyo."_

"_Mister Halo,"_ Yelled one reporter near the back of the impromptu press room made of tarps and stakes. _"What about the Saviors? Shouldn't they be held responsible for all of this damage?"_

"_Most certainly not,"_ The night-haired boy said, adjusting his tie. _"I would like to thank the Saviors from the bottom of my heart for what they did. At great risk to themselves they went full force against the monsters that attacked this peaceful city. If not for them hundreds, if not thousands, of people would be dead right now. Thanks to their assistance we avoided even one casualty from this incident. Please, ladies and gentlemen, keep that in mind the next time you see them. They're heroes fighting dangerous enemies, and nothing more or less."_

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The monitor flickered off and Nikolai sat back against the couch, his hands laced together as he went deep into thought for a moment. "So let us review…there was an outbreak of Vengeances across the whole of Tokyo. And leading them was a creature apparently possessing more raw power than Rysel, correct?"

Chris, Adriel and Eri all nodded, the last of the three keeping her ears open in case anyone in the house were to wake up at this time in the morning and come downstairs. It was very cold outside and therefore the living room was the best place to talk in private.

"And then," He stood up and walked over to the giant monitor, pressing a button on the remote and bringing up something recorded from last night's news broadcast.

---------

_With her armor, sword, and hair now colored pure silver, Starlight Savior yelled out and snapped the massive sword above her head, the inertia from her jump carrying her straight towards the massive Vengeance. **"Zephyr of Starlit Hope!**" Then the blade fell, sending a roaring crescent of silver and blue light over the body of Borui._

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"A mirror-like hole appeared in the sky. When Starlight Savior passed through it she was temporarily empowered to the point that she easily defeated Borui with one attack." The Russian crossed his arms across his chest in frustration. "What does it mean? Where did this Mirror Gate come from?"

"Should we really be that worried that it showed up to help us?" Chris asked this honestly, because she didn't see a problem. "Why should we look a gift horse in the mouth?"

"We are not," Nikolai replied. "However you must excuse me if I don't drop to my knees and pray to this mysterious portal just because it has arrived to save the day."

"Who says it isn't part of Starlight's abilities?" All of them sighed loudly right after Eri had said it, realizing if it had been part of the heroine's abilities it wouldn't have been silver in color. And even if that was the case they wouldn't find out until Ichigo had woken up.

Adriel stood up and started pacing across the room slowly. "I'm more surprised by that attack she used. Zephyr of Starlit Hope…just the way it looked was like some kind of beautiful strike from the heavens. And that sword, the Wing of Cryox, was amazing too. What's a Cryox anyway?"

"According to Illustrious," Nikolai said, "It is some kind of giant space bird that is said to lead wayward ships back to their ports. It's a kind of guardian of travelers, or so he says. Another nickname for it is the Celestial Navigator."

"I can understand the wind part of the attack, Zephyr, but what about the Hope part?" Adriel sighed loudly. "Is it just something to do with the fact that the Cryox is a bird of hope to travelers?"

"Perhaps," A voice not belonging to any of the four said, "Not too many things are different. Just like they are in my dimension, heroes here seem to be naturally stupid."

Adriel, Chris, and Eri all froze, and then turned to look at Harrison, who had been casually seated just out of sight around the corner before he had slid into view.

Nikolai frowned deeply. "How much have you heard?"

"I've heard enough to confirm my suspicions. Good luck finding the origin of your mystery portal, heroes." The white-haired boy walked off to take a stroll outside, having no desire to explain what he had already figured out. ("Hope? It is obvious then what the source of the gate was…but that still leaves quite a few questions unanswered. For one, I heard the voice say that only those who were the same as the Summoner could pass through it. Therefore…who is Starlight Savior and how is she related to the source of the Mirror Gate? I must find out what that mysterious power was.")

Back in the living room Chris sweatdropped. "We're really bad with this secret identity thing, aren't we?"

"Oh yeah, we suck at it…" Adriel sighed and walked off towards the kitchen. "Whatever though, since we didn't much sleep I'm off to get breakfast." Then he stopped in front of the kitchen entryway. "Oh by Bahamut's scales, what in the nine hells is she doing here?"

"Hiya, grouchy Black Dragon rival person!" Alahandra shouted enthusiastically, waving to the infuriated half dragon demon. "As you can see, I'm just preparing a victory breakfast for my team! After all, they did amazingly well last night in the tournament!"

Chris poked her head past Adriel and nearly face-fell by the absolutely massive buffet-like breakfast lined up at one of the kitchen's largest tables. "That's not a breakfast, that's a bloody banquet!"

Adriel quickly got over his shock and started walking towards the large table, licking his lips in anticipation. "Thank you for the food!" Then he cried out as he got hit across the head with a frying pan. "What was that for?"

"I said that this victory breakfast is for my team," The golden-haired half demon barked out, glaring at Adriel. "At what point were you part of my team, hmm?"

Rubbing his now very sore nose, Adriel glared at the girl. "You're serious? Oh come on, don't we deserve just a little bit of the food?"

"Of course not," Alahandra said, waving one finger in the air chidingly. "If that was the case then I would have said I had made breakfast for everyone, now wouldn't I?" She turned her back to a now very red-faced Adriel. "That's very rude of you, Adriel-kun. Shouldn't you apologize?"

"How about I…" The half dragon demon froze, feeling every muscle in his body lock up.

"How about you what, Zaytel?" Halo asked, stepping past Adriel coldly before releasing his magical hold on the boy's muscles. "Alahandra, it was very nice of you to make breakfast for your team. I'm sure they will enjoy it immensely." He patted her on the head and she grinned happily. "And if you will excuse the intrusion, I will be helping…" Then he was silenced as he took a frying pan right to the face.

"What part of 'for my team' did you not understand?" The golden-haired girl asked innocently.

"…." Halo stepped back, apparently unaffected by the blow to the face as it didn't even show that it had happened to him. "I will not take this insolence. I have not slept yet and I am quite hungry for nourishment. Now let me get something to eat."

"No! This is all for the members of my team! And I'm not done with the kitchen yet, now go away!" Alahandra stomped back to the actual kitchen section of the room and returned to her cooking.

"It is extremely pointless that you would deny me food because…" Halo was suddenly forced to bow his head as a very widely grinning Masami vaulted off of his skull with one hand and landed in the kitchen. "….Mister Morioka, would you care to explain before I disintegrate the arm that touched me?"

Masami turned and blinked at the night-haired boy in surprise. "Oh, I thought you were Ichigo. Sorry." Then he turned and grinned to the cook. "Good morning, Alahandra-chan!"

"Good morning, Masami-sama!" The golden-haired girl smiled sweetly. "Help yourself to some breakfast!"

"What?" shouted the others that were gathered at the entryway. "Why does he get food?"

"Because he's part of my team," Alahandra said, smiling to Masami as he piled a plate high with a large variety of different foods, most of them eastern in nature. "Didn't you know that every team can have up to three reserve members?"

Masami plopped down in plain sight of everyone else and started chowing down. "Yup, and I'm glad to be a member of both Team Halo and Team Virtue. It's a true honor…an honor that comes with free breakfasts cooked by a cute girl. How can I lose?"

Halo turned his head to glare at the lighter-haired girl. "And just who are the other two members of your reserve?"

"Let's see…" Alahandra smiled. "Well, there's Ichigo and…" Her smile turned into a sly grin. "I won't tell you until you tell me who your mystery thirteenth member is."

The night-haired businessman adjusted his tie. "I am not at liberty to disclose that information, unfortunately…" He turned and walked over to a small white box hooked up to the wall in the hallway. "However, you have placed me in quite a predicament. I cannot let the members of my team go hungry this morning, and yet you will not feed them despite the obvious abundance of food you are preparing. Therefore…" He opened the box and pressed a single button, leaning towards the wall and clearing his throat.

----------------------------

Shiro rolled over on his side, drool dripping from his slightly open mouth as he grasped his pillow tightly and dreamt of whatever things someone like him would dream about…

A loud click echoed across the room and a very loud chorus of trumpets filled the room, and subsequently, Shiro's ears as well. "AHH! We're under attack!" He fell out of bed and brought his pillow over his head defensively. "It wasn't my fault Mizuki, I…" Then he realized he was alone in the room.

Sitting up tiredly, he looked at the clock on the wall and twitched at what it read. "It's 5:00 in the morning! Even for a practical joke this is crossing a line!"

"_Good morning,"_ Halo's cold voice echoed from the speakers through every room in the house. _"Members of Team Virtue and Halo, you can blame the early wake-up call on the dear team manager of Team Virtue. She has decided to make a lovely breakfast for all of the members of her team, which is a very touching thing to do. Such a thing has warmed my heart, so to speak."_

If Halo's heart could be considered warmed according to the tone of his voice, then Shiro was afraid to hear what he sounded like when he was angry. _"As such I have decided to take all of the members of my team, excluding certain members of my group that also have stakes in Team Virtue, back to my personal housing development for a special breakfast of their choosing upon arrival. Would all members of Team Halo please assemble downstairs in the next five minutes, because otherwise you will not be eating this morning?"_

The speaker clicked off and Shiro collapsed back in bed, ready to return the land of sweet dreams. "That guy's got a weird sense of charity."

Suddenly the speaker clicked on again. _"Oh yes, and in case the dear members of Team Virtue feel that they will be allowed to sleep in a bit longer…"_ The chorus of trumpets started up again at a blaring volume. _"I have locked the intercom to play this sound loop until 8:00 rolls around, have a pleasant morning and be sure to thank…"_ The sound of something metal hitting flesh could be heard very close to the intercom at that moment, and it seemed to grow more frantic as Halo continued talking, unabated by the fact that Alahandra was unleashing frying pan justice on his energy-shielded skull. _"…your dear hostess for denying me nourishment. I am a firm believer in absolute revenge."_ Then the speaker returned to its blaring content.

"….or he's an even bigger jerk than Harrison," The green-haired boy muttered as he made a frantic dash to get dressed so he could get away from the horribly loud sound that was flooding his room.

---------------------------

Ichigo re-sheathed his katana and kicked the now disconnected speaker on the floor he had pried out of the wall and dismantled with near god-like speed. ("I'm not paying for the damages, just so you know.")

_("Actually I commend you on probably being the only one who thought to immediately respond in such a way,")_ The enforcer replied through their thought-link.

Smirking proudly to himself, the half demon did a couple of stretches and felt the burn of his muscles being pulled as he went through his normal morning exercises. It was especially good to do them now, because after last night he had remembered very little except that as soon as his armor had finished healing him it returned him to normal and the others had brought him straight home and to bed almost immediately. And because of how rough it had been last night on Starlight Savior, he was feeling very stiff.

"Wow, last night…" An image of the Mirror Gate and the feeling of overwhelming power he had felt when going through it returned. "That was pretty incredible." Deep down inside he knew he could trust the Mirror Gate. It didn't have anything evil about it.

His back cracked as he bent over backwards, arms snapping out and catching on the ground so he formed a perfect arch with his body. "I am kind of curious though. That voice said that the Mirror Gate was summoned to this world. I wonder who summoned it."

------------------

Masami refilled his plate with a grin on his face. After his extended use of the Infinity Miracle last night he felt absolutely famished and definitely in need of all the energy he could get. ("And now until the others finish waking up it's just me, all this delightful food, and the cute golden-haired cook.") He turned to look at Alahandra. "Alahandra-chan, what are you smiling about?"

The goddess incarnate grinned and continued her work in the kitchen. "Oh nothing really, I'm just expecting the second member of our reserve to show up in a minute or two."

"You mean Ichigo?" Masami lifted a green eyebrow at her. "Did he go out last night? I heard from the others that after his fight they brought him right home."

She started humming to herself, caught up in her own amused thoughts, and then her eyes widened as a crash sounded from upstairs, followed by a string of curses with her name somewhere within them. "Oh, he was in the middle of a back-flip. Whoopsie."

"…" Masami's eyes widened as a very angry-looking 5'4" brown-haired girl wearing a black shirt and a pair of sweat-shorts stomped down the stairs and directly into the kitchen, her eyes locked directly on Alahandra. "Good morning Ichigo." Then he repositioned himself so he could watch the exchange clearly.

Alahandra grinned and glomped Ichigo before the half demon could protest. "Good morning, Ichigo-chan!" Then she let go and hopped back a couple of steps, holding up a piece of paper in front of Ichigo's face. "Read this and then understand that only members of my team are allowed to have any of the breakfast I've made."

After a few seconds the half demon exhaled, anger diffused in the face of the ultimate cuteness and preparation that was Alahandra in this situation. ("I've always wondered what it was like to have a little sister, and apparently this must be it.") She snatched a plate from the stack sitting at one end of the buffet table and started piling the piece of ceramic high with food. "Next time though could you please inform me that you're going to activate that ability before doing so? The sudden change in body size made landing that flip impossible."

"Sorry," Alahandra sang out, not sounding sorry at all. "Look on the bright side, at least this way you won't have to tell the others about this. You can just be the mysterious girl that keeps showing up at random times."

Right at that moment Sanzo jogged in, dressed in running sweats. "I thought I smelled breakfast. Is this for us, Alahandra-san?" When the girl nodded he bowed to her. "Thank you very much!" Then he walked over and grabbed a plate.

Ichigo dropped into a seat on the cushioned bench at one end of the room and dropped an absolutely massive amount of food in front of her, popping her neck a couple of times. ("Man, I'm starving too. I'd better hurry up and finish this course off so I can get the next one. The longer I have to stay here like this the higher the risk that I run in getting asked a question I won't be able to answer.") Luckily her seat was in a corner of the dining area, and she intended to be fast.

Masami walked up Alahandra and smiled slightly, whispering something into her ear. "When you filled out Ichigo's paper as a reserve member you placed his gender as female, didn't you?" When she nodded sweetly he stepped back and bowed to her. "I am humbled in the prescense of your ability to somehow do something that should be extremely infuriating to Ichigo and yet you get out of it with only a sigh."

She winked and held up a piece of paper. "I'm glad you appreciate it."

The green-haired boy looked at what was written on it and then pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, the glare of the lenses concealing his eyes. "I suppose I had that coming." He walked over and sat down in a seat across from Sanzo, arms crossed. ("I see the logic behind why she listed us as females, but there must have been better alternatives going through her head. Now, what kind of costumes would suit us?")

Alahandra continued to whistle to herself as she put the finishing touches on the last batch of food when Chizuma danced in, dressed in her Obelisk Blue uniform. "Good morning!"

"Good morning!" The black-haired girl's eyes widened when she spied Ichigo in one corner of the room. "It's you again!"

Masami's hand snapped out and wrapped around Chizuma's waist, stopping her from inevitably glomping the half demon. "If you value your limbs then I suggest you keep your distance at least until she's finished with the current course." With the warning given his hand withdrew and he returned to watching Ichigo literally shovel down mouthfuls of food effortlessly.

Chizuma glared at the green-haired boy. "That's very rude, insulting her like that. You make it sound like she can't stop eating."

"She can't." He retorted. "Ich…" Catching himself, he quickly improvised. "Ichae is currently in the middle of a rather rare thing that demons do. I'd go into the details but honestly she could explain it better by example. Also, this is something I'm sure Miss Mitsuhiro would go insane over if she missed."

"What about Mizuki now?" Shiro, dressed in his grey shirt and jeans, walked in. "Wow, she's really packing it on." Then he was hit in the back of the head by a shoe as Mizuki walked in dressed in her Obelisk Blue uniform, as Masami had yet to get around to making her clothing yet. "I wasn't talking about you; I was talking about the flesh and blood trash compactor over there." He pointed at 'Ichae' and the fact she had just finished a ninth plate of food that had originally been at least a good foot high or so.

Running her comb through her hair once more to try and get the tangles out of it, considering she had yet to shower, Mizuki stared at the half demon in absolute fascination. Her hunger forgotten, she pulled up a chair next to Masami and sat down. "If she ate nine plates that were as tall as the one she just started on…"

"Her stomach should be have popped, but it didn't." Masami grinned, noticing that Sanzo, Shiro, and Chizuma had pulled up chairs too. "According to my calculations Ichae has already eaten about ten pounds worth of food, and that was only course one of somewhere between twenty to thirty courses."

Mizuki twitched a couple of times, her brain trying to wrap around what was being told to her. "You're telling me that she's going to ingest between 200 to 300 pounds worth of food?"

"Yup." Masami noticed that all four of their guests seemed to slide in a little closer. "I would keep a suitable distance. There is no absolute risk to what you are doing, but in general would you want to be near the dimensional hole that food is going to? I know I wouldn't want to risk being digested, that's for sure." And sure enough, all of them slid back about three times the distance they had moved forward. "The odds of it are extremely unlikely, as dear Ichae has enough common sense even in this state to stop if she notices a change in the type of food, but still…"

Dropping her fork down on her now empty plate, the half demon sighed in utter contentment and slipped out of her seat to head towards the buffet. Then she stopped as she realized that she was the center of attention. "Oh," she blushed just a little bit and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Mizuki muttered absent-mindedly, coming within only a few inches of the girl's face and narrowing her eyes. "Now would you mind telling me where all of that food went? Obviously it didn't just disappear…did it?"

"Huh?" The half demon tilted her head a little. "Of course it didn't disappear, I ate it."

"…." If there were words to accompany Mizuki's expression, they would be 'Does not compute.'

Masami smiled widely. "I think the problem, dear Ichae, is she's trying to figure out where the food has gone. Your energy level hasn't changed, so you aren't burning it rapidly, and obviously that much food would have been more than the stomach someone of your size could handle."

"Oh!" She shrugged like the answer was obvious. "It's all going to my real stomach."

Sanzo, Shiro and Chizuma all stared at her.

Mizuki snapped her fingers. "That's right! A demon's real form is a much larger creature, right?"

Masami nodded and stood up, walking over to Ichae. "Animal Demons are naturally giants compared to their normal animal counterparts. What you are looking at…" He pointed at her. "Is a very complex disguise mechanism created thanks to many millennia of evolution. Her real self, at her age, is probably about the size of a mobile home. And her weight is probably somewhere between three and a half to four tons."

The half demon sighed and slipped past them, beginning to refill another plate. "I'm not sure what's so fascinating about it though. I've never actually been like that in my whole life. I don't intend to be like that either."

Mizuki filled up a plate and sat down on the bench at the side of the room, positioning herself so she could watch Ichae eat.

"…." The half demon sighed and returned to her meal, trying to ignore the fact that even as everyone ate she was being looked at like some kind of side-show. ("Don't let it get to you, just ignore them for now.")

--------------------------

Dropping the last plate down on top of the massive stack of them already sitting in front of her, Ichae sighed happily and slid down into her seat a little, ears twitching. "Alright, that's better."

Everyone had finished eating awhile ago, and most had gone to take showers and the like. Yet when they had all returned the half demon had still been eating.

"She can eat anything she wants and not worry about gaining weight…" Chizuma huffed and hugged the back of her chair. "I'm jealous."

Mizuki had a notebook in her hands, scribbling away as she took notes. "Hey Ichigo-san, when you're a guy is your real weight increased exponentially?"

The half demon twitched and turned to look at the girl, one ear lilting because of her relaxed body and the other perked because she realized she had lingered too long. "Ichigo?" She tried to feign being surprised by the question. "Who's that?"

Putting the notebook down, Mizuki frowned. "Don't play around, this is important. When you're a guy is your real weight increased or not?"

"When you're a guy…" Shiro rubbed his chin and walked into the kitchen.

Ichigo stood up and smiled weakly. "Ummm, well…you see…" Then she made a break for the front door. ("If it worked for Erian, then it'll work for…")

The door flew open and Rysel leapt into the entryway dramatically, catching the half demon in the face with his boot and dropping her to the wooden floor. "Ichigo, was that what you would call an Epic Entrance Maneuver?"

Masami, still in the kitchen, looked at his watch. "Hmm, and it's only 7:00 too." He looked at what Shiro was doing. "Sorry, Ichigo changes when he wishes to. There's no trigger for it."

"Really?" Shiro dumped the cup of hot water in his hand into a sink. "Where's the fun in that?"

The self-proclaimed genius smiled inwardly. ("Shiro Akugi, you are a man after my own heart.")

----------------------

_A few minutes, explanations, and lols from Rysel later…_

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A now male Ichigo sat at a table, his arms crossed under his head and his chin resting on the tabletop. He growled unhappily and glared at Masami and Alahandra, who had taken it upon themselves to explain Ichigo's rather unique problem.

Mizuki had spent most of that time scribbling furiously in her notebook, wanting to take plenty of notes on this.

Shiro listened with only partial attention, his thoughts wandering to his ultimate plan and its execution.

Sanzo rubbed his chin and nodded sagely when they got to the part about the Saviors. "Indeed, that is quite a story of heroic feats."

Chizuma spent most of it being rather disappointed that two of the cute girls she had seen in the last day were actually the same person…and that person was a guy. ("I suppose it was too much to hope for that this place would remain heaven forever.")

Rysel just kept exclaiming 'lol' at certain parts of the story he was in.

"And so that's it." Masami pointed at the still growling half demon. "Ichigo is the most interesting person in this dimension, at least to my sensibilities. No matter how hard he tries he can't escape from odd situations that are thrown at him." Then he motioned to himself. "And I, Masami-sama, intend to make sure that Ichigo does not shirk off his duty of protecting this world from the threat of the Blood Empire!"

"You don't even do anything useful…" Ichigo growled out bitterly, the fact that there was still a skid-mark on his face where Rysel had kicked him adding to the fact that he looked like he was on the verge of exploding and killing someone. "And plus you seem to be happy whenever these things happen to me."

Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Masami gave his quirky smile. "It's thanks to you that my life doesn't slip into boredom. Of course I'm happy when these things…" He stepped back as Ichigo suddenly stood up, a red glow starting to fill over the half demon's hazel eyes. "Now Ichigo, control yourself…"

Ichigo snickered, eyes flickering to full blood red. "Control? I'll show you control." He flexed his claws. "You're pretty strong right? You can take a couple of gashes in that chest of yours, right?"

Sanzo stood up and slammed his hand down on the table in front of him. "Ichigo-san! Making threats to your allies is not the act of a hero! Show a little bit of respect towards Masami-san. He was fighting last night too, correct?"

The half demon flicked his vision over to the Hero Saint…and then the whole house started to shake. "Not the act of a hero? Well guess what, at the moment…" A red and black aura exploded to life around him, the earthquake growing stronger. "…being a hero is not on my mind."

Masami gulped, and felt Alahandra slide behind him. "Ummm, I guess you're at your limit?"

"Well, let's recount." The half demon held up one finger. "I wake up to Halo being an ass." A second finger came up. "While I'm exercising Alahandra decides that I'd be better off as a girl!" A third finger flipped up. "And then you stand there with a straight face and say you don't mind that all of these things happen to me? Three strikes Masami!"

Masami braced himself to get hit, and hit hard. ("I don't want to fight Ichigo, and honestly if I did I'd probably lose…but…") His eyes widened as the half demon's shoulders suddenly slumped.

Ichigo's eyes started to droop, the red glow leaving them quickly. "…Ichigo go sleep now." Then he collapsed to the ground, purring deeply as Mizuki continued to massage his ears.

Everyone stared at the girl for a few seconds...until she blushed. "Well, he looked like a really angry cat when he was like that. So I thought that maybe like a cat a good ear rub would calm him down."

"…" Masami exhaled loudly and then smiled. "Excellent observation, Miss Mitsuhiro." Just then he heard the front door open and Eri ran in, followed by the other members of Team Halo. "Oh, you all missed the fun."

The demoness pouted, arms across her chest. "I wanted to see Ichigo when he's all murderous too, but it feels like he's calmed down." Then she realized why Ichigo had calmed down and a red glow fell over her eyes. "W…w…w…what is she doing?"

Mizuki looked down at Ichigo's purring body, which had curled itself into a ball, and then realized what she was doing. "Ah!" Withdrawing her hands, she slid back a little on reflex. "Wait…no, hang on, he looked like he was about to snap so I…" Her eyes widened as she realized that Eri was standing in front of her, the bloody glow of the demoness' eyes even more intense than before. "Uh…"

Eri cracked her knuckles a couple of times. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't break your spine." Her arms snapped back, fist cocked to strike.

Mizuki's eyes widened and she didn't know what to do. What could she possibly say? What could she possibly do to show she was sorry?

"Time for an apology…" The demoness stepped forward, fist diving down full force towards Mizuki's head. "…is up!" Then her fist connected…and the red glow left her eyes. "Ichan?"

Ichigo, still purring and still looking completely out of it, had her fist embedded into his face. After a few seconds of awkward silence, he fell backwards and his head landed in Mizuki's lap, face contorted in minor amounts of pain as he started to awake. ("I was having such a nice dream too. Mizuki and Eri were in it too…nice pair of girls to dream about…")

Mizuki yelped and slid back, Ichigo's skull hitting the floor without anything to support it. "Me and Erika-san?"

The demoness, along with everyone in the room, was now absolutely confused by this sudden outburst.

Ichigo slowly sat up, rubbing his nose. "Ow, what…" Then he was silenced as two fists, Mizuki's and Eri's, crashed down onto his skull and flattened him into the floor.

Griff lifted an eyebrow at Eri. "From her reaction I can understand why Mizuki-san hit him, but why did you?"

"My pervert senses were tingling," the demoness muttered angrily.

"Hmph!" Mizuki stood up and glared down at the twitching Ichigo. "I can't believe he'd say something like that out loud! I'd expect that kind of thing from Shiro…"

"Hey!"

"…but I thought Ichigo-san would know better!" Mizuki's glare relented as she realized that everyone in the room was staring at her. "What?"

"Mizuki..." Sanzo rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Ichigo-san didn't say anything."

"He didn't?" She looked down at the still-twitching half demon. "I heard him though. It was as clear as day."

"Ichigo wouldn't say something like that out loud." Krieger blinked as a possibility crossed his mind. "Maybe you read his thoughts?"

"You…" Shiro twitched a couple of times. "Can read thoughts now, Mizuki?"

"I…can?" she muttered.

"Heh…heh…" Shiro slid out of his seat. "Don't mind me, I'm just going to run away screaming now." Then he charged as fast as he could out the front door, screaming that he was doomed.

_To be continued…_


	104. Return of the worst Villain of all Pt1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 104: Return of the Worst Villain of them all (Part 1)

"Draw!" Ichigo held the card pinched between two of his fingers and he pointed at Teruha's Gilasaurus. "Final Shadow Death God, attack now!" The black-robed warrior leapt into the air and then dropped through the girl's dinosaur, cutting it in half. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

Ichigo- 950

Teruha- 1800

Chizuma whistled in amazement at the gauntly monster Ichigo had under his control. "That's a pretty scary monster."

Shiro and Griff nodded. Neither of them had a huge amount of experience with Ichigo's Death God monster, but Griff knew that it was one of his most dangerous.

"Hmph," Adriel muttered, waiting with a duel disk on his arm. "That thing isn't much compared to the power of my Red-Eyes Black Dragons."

Teruha smiled at Ichigo happily. "You seem rather angry right now, but that just means I have all the reason in the world to take you down! Draw!" She added the card to her hand and threw a new card onto her disk. "I summon Des Feral Imp in attack mode!" A black-scaled humanoid lizard appeared on her field. (1600/1800)

-----------------------------

"Teruha-san just used a magic card to summon her Ultimate Tyranno…" Mizuki sighed tiredly and slumped in her seat against the couch. "Isn't there a way I can turn this off? It was kind of interesting at first but right now Ichigo-san seems dead-set on making sure his thoughts are…" She blinked, green eyes expressing confusion. "Hey, it stopped."

Eri muttered something under her breath. Apparently Mizuki's newly discovered ability to read minds only worked with Ichigo, but it also seemed to be uncontrollable and unpredictable. That didn't make it any less annoying that this girl that dropped from the sky was cutting in between her and her Ichan.

A loud roar came from outside followed by an explosion. Seconds later Ichigo walked in, frowning at Mizuki. "You know, I would have won that duel if I all of a sudden hadn't been assaulted mentally by the sensation of being in the living room." Then he removed his duel disk and pulled his deck out of it, sighing and fanning the cards out. "Sorry guys that was my mistake." Folding it back into shape, he stuffed the deck into his pocket and smiled weakly. "And sorry Mizuki-san, I'm…a little perturbed by the fact that all of a sudden you and I keep switching thoughts."

"Silence, I am enjoying my broadcasts." Rysel laughed at the monitor. "Ah, what can't be solved by violence, I ask you? There is no such problem."

"…." Ichigo sighed and threw up his hands, stomping back out of the room. ("Am I the only one that cares anymore? Maybe I should just accept it? It could be worse, at least Mizuki-san is pretty cool…") Then he rubbed the top of his head and winced. ("Though I actually think she hits harder than Eri does.")

------------------------------

"Che, those brats are pretty tough, I'll admit that." Katsuya smirked, cracking his knuckles as he watched the recording of Starlight Savior's final assault against Borui.

The busty blonde member of the seven Heralds punched the top of the brown haired teen's head. "Don't be an idiot Katsuya; they're more than we can handle in a head-on assault. And they're bound to get involved if we try to snag that Rising Star runt."

The dark haired leader of the seven narrowed his eyes and folded his arms, pressing the pause button. "Sakura is correct. A direct assault would almost undoubtedly bring out these Saviors, and such a battle would be reckless. However, these monsters they faced are quite interesting if they possess that level of power."

The giant of the team rolled his shoulders, looking as if he was limbering up. "I prefer outright combat as much as Katsuya, so I wonder, how did you intend to handle this situation Byakuya?"

Byakuya frowned and looked to his right. Moments later there was a flicker and the Asian girl with the braid appeared at his side. "Give me your report Lin. Did you find out what I wanted to know?"

Lin gave him a brief bow, before holding up a pamphlet. "Of course. Just like you thought, this DMWC has openings still, though it requires a sponsor from some form of corporation to participate."

Byakuya smiled slightly, pressing a button on the controller. The screen shifted to showing an image of a furious looking portly German man. "Gottfried Barton of Barton Industries, currently out a team after having his team eliminated in the first round. He seems like quite the angry fellow, and was furious with the owner of the team that defeated his. He seems like the most likely candidate."

Katsuya smirked and pounded one fist into his open hand. "Alright, we'll crush them in duels, that's the way! Heh, Team Herald, doesn't that have a nice ring to it?"

----------

Adriel frowned at Krieger. "You're my opponent, Reinhardt? I have no reason to duel you. I wanted the beast girl."

"…." Off to the side Teruha glared at the half dragon demon.

"Hmmm," Masami nodded sagely. "Beast Girl, it's got a nice ring to…" Then he was uppercutted skywards.

Teruha lowered her arm and brought her attention to the duel while Masami crashed down behind her.

Krieger- 4000

Adriel- 4000

"Draw!" Krieger added the drawn card to his hand and smiled at Adriel. "I'm sorry I can't be the opponent you wanted me to be, but I'll try and provide adequate challenge." He threw a card onto his disk and a howling dragon made of flowing ice appeared on his field. "I summon Arctic Wyrm and end my turn." (1800/300)

Adriel snapped the top card off of his deck and added it to his turn. "More of your cold cards, huh?" He looked at his drawn card and then tossed it onto his disk. "I summon Red-Eyes Black Chick in attack mode!" A large red egg appeared on his field, cracking open to reveal the little screeching dragon inside. (800/500) "And now for its effect, letting me summon the Red-Eyes Black Dragon in my hand to the field!" The little chick exploded in size, changing into a full-fledged dragon. (2400/2000) "Red-Eyes, attack Arctic Wyrm now!" His monster unleashed a blast of fire that melted the monster instantly.

Krieger- 3400

Adriel- 4000

Krieger smiled slightly. "The effect of Arctic Wyrm is that when it's destroyed in battle it equips to the destroying monster and freezes it, preventing it from attacking, switching modes, or using its effect." The Red-Eyes Black Dragon roared once in defiance and then was trapped within a block of ice.

Adriel slammed a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw!" Krieger added the card to his hand and slid a card into his disk. "I activate the magic card Steam Summon. By discarding one Water monster from my hand I can special summon one Fire monster from my hand to the field." He held up Mobius the Frost Monarch and discarded it. "Come out now, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LVL 6!" The mid-level version of his partner appeared in play and screeched loudly. (2300/1600) "Attack Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

"What?" Adriel gasped as the ice around his dragon melted. (1800/2000)

"When the monster equipped with Arctic Wyrm is attacked by a fire attribute monster Arctic Wyrm is destroyed and the equipped monster loses 600 attack points!" The half cat demon smiled as his partner blasted the monster with black flames and destroyed it. "Sorry Adriel, but I'm leveling up Horus!" The mid-size dragon disappeared within a pillar of black flames and emerged in its massive full-size state. (3000/1800)

Krieger- 3400

Adriel- 3500

Adriel drew slowly, and then sneered. "Krieger, you're a fool if you think I'm afraid of that thing." His face-down card flipped up. "Go Call of the Haunted, revive Red-Eyes!" The black dragon reappeared on his field. "And then I sacrifice my dragon to summon Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!" A much more powerful and ancient-looking version of his dragon appeared on the field. (2400/2000) "For every dragon in my graveyard this monster gains 300 attack points." (3000/2000)

"That makes its attack the same as Horus." Krieger narrowed his eyes. "Do you intend to use your Darkness Dragon to defeat Horus by killing them both?"

"Not a chance." Adriel tossed a card onto his disk and a monster appeared in play. Seconds later it exploded. "I summon Black Guard Dragon in attack mode. When this monster is not in defense mode it is destroyed." (3300/2000) "Darkness Dragon, attack Horus now with Darkness Giga Flame!"

Krieger braced himself as his partner was utterly demolished by the orange and black fire the Darkness Dragon unleashed. ("I'm sorry, Horus.")

Krieger- 3100

Adriel- 3500

"I place one card face-down and end my turn." Adriel snickered. "Reinhardt, your skills apparently need work. That rusty old dragon of yours can't beat the Black Dragon of Duel Academy."

Krieger snapped the top card off of his deck. "Don't worry about me…if fire does not work there is always my ice." He slid a card into his disk. "I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, drawing two cards from my deck." Adding two cards to his hand, he smiled and threw one onto his disk face-down. "I set one monster face-down on my field and one card face-down. End turn."

Adriel drew and pointed at the set monster. "Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, attack the set monster now!" His dragon unleashed its flames, burning the set monster to a crisp. "End turn."

Krieger pointed at his set card. "I reveal Reservoir. This trap card lets me, at the end phase of this turn, draw one card for every water monster on my field that was destroyed as a result of battle." He drew one card from his deck and then drew another. "The monster I lost was Treeborn Frog, which when in my graveyard during my standby phase special summons itself if there are no magic or trap cards on my field." A winged frog appeared on his field. (100/100)

Adriel frowned at the creature. "What will that thing be able to do?"

"Nothing on its own, but that isn't its purpose." Krieger motioned to the frog and it disappeared within a torrent of energy. "I sacrifice Treeborn Frog to summon Mobia the Frost Mistress!" (2000/1000) A female suit of icy armor appeared on his field. "This monster, when tribute summoned, lets me destroy up to three magic or trap cards in play." A cold blast swept across Adriel's set card and shattered it. "And then from my hand I activate the magic card Arctic Flow. This card switches all monsters on your field to defense mode."

Adriel smirked as his Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon switched to defense. "It doesn't matter though, because my monster is strong enough to resist your attack."

"At the moment it is, but the second effect of Arctic Flow fixes that." Krieger pointed at his Mistress. "For every water attribute monster on my field all water attribute monsters gain 200 attack points." (2200/1000) "Battle!"

Adriel braced himself as his mighty dragon was obliterated. "Draw!" Adding the single card to his hand, he tapped the side of his head. "Very clever, White Tiger, but not exactly the smartest thing. Your Arctic Flow effect…"

"That's true." Krieger watched the glow around his monster disappeared. "The power boost of Arctic Flow only lasts one turn, but she is still a 2000 attacker."

"And so what?" Adriel slid a card into his disk. "I activate the magic card Cry of Black Sorrow. This card activates when there is a Black named dragon type monster in my graveyard with 2000 or more attack points. I special summon that monster and you special summon a monster with 2000 or more attack points from your graveyard to the field."

Krieger grimaced and a towering humanoid made of ice appeared on his field. "I choose Mobius the Frost Monarch." (2400/1000)

Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared on Adriel's field. "And now I activate the magic card Black Charge. During this turn one Black named dragon type monster on my field, when it destroys a monster as a result of battle, gains a 500 attack boost and attacks another monster on your field. Red-Eyes, attack Mobia now!" The black dragon unleashed a fireball that evaporated the female monster.

Krieger- 2700

Adriel- 3500

Adriel's dragon started glowing. (2900/2000) "Once more, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Then it exhaled a plume of fire that obliterated Mobius.

Krieger- 2200

Adriel- 3500

Adriel placed a monster face-down on his disk. "I place this monster face-down and end my turn."

Krieger drew and his Treeborn Frog appeared in play. (100/100) "And now I discard one magic card from my hand to special summon Ice Scout." (1000/1000) An icy warrior appeared on his field. "From my hand I activate the continuous magic card Glacier Drifting. This card can only be activated while I have a water type monster in play. First you select one monster from your deck and add it to your hand."

Adriel removed his deck from his disk and chose his card. "And then?"

"During my next standby phase, if I still have a water monster in play, then I may sacrifice Glacier Drifting to add one magic card from my deck to my hand." The half cat demon motioned to his Frog. "I sacrifice Treeborn Frog to summon Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch." A humanoid covered in bubbling lava appeared on his field. (2400/1000) "When this monster is tribute summoned one card from your hand is randomly discarded. If that card is a monster then you take 100 points of damage for each of its level stars."

Adriel discarded the Red-Eyes Black Dragon he had searched for.

Krieger- 2200

Adriel- 2800

"And now!" Krieger pointed at the Red-Eyes on Adriel's field. "Thestalos, attack now! Inferno Pillar!" The two monsters collided and exploded. "Ice Scout, attack the set monster now!" The warrior formed a spear of ice that it hurled across the field and pierced the set monster with, destroying it. "End turn."

Adriel pulled the top card off of his deck. "I activate Pot of Greed." He drew two cards off of his deck and added them to his hand. "Then I play the magic card Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two." He did so and snickered. "Reinhardt, prepare yourself! From my hand I activate Hellquake!" A rumbling shook the field. "This card removes from graveyard and then returns it card by card, starting from the top this time."

"And the cards you discarded…" Krieger narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Were Hell Dragon Kingdom and Black Dragon King."

Adriel nodded as his key monster appeared in play. (2000/2400) "When Black Dragon King is special summoned two normal Black named dragons from my graveyard are revived." A pair of his Red-Eyes Black Dragons appeared in play. (2400/2000)x2 "For every Black dragon in play my King gains 500 attack points." (3000/2400) "King, attack Ice Scout now!"

Krieger was forced back as the mighty dragon unleashed its hellish fires upon his Scout, destroying it and therefore sending his Glacier card to the graveyard since he no longer had a water attribute monster in play.

Krieger- 200

Adriel- 2800

Adriel closed his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest. "End turn."

Teruha grimaced. "Krieger-sama's going to lose…"

Griff waved his hand in the air dismissively. "You don't know Krieger like I do. Trust me; he's not completely out yet."

Krieger drew and his Treeborn Frog appeared in play. "During my standby phase I activate the quickplay magic card Enemy Controller. By sacrificing one monster on my field I can take control of one monster on your field!" His Frog disappeared and one of Adriel's Red-Eyes Black Dragons appeared on his side of the field. "And since it is still my standby phase…" His frog reappeared. (100/100) "Red-Eyes, attack your brother!" The two skeletal dragons collided and shattered. "End turn."

Adriel drew. "At this time Hell Dragon Kingdom appears!" The grassy lawn around them changed to a hellish black landscape. "Black Dragon King, attack Treeborn Frog!" His monster unleashed its powerful black energy and blew the little creature away. "I also set one card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw!" Krieger's Treeborn Frog appeared in play once more. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Adriel drew. "Black Dragon King, attack now!"

"Reverse card open!" Krieger's set card flipped up. "The continuous trap card Seal of Ice lets me select one monster on your field and freeze it. Therefore Adriel…"

"You're wasting your time." Adriel's set card flipped up. "I reveal The Dragon's Bead. This continuous trap lets me discard one card from my hand to negate your targeting trap." The trap shattered and the Frog was destroyed. "End turn."

Krieger pulled the top card off of his deck and his Frog appeared again. (100/100) "I place one card face-down. End turn."

Adriel drew. "Black Dragon King, attack the frog!"

"Reverse card open!" Krieger's monster disappeared and a torrential fountain of icy water appeared in front of him. "The trap card Frozen Waterfall lets me sacrifice a water attribute monster on my field to make all direct damage to me zero during this turn."

"…." Adriel sighed. "End turn."

Krieger drew and his Frog appeared again. ("This isn't getting me anywhere. It won't take him much longer to draw a monster.") He looked at his drawn card and opened his field magic card slot. "I activate the field magic card Palace of the Frozen King." The Hell Dragon Kingdom disappeared, replaced by the frozen interior of a beautiful white palace. "End turn."

"Draw!" Adriel pointed at the Frog. "Kill it already!" The Black Dragon King exhaled its hellish breath and dissolved the amphibian. "Also I summon Black Guard Dragon in defense mode and set one card face-down, end turn." An armored black dragon appeared on his field. (0/2300)

"Draw!" Krieger looked at his drawn card and smiled. "If Palace of the Frozen King is in play I may remove three water type monsters from my graveyard to special summon this monster from my hand!" A pillar of ice exploded up from the ground at his feet and a giant humanoid made of pure white ice broke free. "This is my Lord of Subzero." (2400/2300) "When this monster is summoned all magic and trap cards in play besides Palace of the Frozen King are destroyed. Also, every time a magic or trap card on the field is destroyed this monster gains 400 attack points." A powerful wind tore across the two cards on Adriel's field and blew them apart. (3200/2300) "And now…"

Adriel closed his eyes. "Sorry Reinhardt, it just ended."

Krieger- 0

Adriel- 2800

"Huh?" Shiro blinked as the field faded away. "Why did he lose?"

Adriel held up his set card. "Black Winds of Hell, when it goes to the graveyard, deals the opposing player 300 points of damage."

Krieger rubbed the back of his head. "Oh yes, that it does. Oh well, I guess you can't win all of your duels." Putting his deck into his pocket, he smiled at the others. "It could have been worse, right Teruha-san?"

The large girl sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah…I guess so Krieger-sama."

The sound of a car pulling up in front of the doors that led outside could be heard. Then they creaked open and Halo stepped inside, his hands in his pockets. "Good afternoon to you all." He walked past all of them without another word.

-------------------

Ichigo and Halo were sitting in the parlor, looking across from each other with the square table in the middle of the room between them.

"Hmm…" The night-haired enforcer took a sip of his tea and sighed at Ichigo. "You just can't seem to avoid these situations, can you?"

Ichigo glared at the dark being. "Did you come here for something important, or did you just want to hear in person that now Mizuki-san and I…" He shook his head out. "Argh, stop reminding me of it! Besides, for the last couple of hours it seems the whole thought switch thing has worn itself down."

"I did come here for something important, now that you mention it." Reaching into his suit pocket, he removed a piece of paper and handed it to the half demon. "Read."

After looking at the paper, Ichigo lifted an eyebrow. "Okay…so there's a playing of the Phantom of the Opera at this theater in the city tonight. What's your point?"

"You will be accompanying me." Halo wasn't surprised when a crumpled ball of paper that had been the program for the play hit him in the face. "It's good to see that you're so open-minded."

Resting an elbow on the arm of his couch, Ichigo waved one hand dismissively towards the enforcer. "It sounds like the kind of thing that would bore even my grandpa, and that means I'll spend most of it asleep. Besides, why would you want to associate yourself with me?"

"The invitation goes to all members of Teams Halo and Virtue, because…" He held up a finger. "This is very good publicity for both teams, it will show you're actually cultured and not just a bunch of punks." A second finger came up. "God forbid you actually get some culture into you." A third joined the other two. "I can't imagine staying in this house for the whole of the tournament is good for you." A fourth appeared. "It's for a good cause, to help pay for all of the damage caused by our dear friends the Vengeances."

"We don't have any suits, and according to the paper the show is in three hours."

Halo stood up and brushed himself off. "Excuse me, but do you think I just whip my own suits up out of thin air? I have connections with some very famous designers and I've brought enough transportation to get everyone ready in time."

"…." Ichigo suddenly started laughing and nearly fell out of his chair.

"This isn't exactly the reaction I expected." The enforcer noticed that Ichigo was having trouble breathing. "Ah yes, it's because to you I have no fashion sense, correct?"

"No…it's…it's something Mizuki-san thought…when she heard that you were here…" Ichigo tried to compose himself and just wound up exploding into louder laughter. "You…you don't change clothes no matter what…time of day or occasion…"

Halo sighed and straightened his tie. "You're coming whether you want to or not. The others will be coming as well."

Ichigo thudded as he rolled off of his couch and hit the floor, still laughing.

------------------

"..." The assembled members of both teams stared at Halo, who had positioned himself in front of the now off monitor to get Rysel's attention as well.

"…so, you want to take us to see a play?" Griff rolled his eyes. "I have a feeling like you're taking us because you don't want to go alone."

"I'm not in the mood to listen to arguments about this idea, mister Mohistava." Halo turned and walked towards the entryway to head back outside. "Both teams are coming. If you don't have formal attire then it will be provided for you. Alahandra will be dressing up the members of her team, and I will be providing clothing for my team…"

His eyes narrowed when he heard a collective series of male and female groans from behind him. "Fine, you ingrates, Alahandra will be in charge of making sure the ladies are properly attired. I'll deal with the men; it will make things easier anyway. We will be leaving in five minutes and everyone is coming." Then he disappeared around the corner.

Shiro looked at Eri. "We're not actually going, are we?"

"If Halo says that we are, I guess we are." Eri snickered. "He didn't say anything about us bringing things to keep ourselves occupied though."

--------------------------

_A few miles away…_

---------------------------

"Ah, the Phantom of the Opera!" An obviously insane voice squealed out in delight as it read the Japanese printed above the theater. "It's just the kind of a role I've always wanted to play!" The speaker, wearing a heavy overcoat that hid his face, lifted up the newspaper he had acquired yesterday.

_Entertainment News_

_Headline: Team Halo opens the DMWC with a bang_

"Team Halo…" The man crumpled the newspaper in his hand. "I can't believe it. That kid…that kid and his accursed father…I'll make them both pay!" Tossing the crumpled newspaper away, he walked down the alley alongside the theater with a sick smile on his shadowed face. "First though, it's time to reclaim the stage I so sorely deserve."

_To be continued…_


	105. Return of the worst Villain of all Pt2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 105: The Return of the Worst Villain of them all (Part 2)

Off in the distance the sun started to fall, the sounds of construction around the demolished sections of Tokyo also dying down. In one area of Tokyo there was still plenty of activity, and that was the district where many of the companies involved in the DMWC were setting up shop to sell their wares and raise funds for the reconstruction of the sections of the city destroyed by the Vengeance attack last night.

And nestled between a pair of towering skyscrapers there was a single building, an old-fashioned theater standing in solemn silence as groups of people in formal dress walked in through the front doors, the surrounding press taking pictures of them from behind the velvet ropes set up to keep them from swarming the celebrities.

A trio of limousines pulled up, the first one opening and Halo, dressed in his usual pure black suit, stepping out casually. He turned and offered his hand to someone else inside, and Alahandra, dressed in a sheer golden dress, bounded out of it and past him, waving to all of the cameras that were taking her picture. Sighing, the night-haired enforcer shoved his hands into his pockets and strolled towards the entrance, ignoring all of the flashes of light that attempted to blind him.

The second limousine pulled up and the door flew open in a burst of white smoke. First to emerge was Masami, dressed in a bright green tuxedo with a bright green top hat and a cane, who bowed dramatically until Griff, dressed in a regal purple suit looking like it was meant more for clubbing rather than formal events, kicked the self-proclaimed genius in the back of his leg to get him moving forward so everyone else in the car could get out.

Krieger followed, dressed in a white and silver tuxedo. Adriel slid out right after him, dressed in a black suit similar to Griff's, with Erian right behind him and dressed in a red suit of similar type. Behind them came Resshin, dressed in a burnt orange tuxedo.

Sanzo emerged next, dressed in a white suit, while Harrison emerged in similar attire but it seemed that his was a personally made suit different than the generic types the others (Masami excluded) were wearing. Shiro hopped out of the limousine next, waving exaggeratedly to the cameras even though none of them were taking pictures of him. ("Hmph, they just don't know how photogenic I am apparently.") He stepped off to the side along with Masami, Adriel, and Erian.

Rysel stepped out of the car next, dressed in a rather elegant crimson robe. "Ah, and the earthlings worship my greatness."

Nikolai, dressed in his normal gray suit, stepped out behind the prince and sighed quietly, walking around Rysel and heading inside. ("If egos could kill Rysel would have murdered us all by now.")

Ichigo, dressed in a dark blue tuxedo, was last out and was immediately blinded as every camera in sight was on him. "Huh?" Throwing his arms up to cover his eyes, he stumbled to stand next to Masami. "What the heck was that all about?"

The green-haired boy smiled and flipped up a piece of paper that he held up in front of the half demon's face. "Thanks to my prime influence you're up there in the contender for number one of fan votes for the most popular in the DMWC. At least on the ladies side of voting, or so says the official website."

Twitching at the statistics and ranking listed along with a picture of himself dressed in the dueling outfit that Masami had created for him on the paper, Ichigo blushed and tried to position himself in a way that would prevent good pictures of him from being taken.

The third limousine pulled up and opened, the first one to come out being Chris. The purple-haired girl, dressed in a conservative purple outfit she had acquired thanks to Alahandra's choice of shops, waved cheerfully to the crowds of press and then leapt over and latched onto Erian's arm. "Come on, let's go!"

"Uhhh….right…." The Traveler was nearly dragged inside, blushing bright red the whole way through.

Next out was Teruha, wearing a flame red dress, who flushed a similar color and hunkered slightly as she realized that her already amazingly tall body made her stand out more than she preferred.

Masami slid up alongside her, twirling his cane in one hand as expertly as a cheerleader would manipulate a baton. "What's the matter, Teru-chan? Nervous?"

"Yeah…" She stammered, still leaning a little to try and make herself seem shorter.

"I suppose that's to be expected." Masami stored his cane under one arm and offered a crooked arm for her to take. "They're not used to seeing ladies as badly dressed as you are." Then his face disappeared as she angrily pulled his top hat completely over his head all the way down to his neck and stomped off towards the entrance.

Ichigo sighed as Masami walked off after her, face still hidden under his now ruined hat. ("He just can't stop himself, can he?")

Chizuma, dressed in a dark blue dancer's dress, hopped out of the car next, and upon realizing that Shiro was waiting to walk Mizuki in immediately took the dark-haired girl's arm and pulled her out. "Come on, Mizuki-sama, let's head inside."

Mizuki, wearing an elegant pink sleeveless dress, nearly tripped on the carpet because of the yank on her arm. "AH!" She regained her balance and pulled her arm away from the doll-faced girl. "Chizuma, I thought we decided that I would walk in with Shiro."

"I changed my mind; you can just come in with me." Chizuma blinked as suddenly a hand from behind her snapped out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her inside. "Let me go!" She turned and kicked Halo in the shin.

"You're making a scene, knock it off." The night-haired enforcer dragged her nearly kicking and screaming the rest of the way inside.

Mizuki huffed in frustration. "Forget it, now I don't care who I go in with if people are going to argue over it." She grabbed Ichigo by the arm. "Come on Ichigo-san, let's go."

"Wait…why me…I…" Even as he was pulled towards the entrance he realized that Eri was going to pummel him later for this.

The next out of the limousine was a young woman with long crimson-streaked blue hair, her white robes matching the robes that Rysel had come in. "My love, shall we enjoy some earthling drama?"

"Of course," Rysel said, bowing slightly to Amaeura and offering her an arm as he led her into the theater.

Last out was Eri, her white dress perfectly matching the color of her hair and her tail, the latter of which was draped over one of her shoulders. "Alright Ichan, let's get…" She blinked at Shiro, who was the only one still outside. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"…" The green-haired boy gulped nervously and offered her a shaky arm. "Just…just come on. And don't eat me please?"

Glaring at him, she grabbed his arm and applied a vice-like grip to it. "Shut up, baby."

---------------------

Ichigo winced as he was struck over the head by Eri's fist. "Ow!"

"That's what you get for leaving me outside." She kicked him in the shin sharply. "And that's for the interest." Then she looked darkly. "And where's Mizuki? I've got a couple of things to say to her."

"She…" Ichigo stopped for a second and rubbed his poor shin a couple of times. "She walked off, I'm guessing by the look on her face that she realized her mistake at the same time I tried to tell her the problem. And sure enough, you did exactly what I thought you'd do."

"Can you blame me?" She shouted, the sound echoing across the rather crowded lobby. "You left me with the green-haired annoying human! I'd have preferred a chimp over him, plus the chimp would have looked better in the suit!"

Near one of the other double-door entrances into the actual theater, Shiro sneezed violently and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"That doesn't mean you have to hit me!" Ichigo shouted back.

"Dear," Amaeura said casually, "Is this the earthling drama we're supposed to be watching?"

"No," Rysel responded. "This is called a lover's spat, I believe." His free hand shot out and caught a white high-heeled shoe that was hurled at his head. "I believe this is yours." He threw it back at Eri, who caught it and grumbled something he couldn't hear.

-------------------------

Mizuki gulped, skillfully positioning herself between Eri and a potted plant near one of the walls of the lobby. ("Great idea Mizuki, let's give the psychotic demon another reason to want to kill you.") The more she stayed near the non-human members of this group, the more she understood why the limited stories from her dimension about demons offered the advice to treat them like wild animals when it came to things they believed were theirs.

Harrison flexed the fingers of his right hand a couple of times and eyed the white-haired demoness. ("While I have no wish to place a human in danger, I'll be glad to kill you if you attempt to harm someone, beast.")

Sanzo rubbed the side of his head and sat down on a bench that was against one of the walls of the room. ("What's the matter with me? Why is my danger sense going off here?")

---------------------------

Nikolai, at another part of the lobby, was having a similar feeling. ("There might be a Vengeance somewhere…but perhaps it's just residual energy left over from Borui's explosions during the battle last night. That creature definitely had enough power to create such an effect.") He wouldn't let it bother him though. It wasn't often he got to enjoy something cultured, so he would be sure to get at least a little pleasure from this experience.

----------------------------

The double doors creaked open, meaning that the play was going to start soon. And so everyone filed in and took their seats in the giant theater, filling rows upon rows of seating. Everything was dark, the only real light coming from the overhead lamps that were barely on. There was enough light though that everyone managed to get to their seats, though because of when he had purchased the tickets Halo had been unable to give everyone a spot in the same location, meaning that each and every member of the group (excluding Rysel and Amaeura) were sitting at least a small distance from each other.

The lights dimmed more to indicate that the show was about to start.

"_Ladies and gentlemen…"_ A stern voice said over the speakers overhead. _"Welcome to tonight's presentation of the Phantom of the Opera. It will be a show filled with frights, action, drama, and maybe even a bit of humor. Unfortunately though, it seems that most of the cast fell ill just before the performance was about to begin. Therefore...it seems we'll have to change a few things."_

A loud crash came from all of the doors that led out of the theater at once, as they all slammed shut and clicked loudly as they locked. _"Enjoy the show…"_ The curtain withdrew slowly to reveal the set of the Phantom's Lair, a dark underground place of shadows. And sitting on a chair in the middle of the set, was a man dressed as the Phantom of the Opera, a microphone in his hand. There was one thing wrong though, and that was his mask. The design of the pure white piece of ceramic was half that of a crying face, and half that of a smiling face. _"Because the reviews are in, and supposedly…"_ He held up what looked to be a pure black revolver in one hand. _"…this one's a killer."_

He fired one shot into the air, startling some of the audience members. _"Good evening to you all, gentle hosts and hostesses. My name is the Magnificent Clarice, fabulous magician duelist and master of terrorism extraordinaire!"_

-----------------

Ichigo, Griff, and Krieger all widened their eyes in recognition of that name. ("Clarice?")

-----------------

Clarice turned on one heel, spinning a little and aiming his gun out at the crowd. _"As I said, I will be your Phantom this evening. I intend to present a beautiful performance, and if anyone tries to leave their seat before I finish…"_ He sniffled sadly, face hidden behind his mask. _"Then I'll just have no choice but to ignite the explosives under each and every single chair in this theater. That's right, folks, you're all wired to go up like fireworks if you so much as move the wrong way. So please remain in your seats while I perform for you…"_

He stopped suddenly and lifted the revolver to point into the crowd. _"First though, let me prove to you how serious I am. One member of the audience gets to die right now, and let's see who our lucky…"_ He pulled the trigger…but nothing happened. _"What?"_ His violet eyes flicked down to see that his revolver's hammer had been stopped by something which had gotten between it and the gun. _"A…guitar pick?"_

"_That's correct, you hater of the fine arts."_ The sound of a guitar being played could be heard echoing across the theater from the rafters. _"You, who would do something as despicable as hold members of an audience hostage, cannot be tolerated. In that vein, I will stop you from harming a single member of the audience!"_

"_Who's there?"_ Clarice shouted angrily. _"Who would dare to interrupt my rendition of Phantom of the Opera?"_

"_That would be I."_ A shadowed form standing above the audience in the rafters echoed out. A spotlight flickered on and illuminated him, revealing his flowing red cape and grandiose matador clothing. _"I would tell you to let a bit of romance into your heart, but it's too packed in there…there's far too much of your insanity and your hatred. Therefore…I, El Mariachi Verdadero, have no choice but to defeat you!"_

Clarice's eyes widened as the masked Spaniard landed on stage, facing him, effortlessly. "Hang on there, mister big shot hero." He pocketed the microphone and removed the pick from his gun, lifting it up and tapping the side of his head with it. "If you didn't hear before, one word from me and they'll be a whole lot of deaths that will be on your conscience. I suggest you back off, and let me finish my show."

"That's where you're wrong though." El Mariachi Verdadero swept his cape back once more, revealing the duel disk on his arm. "You said it yourself, magician duelist, that you were famous. Prove that to me right now, in a duel. If I win then your explosives are no longer considered allowed to be used. If I lose then I've still given your audience a good show."

"You've got a point…" Clarice nodded, motioning to someone off stage. "Duel disk!" One of the white devices flew through the air and he grabbed it quickly, strapping it to his arm and slamming his deck home while leaping back a few feet from the Mariachi. "Alright then, my friend, let the duel begin!"

Clarice- 4000

El Mariachi Verdadero- 7630

"Eh?" The Spaniard looked at his life points in confusion. "A malfunction…"

"There are 7630 people sitting in the seats out there…" Clarice drew his opening hand. "For every life point you lose below that number, one bomb in the audience will go off. Good luck, hero." He threw a card onto his disk and a semi-phantasmal warrior appeared on his field. "As for my summon, it's appropriate to my role. My monster is Phantom Soldier in attack mode." (1200/1200) "While in attack mode this monster cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. End turn."

"Draw!" The costumed hero added the card to his hand and grimaced. ("I cannot take even one point of damage that would place me below 7630, or else people will die.") "From my hand I activate the magic card Graceful Charity, drawing three cards from my deck and then discarding two." A pair of cards was inserted into his graveyard. "And then I summon Legendary Mariachi Enrique!"

A man wearing blue-trimmed clothing appeared on his field, a guitar slung over one of his shoulders. (1300/1500) "For every card in my graveyard this monster gains 100 attack points." (1600/1500) "Battle! Musical Ballista!" A blast of power erupted from the man's guitar as he played, the force slamming into the Phantom Soldier and then into Clarice.

Clarice- 3600

El Mariachi Verdadero- 7630

"I place two cards face-down, end turn." El Mariachi Verdadero kept his expression rather relaxed. There was no point in tensing up, not if he wanted to win and make sure not to lose a single life point.

"Draw." Clarice slammed a card into his duel disk. "I activate the magic card Painful Choice. I select five cards from my deck, and then you select one and it goes to my hand. The other ones are discarded into the graveyard." Five cards appeared in the air above him. (Cemetery Bomb, Cemetery Bomb, Cemetery Bomb, Phantom Gunman, Pot of Greed) "The effect of Phantom Gunman lets me deal you 500 points of damage per each of my end phases, and it cannot be defeated as a result of battle while in defense mode."

("I have no choice.") El Mariachi pointed at the card at the far end. "Take Pot of Greed."

-------------------------

"Huh?" Shiro lifted an eyebrow. "You're giving him Pot of Greed, out of all possible choices? Why?"

Not too far away Krieger frowned angrily at Clarice. ("His deck is engineered to make the most out of his unfair advantage.")

--------------------------

Clarice held up Pot of Greed. "I'm sure it's obvious what I'm playing next." He drew two cards and then held up Graceful Charity. "And once more." Drawing three cards he discarded two into his graveyard. "And then I play Research on the Pot of Greed. During the turn this card is activated I draw two cards if Pot of Greed has been activated." Adding two more cards to his hand, he slammed another card into his disk. "I activate the magic card Four-Point Magic Star. This card can only activate during the turn that at least four draw or add to hand magic cards are activated. I now shuffle four magic cards from my graveyard back into my deck." He held up Painful Choice, Pot of Greed, Research on the Pot of Greed, and Graceful Charity, shuffling them all back into his deck and cackling crazily. "Isn't it just incredible?"

El Mariachi knew that he couldn't do this for much longer. At this rate he would take damage and that wasn't acceptable. ("I may have no choice but to use my secret weapon and kill this man, because otherwise lots of innocent people will die needlessly.")

"Hang on there…" Clarice held up a gloved hand and waved a finger in the air. "I've got a couple of associates waiting in the wings that actually control the bombs, so if you dare try to do something to me all you'll be doing is dooming all these people."

Silently cursing, El Mariachi nodded. "Very well, is your turn done?"

"Not yet." A pair of cards appeared face-down on his field. "I set these two face-down and end my turn."

"Draw!" The Spaniard looked at the card and then slammed it into his disk. "I activate Disruption Sonata!" A blast of sound hit Clarice's field and his two set cards flipped up. "I look at all magic and trap cards on your field, destroy one, and return the rest to your hand. My choice is Call of the Haunted!" The called trap shattered and the other appeared in Clarice's hand once more. (1700/1500) "And the other card was Spirit Barrier, which I cannot let you use. From my hand I activate Card Destruction, forcing us both to discard our hands and draw new ones!"

Both of them discarded their hands and drew, Clarice drawing six and El Mariachi two. (2000/1500)

Looking at the two cards he now was holding, the hero nodded at one of them and tossed it into his disk's field magic card slot. "The key card for this situation, my field magic card! I activate the field magic card Band Studio!" Giant equipment normally reserved for a heavy metal concert exploded into the sky around them. "While this card is in play I can negate one instance of effect damage to my life points by discarding the top three cards of my deck while I have at least three music named cards in my graveyard." He pointed at the Phantom Soldier. "Battle!" His musician strummed his guitar again and blasted both the monster and Clarice. "End turn."

Clarice- 2800

El Mariachi Verdadero- 7630

Clarice exploded into crazy giggling when he looked at his drawn card. "Heavy Storm will clear away all of your annoying magic and trap cards! Then I can blast your life points!" A powerful wind started to build up on the field. "This is the end!"

"Not yet!" El Mariachi pointed at Enrique. "Play…play for all you're worth, my friend!" One of his set cards opened right when the Mariachi monster started to play his guitar. "Legendary Mariachi's Ultimate Song…at the cost of the top eight cards of my deck I can negate one magic, trap, or monster card." Pulling eight cards off of his deck and sliding them into the graveyard, the hero knew he couldn't win this way. (2900/1500)

"Heh, pitiful attempts at defense to the audience don't frighten me!" Clarice slammed a card into his disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Phantom Mist. I select one Phantom monster on my field and a monster on your field. Both switch to defense mode and cannot switch modes while this card remains in play." Both Enrique and the Soldier dropped to their knees. "Also I summon Phantom Gunman in defense mode." A phantasmal soldier holding an ancient rifle in his hands appeared in play in a crouching position. (0/2000) "At the end of this turn my Gunman deals you 500 points of damage! End turn." The shooter took aim at El Mariachi.

"I activate Band Studio!" Discarding three cards from his deck, the Spaniard breathed in relief as a wall of sound struck the phantom monster and stopped it cold. (3200/1500)

Clarice snorted derisively. "You can't protect them forever, fool!" He swept his hand out at the audience. "Look at them, mindless sheep that don't even understand the true power and majesty of people such as myself. I hate them, and yet without them I have no audience. Oh well, I guess that's why they must die after experiencing my show. It's the payment of blood, hero!"

"You're mad," El Mariachi commented as he drew. "I summon Legendary Mariachi Gutierrez in defense mode." A green-trimmed Mariachi appeared on his field in a crouching position. (0/1900) "At the end phase of each of my turns he may shuffle the top three cards of my graveyard into my deck. End turn." Removing three cards from his graveyard, he shuffled them all back into his deck. (2900/1500)

Clarice cackled and drew. "How humorous, you're trying to replenish your only source of defense." One look at his hand told him what he wanted to know. "I play Research on the Pot of Greed, drawing one card." Adding one card to his hand, he pointed at his Gunman. "End turn and fire!"

"Band Studio activates now!" Discarding the top three of his deck, El Mariachi felt the sweat building on his forehead. ("He's looking for a specific card, but what?") Then he drew. "I activate Pot of Avarice. I shuffle five monsters in my graveyard back into my deck and then draw two cards." After doing so he slammed he took the top three cards of his graveyard and shuffled them into his deck. "End turn."

"Draw!" Clarice looked at his drawn card. "Good, I activate Painful Choice once more!" Five cards appeared in the air above him. (Phantom Gunman, Phantom Soldier, Phantom Soldier, Phantom Bomb, Phantom Bomb)

"Take a Soldier, I suppose." El Mariachi noticed that Clarice didn't seem to care so much about which five from his deck he selected. He was just emptying his deck of cards and trying to get to that one draw he wanted.

("Only ten more cards left in my deck.") Clarice tossed a card onto his disk. "I summon Phantom Soldier in attack mode." (1200/1200) "Also I activate the continuous magic card Phantom Pains. During each of my end phases for every Phantom named monster I have in play you take 200 points of damage. End turn."

"I activate Band Studio!" Discarding six cards from his deck, El Mariachi watched both Phantom Pains and Phantom Gunman get negated before they could harm him. "Draw!" Adding the card to his hand, he felt himself running short of breath. ("I'm afraid; I can't hide it for much longer. I'm afraid because one wrong move on my part and people will die.")

"I can smell the fear." Clarice cackled. "Give it up, little boy. You can't defeat a pro level duelist like me; much less keep yourself from taking even one point of damage! Surrender here and perhaps I'll make your defeat something beautiful. After all, I know about you…little musician. You're just some guy that shows up to help those Savior losers occasionally; you're all show and nothing else."

"_Shut up, you freak!"_ Someone in the audience yelled loudly. _"You've got no right to say such things! El Mariachi Verdadero is just as much a member of the Saviors as the rest of them are! He's a hero!"_

"…" Clarice casually pulled his revolver out of its holster and fired into the crowd, drinking in the screams of panic. Holding the microphone up to his mouth, he cleared his throat. _"The next one of you to speak dies, now please return to your seats and let the duel continue!"_

"_Apparently your aim sucks!"_ The same voice yelled out. _"Senor Verdadero, show him the beauty of your music! Show him your true power! Remind him that the music of the shadows is something to be in awe of, and that he is staining its name by pretending to be a character of that element!"_

Clarice twitched and aimed into the crowd, but this time randomly. "Very well then, I'll just kill someone in mystery person's…"

"He's right…" El Mariachi brushed back his cape dramatically, un-slinging his guitar and running his fingers along its strings expertly. "Feel the power of romance, Senor Clarice!"

--------------------------

Halo sighed quietly and cleared his throat, finding the use of Ichigo's voice to be rather distasteful. ("I see why you wanted me to throw your voice like that though, very clever.")

_("Shhh, watching Carlos beat down evil…")_

----------------------------

El Mariachi looked at his drawn card once more. ("I pray to my ancestors…Los Mariachis Verdadero. Please, for the sake of these people's lives let me win this flawlessly!") "From my hand I activate the magic card Requiem of End! This card lets me discard one monster from my hand to destroy all face-up magic and trap cards on your field!" A blast of power swept across the field and shattered both Phantom Mist and Phantom Pains.

He pointed at Enrique, who stood up and brushed himself off. "For every card in my graveyard, the power of Enrique increases by 100 points!" (3300/1500) "Battle!"

Clarice slid backwards slightly as his Phantom Soldier was hit by a blast of musical power. "It's useless. My Phantoms cannot be defeated while in attack mode."

Clarice- 700

El Mariachi Verdadero- 7630

"End turn." Flexing his free hand, El Mariachi knew that he couldn't give up. As a hero, his honor would not allow it.

Clarice drew violently, still giggling to himself. "This is too amusing. Just because of a few words said to you suddenly everything has changed? How pitiful…" Then he held up his own Card Destruction. "Let's draw some new cards, shall we?"

Both discarded their hands and while Clarice drew four El Mariachi drew two.

"It's here. And you, my dear boy, are about to lose life points whether you wish to or not." Clarice's three monsters disappeared in three bursts of white mists. "I sacrifice these three monsters to summon Phantom Magician!" A phantasmal spellcaster appeared on his field in place of his other three monsters. (2800/2800) "This monster may let me remove ten cards from my graveyard to deal you its attack in damage! I remove ten cards!" His spellcaster monster lifted its staff to aim at El Mariachi. "2800 deaths…how do that sound, hero?"

"Band Studio!" The Spaniard's field card released a sound wall right before the spellcaster could fire, negating the effect. Afterwards he discarded three cards from his deck.

"Once more." Clarice cackled as his monster prepared to fire again.

"And I do the same!" El Mariachi discarded another three cards from his deck and his field magic card released its neutralizing sound waves.

"Again!" Clarice laughed insanely as the Band Studio card worked its magic once more. "I don't have enough graveyard cards to do it again, but let's take a look at your deck. I count two cards, do you?"

"…" The costumed hero looked solemn, the eyeholes of his mask shadowed to hide his eyes. A similar hush had fallen over the audience. Even amongst those that weren't duelists, it was a matter of simple math. If he couldn't pay for the cost of his card, he couldn't use it to shield them anymore.

"From my hand…" Clarice inserted a magic card into his duel disk. "We're past the point of no return, hero. The Phantom will win; he will kill them…all of them! I activate the magic card Dimension Meteor! For every card in my removed from play pile…you lose 300 life points of damage! That would be 9000. In other words…" A white inferno lit in the air above his head, building into a powerful fireball that prepared to strike down on the Mariachi's head. "All of them will die right now, as will you! Take this!" The fireball came roaring down towards the Spaniard rapidly.

The audience started to scream and panic…

And then went silence as they heard something, a single string plucked by a hand. It was calming, the sound of a musician unleashing his passions. The song picked up in strength, echoing across the entire theater.

Lowering his guitar, El Mariachi Verdadero pointed at his set card. "I activate the trap card Ultimate Duet from Beyond the Grave! This card lets me shuffle two Mariachi or Musician named monsters in my graveyard back into my deck!" Removing two cards from his graveyard he slammed them into his deck. "Band Studio activates!" Three cards left his deck and the studio unleashed its powerful sound waves, obliterating the Meteor.

Silence held over the crowd for a few moments, and then they exploded into applause and cheers. It reached a nearly deafening crescendo up until a gunshot shattered the building sound.

Clarice lowered his revolver from its aimed position in the air. _"Ladies and gentlemen, this duel isn't over yet. From my hand I set one card face-down and activate the continuous magic card Phantom Dimension Tear. This card activates during an end phase where cards of mine have been removed from the game. If I have a monster in play with Phantom in its title I place half of those removed cards back into my graveyard. End turn."_

El Mariachi Verdadero looked out at the audience. ("This is the stage…the stage where I either fail or succeed. Either way though,") "I won't let you harm a single hair on any of their heads. These people are the audience, and yet you, a performer, wish to hurt them? Don't make me laugh…" He drew. "It's time to show you the true romance behind my music."

"What kind of idiocy are you babbling?" Clarice pointed at his set card, which flipped up. "I reveal Gravity Bind. While this continuous trap card is in play monsters that are level four or higher cannot attack. You're locked out."

"Indeed…" El Mariachi pointed at his two monsters. "I sacrifice these two to special summon Legendary King of the Mariachi!" A gold-trimmed Spanish musician appeared on the field, a golden guitar strung over his shoulder. (1600/1600) "This monster is your end. When this monster is summon I may play one of its three songs; Wealth, Romance, or Good Health. I choose Wealth."

"And what does that do?" Clarice started to laugh, until he realized something…

El Mariachi bowed as his monster started playing. "We both draw until we are holding six cards in our hand. My deck is empty, so I cannot draw. Please, take your gift."

Clarice did so…and his eyes widened in disbelief as he realized he was only holding five cards. There were none left to draw. "No…"

"For all of your power, and all of your drawing, you underestimated one thing." The Spaniard played his guitar once more. "You underestimated the gentle and generous spirit of a wandering musician. Your greed and hatred blinded you of the single potential downfall of your strategy." He gave a thumbs-down. "I end my turn, Senor Clarice."

Clarice- Deck Out

El Mariachi Verdadero- 7630

The audience burst into bouts wild applause and cheering. Some roses were thrown onto stage, and El Mariachi bowed out to the audience.

Clarice twitched a couple of times, unable to believe it. ("I lost…in such a humiliating manner? Me, the Magnificent Clarice?") "I will not accept this! Verium, blow them all to hell!"

Nothing happened though, and the audience kept on applauding.

"Verium!" The madman screamed at the top of his lungs. "Kill them all!"

"_I'm trying, it's not working!"_ The voice came from above, and it sounded very angry and very frantic.

"Then come down here and kill them all yourself!" Clarice pointed at the Mariachi. "Kill this one first! Slash, you get down here too!"

"_Understood!"_ A pair of voices yelled out, two humanoid forms landing on stage.

The first was a golden-colored metal humanoid with a series of exhausts sticking out of his body. _"Hello everybody, the name's Verium! I hope you're all ready to enjoy my smokeshow!"_ The exhausts on his body started belching out clouds of black smoke that floated towards the crowd.

"_Everyone, run!"_ El Mariachi Verdadero yelled out into the audience. _"The bombs are disabled, get away from…"_ He was cut off as a silver-colored metal humanoid landed in front of him and tried to slash him in half with its claws.

"Shut your trap, human." Slash snickered, his peg-like teeth bared. "We V2s don't take very well to mere humans spoiling all of our fun!"

Clarice continued to laugh as he reloaded his revolver. "How do you like my assistants, hero? They came all this way from another world apparently, but when I found them asleep they were more than happy to help me cause some havoc in this world! Can you feel their immense power? Run in fear, weakling!" He looked over at the mobs of people trying to break down the locked exits. "There's no escape for any of them…"

"_Escape?"_ A voice called out. _"I think you overestimate the fear factor of your two friends, nut."_

"Hm? Who's there?" Clarice looked up at the rafters and snickered. "Oh, it's you."

"_I am the hero of the heavens!"_ The call caught the attention of the mob, calming them as they realized someone else had arrived. _"In the name of justice and love, I intend to deal with you and your two cronies on my own! My name is Starlight Savior, super heroine of justice!"_

----------------------

Eri stared up at the Savior and sighed. ("When did he even get the chance to transform? I don't remember hearing anyone moving during the whole duel.") She looked over at Nikolai, who shrugged from his seat. ("I guess we leave it to him. It's just two Vengeances anyway.")

----------------------

Starlight landed down on the stage and crossed her arms across her chest. "You only get one chance to repent, Clarice. Give up." When he pointed the revolver at her face she sighed. "You lose then." Suddenly she was standing behind him, his weapon in her hand. "I said give up."

"…." Trembling in rage at being foiled yet again, Clarice ran for the exit. "Verium, Slash, cover my escape and meet me outside!"

"Understood!" The two V2s landed in between the heroine and the retreating madman.

Starlight sighed and rubbed the back of her head. "Verdadero-san, would you mind dealing with Clarice?" When she felt him leap over her head she grinned to the two Vengeances. "Let's wrap this up quickly, shall we?"

"Heh," Slash laughed out. "We're a pair of V2s, foolish guardian. If you barely could stand against a prototype of our kind, and yes we know of that encounter, then what makes you think that you can take two of us alone?"

"What makes me think I can take you both?" She held up the crystal flower floating in her hands. **"Awaken Aries, awaken Taurus, and awaken Scorpio!"** The flower exploded outwards, forming into the beautiful wing-like shape of the sword she had used against Borui. **"The Sword of the Celestial Navigator; The Wing of Cryox!"**

"That won't do you any good against…" Verium was about to unleash a jet of his poisonous smoke when he realized that the heroine had disappeared. "Where did she go?"

"The reason," Starlight, who was now dropping towards them from above, yelled out. "I think I can beat you is because this time I don't need my feet to use this heavy thing! Here we go!"

The crystal feathers of the weapon all went perfectly straight. **"Starlight Zephyr!"** Then the sword fell, sending a roaring shockwave of dark blue light across both of the V2s at once. "Now be good boys and say the magic…" She disappeared right before she collided with the ground and appeared kneeling behind them, the massive Wing of Cryox resting on her shoulder. "…words."

"**Good…shot…"** Verium and Slash both exploded in a violent blast of crimson mist that sprayed high towards the ceiling.

--------------------

Chris grinned and clapped her hands together loudly. "Yeah! That was awesome!"

("Using Capricorn to place yourself in a position suitable for using the final attack of that weapon…excellent strategy.") Nikolai found himself clapping quietly, drowned out by the applause of the audience.

"Its times like this…" Masami muttered from his seat. "That I wonder what the point of the other Saviors is if Starlight gets the killer attacks."

----------------------

Starlight bowed once to the audience and then willed away the Wing of Cryox, running off stage and heading for the exit. ("Now to deal with Clarice…") She slid to a stop as El Mariachi Verdadero stepped out from around a corner, frowning. "He got away?" When he nodded she groaned and banged her head against the nearest wall. "Great…just great…"

The Spaniard smiled slightly and grabbed her hand, pulling her out onto stage once more. "Take a bow, Starlight. It seems you've earned it."

"Says the guy that peacefully took down the nutcase that would have killed us all," She chided, bowing to the audience and scooping up the microphone on the ground. _"Ladies and Gentlemen, we're sorry your evening had to be spoiled like this. While it wasn't exactly cultured, we hope you enjoyed the show."_ When the applause grew louder she bowed deeply once more and noticed that El Mariachi Verdadero was getting his guitar. _"And from this point I leave it to the dear Mariachi to entertain you. I gotta go."_ Tossing him the microphone, she disappeared.

--------------------

_An hour later…_

--------------------

Shiro walked out of the theater with a big smile on his face. "Wow, I didn't think one guy with a guitar could provide so much relaxation. I feel great!"

"It just goes to show you…" Masami stopped and frowned. "Okay, there is no moral to this. Plus the bad guy got away, but hopefully we won't hear from that guy again. He was the creepy kind of crazy. Not my kind of people at all."

As more of the group filed out, Sanzo noticed that Mizuki looked rather worked up about something. "What's the matter?"

"Oh…" The dark-haired girl blushed, though she was still smiling widely. "The link picked up again when Starlight showed up. It was a rush to get to experience what it was like being the superhero." She caught sight of a rather tired-looking Ichigo and nearly tackled him in her enthusiasm. "Ichigo-san!"

"Gah!" The half demon hopped back once, and then was eating pavement as Eri punched him full force in the back of the head. "Oww…again…"

The demoness glared at Mizuki. "I've resolved myself to hit Ichigo whenever you piss me off because I don't want to kill you, and because maybe this damn link will let you feel a bit of what he's feeling." Then she stomped over to the street and waited for Halo's limousines to pull up.

Ichigo pulled himself up from the floor and brushed himself off. "Man, I'm already worn out from having to use up so much power too…" Then he noticed that Mizuki was scarily close to him, a look on her face that reminded him of how she had acted around Erian at first. "Let me guess…you want to learn more about Starlight Savior?" When she nodded with nearly childish excitement he sighed. "Alright, alright, I'll show you whatever you want to see once we get home."

"Yes!" Mizuki declared triumphantly, pumping one fist into the air.

Erian stumbled out, Resshin helping him stand. "Oh man, remind me never to try negating a V2's ability to activate explosives again…"

"Meh," The orange-haired traveler said.

Adriel patted the exhausted Traveler on the shoulder. "You did good man, thanks for saving all our lives. Anything you need?"

"I could use some water…now that you mention it…" Erian tilted his head to look at Adriel…and his eyes bugged out of his head.

Ambience, wearing a simple purple dress, offered a plastic cup of water to her older brother. "Here you are."

"When…" Both Adriel and Erian threw up their hands at the same time.

Ambience blushed when Adriel put a hand on her shoulder. "Ummm…"

"No I'm not letting go, my heart can't take another of your sudden appearance acts tonight." The half dragon demon handed the cup of water to Erian and walked to the sidewalk edge with the female Traveler.

_To be continued…_


	106. Freaks Galleria

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 106: Freaks Galleria

Ichigo and Mizuki, upon arriving home and changing into more casual clothing, had relocated to the underground gym.

Ichigo planted his hands on his hips, standing in the middle of the gym while she was standing a good distance away. "Okay, what did you want to know about Starlight Savior?"

The dark-haired girl tapped her cheek with the eraser of the pencil she had, her notebook open in front of her. "I guess, first, would you mind transforming for me? I want to see what it looks like when you change."

Smiling slightly, Ichigo fished out his necklace from underneath his shirt. **"Emerge, Starlight Soul!"** Then he disappeared within a pulsing orb of dark blue light.

----------------

Within his orb, Ichigo was surrounded by thousands of light blue stars. They gathered around his body, forming into a pulsing cocoon of light. A few moments later the cocoon cracked and shattered, revealing the female Starlight Savior wearing nothing but a light blue bodysuit. Her eyes opened and shimmered from hazel to blue. She braced herself as the dark blue space that had housed the stars condensed around her limbs and body, forming into hardened dark blue segments of armor. Threads of dark blue light shot down her back, combining to create a dark blue cloak that trailed down her back to her knees.

-----------------

The orb exploded and the heroine struck a pose, right hand coming up to point at the sky.

Mizuki blinked a few times and walked around Starlight Savior in a circle, looking at the heroine's body and then tapping the side of her head with her pencil eraser. ("That doesn't make any sense. How was raw energy able to condense and change him into a different looking form?") "I still don't get why you're female in this form."

Starlight blushed and rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Well it's because the Infinity Mind saved me from some lethal poison and in the process of regenerating my body kind of…got my gender wrong."

"It…" Mizuki lifted a brow and scribbled something down. "Very interesting. I'd think that it would have gotten the gender right, but considering it's of alien origin I can see how it might have made that mistake."

"Wow," the heroine muttered in disbelief. "That's the first time someone took that answer without immediately thinking I was lying." She smiled at Mizuki, feeling a newfound respect for a girl that she already thought was awesome. "Alright then, Mizuki-san, what would you like to see next?"

Mizuki giggled at a thought that crossed her mind. "You know, Ichigo…" She emphasized his name. "I think it's okay if we refer to each other without the need for a suffix, don't you?"

Breathing a loud sigh of relief, the heroine smiled cheerfully. "Thank you. It's really annoying to stick san onto people's names."

"Anyway," Mizuki coughed, returning to the subject at hand. "I noticed that in the theater you summoned that immense blade you used to beat the really big monster last night. What was it called again?"

"The Wing of Cryox." Starlight crossed her arms across her chest triumphantly. "My ultimate weapon."

"It was a waste of power," Mizuki commented, writing down a few more things in her notebook while the heroine facefell violently.

"What do you mean it was a waste of power?" Starlight leapt back to her feet almost instantly, face twitching a couple of times. "Those things…"

"You forget," Mizuki held up a finger and closed one eye, glancing at the heroine chidingly. "I was sharing your senses too at that moment. You used a rocket launcher to kill a pair of unarmored soldiers, essentially. Since you said that the Wing of Cryox was your ultimate weapon I can guess you had less energy-sucking attacks you could have used, correct?"

Ears twitching Starlight dropped to her butt, looking absolutely defeated. "Yeah, but I wanted to make sure and…and…" She exhaled loudly. "I feel stupid."

Mizuki sat down next to her. "Let's go over your best abilities, alright?"

The heroine nodded, still feeling that if Rysel had been nearby he would have said 'Pwned" again.

-----------------------------

Griff collapsed against a couch cushion and yawned. "Man, it's not even 8:00 yet and I want to go to sleep."

Rysel sat in his comfy chair and flipped on the monitor just as the others started filing in. "There's no time for rest, Griff, there's things to be done! We must look in on the next round of the DMWC, because otherwise we will miss important potential weaknesses of our opponents. Also, I will get to see much more supreme pwnage."

--------------------------

Moderator pulled the microphone close and looked down from his booth. _"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Team Herald, a late entry by Barton Industries versus Team Wesson, representing Smith and Wesson Firearms!"_

The seven Heralds, each still dressed in their Asian uniforms, stood at the ready on their side, while their opponents all wore pseudo-military gear, dressing themselves in what looked like SWAT gear. Katsuya sneered. "Sheesh, these guys dress up so much it pisses me off. Lemme crush him one by one."

His large friend chuckled and rotated his shoulders, one hand fingering his deck. "Let me get a crack at them Katsuya, I'd like a chance to at least duel once in this round."

A chuckle came from the rear of the group and the emaciated looking duelist pushed to the front. "No Jamal…this team is mine."

Sakura sighed and folded her arms under her ample chest. "I see what he's after. Fukushima, you're such a pervert…"

Fukushima chuckled and began to walk forwards across the bridge. One of the men on the other side started to walk as well. _"For our first duel, from Team Herald we have Fukushima Nagashi versus"_

Moderator halted when Fukushima suddenly pointed up at the booth and started shouting. "Don't go making any announcements just yet! I've got a challenge for Team Wesson!"

The Herald turned and glared at the man approaching him, and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "Take a hike guy, I don't want to duel you. Send in those three pretty ladies over there and I'll duel all three at once. If I win, my team gets three wins and advances. If I lose, I count for three loses."

Byakuya sighed and shook his head. "That fool is doing it again, risking everything just to play out his proclivities."

Team Wesson huddled together for about a minute, and then broke apart. "We agree to your proposal! This entire round will be hinging on a three on one duel!"

Moderator coughed and spoke again. _"It seems that this will be a three on one duel. Team Herald's Fukushima Nagashi versus Team Wesson's Jesse Manson, Samantha Blanton, and Taurence Matthews."_

All three of the female duelists clicked their duel disks into place. The first one Jesse, a pretty blonde girl with her hair in a ponytail narrowed her eyes at the gaunt Fukushima. "Are you really that confident that you can beat all three of us?"

Jesse- 4000

Samantha- 4000

Taurence- 4000

Fukushima- 4000

Fukushima shrugged and inserted his deck into his disk. "Not really, it's just that I'm greedy. I wasn't going to let my teammates get a chance to duel such pretty ladies, so I had to have you three to myself."

Samantha grimaced, tossing her brown hair over her shoulder. "A cocky so-called ladies man like you is a disgrace. We'll smack you down easy."

Dark-skinned Taurence finished putting her deck into place and glared at Fukushima. "And an ugly guy like you never had a chance with us."

The gaunt duelist snickered, and then coughed in the middle of it. "I never claimed I had a chance with you, I just enjoy facing women…there's a thrill to exposing them to my power, of making them understand that I can dominate them and making them admit it! Making them enjoy that dominance…"

-----------------------

"…" Eri and Teruha growled at the monitor, causing every male member in the room to move a little bit away from them.

-------------------------

"Sick pervert…" Fukushima merely chuckled and drew from his deck.

"Perhaps I am, perhaps so. But we'll see if you don't sing a different tune when I get done with you. Ah…and here's my creature of choice. But first, I set two cards face down." He inserted two cards into his disk, one after the next.

"Now, I summon my favorite monster! The mighty and terrible Tentacle Freak (700/1200)!" A slimy vaguely humanoid creature stumbled out from his card. It had puss-filled sores all over its body and its arms were a pair of tentacles.

"Turn End!" The three girls exchanged looks, and then Jesse drew.

"I summon Machine Gunner (1400/1200) in attack mode. And he'll attack Tentacle Freak!" The military monster whipped out an assault rifle and fired a few rounds into Tentacle Freak, sending it stumbling backwards.

Fukushima laughed and grabbed his deck. "By discarding two cards from the top of my deck when Tentacle Freak is destroyed in battle I can special summon him back to the field. And when Tentacle Freak is special summoned he gains three hundred attack points!"

Fukushima- 3300

The monster stopped stumbling and a third tentacle grew out of its stomach and its attack power rose to one thousand. Jesse frowned and slid a card into her duel disk. "I set that card and end."

Samantha drew and slapped her drawn card down. "Action Warrior-Gunner (1800/1000) in attack mode! This monster attacks Tentacle Freak!"

------------

"Whoo!" Cheered Shiro. "Go Action Warriors!"

------------

Her monster held out its revolver and fired a few rounds into Tentacle Freak. Like before it stumbled, and then righted itself as another tentacle grew out of its stomach. This time its attack points settled at thirteen hundred. "I place one card face down and activate Machine Gun Emplacement, a continuous magic card. End turn!"

Fukushima- 2500

Taurence pointed to her field as a monster wielding a pair of sub machine-guns dropped out onto her field. "Gun Runner (1700/1000) is now equipped with AR-15, boosting his attack by eight hundred. And he'll attack Tentacle Freak!"

The sub machine-guns faded only to be replaced by an assault rifle. The monster pulled the trigger, pumping Tentacle Freak full of lead. Fukushima just laughed and tossed out another two cards, bringing back his monster with additional attack points. "Strike all you want, you can't beat me or Tentacle Freak!"

Fukushima- 1300

Sakura sighed and placed her chin in her palm. "For all his talk Fukushima is really losing out there. They're kicking his butt."

Katusya nodded, but he looked more annoyed about not being able to duel. "If it was me I'd probably have won already."

A card appeared behind Gun Runner, and Taurence pointed at Fukushima. "Take your turn freak!"

Fukushima licked his lips and grinned. "Gladly, and during your end phase I activate my two set continuous trap cards. The first is Renewable Resource, which lets me shuffle any cards discarded by one card since my previous turn back into my deck during my standby phase."

As soon as that one was face-up his other revealed itself and a glowing light surrounded his body. "My second continuous trap is Spirit Barrier, which prevents me from taking life point damage from battle while I have monsters on the field."

Jesse blinked, and then her eyes widened. "You didn't activate it just so we'd kill your monster and power it up? You're smarter than I gave you credit for."

The Herald smirked and drew. "And you're cute but dumb. I activate Cold Wave! Until the start of my next turn no duelist may set or activate magic or trap cards."

All of his opponent's set cards frozen in place, giving him an opening. "And now…let me ask you. Did you notice that each time he came back Tentacle Freak had an extra tentacle?"

The trio of girls nodded. "Well each tentacle represents Tentacle Freak's ability to attack. And now, how many tentacles does he have?"

Five tentacles slithered and whipped about the freak's body. "So you see it! Tentacle Freak, go and attack Gun Runner!"

It moved to attack, but was hit by a series of bullets from the runner's assault rifle. Another tentacle sprouted and Tentacle Freak's attack rose to nineteen hundred. "Attack again!"

Once more it was pushed back by the assault rifle's rapport, and another tentacle formed, boosting its attack to twenty-two hundred. "Another attack!"

Taurence felt her cards slipping from her hand as his monster was again stopped, only to grow in strength until it equaled her monster's attack. "Destroy each other!"

Both monsters shattered, but Tentacle Freak came back even stronger, this time with twenty-eight hundred attack points. And though it had used up four attacks it had also gained four attacks in the process, meaning it effectively still had five left. "And since you two can defend your partner with your face up monsters, I'll strike them down as well! Tentacle Strangle!"

A pair of tentacles shot out, wrapping around the two monsters on the other two duelists fields, squeezing them until they shattered. Each girl winced, now open for attack. Taurence looked at her teammates and grinned weakly. "Kick his ass."

Jess- 2600

Samantha- 3000

Fukushima laughed and pointed at Taurence. "Tentacle Freak, dominate her now!"

Another pair of tentacles extended from Tentacle Freak's body, each of them wrapping around Taurence. The audience and her team gasped in horror as the tentacles lifted her in the air and began…groping her. "Hey, let me go you sick pervert!"

He snickered and snapped his fingers. "Sure, drop her Tentacle Freak!"

It moved its tentacles over the edge and then released. Taurence screamed as she began to fall, the drop sure to kill her. But seconds later another tentacle reached out and grabbed her, tossing her back at her team in safety. "Just kidding. You see, I have control little lady! Tentacle Freak dominates every woman I meet."

Taurence- 0

Suddenly Fukushima grinned insanely and looked over at Jesse, whose eyes widened in surprise. "Oh no…"

"Oh yes! Tentacle Freak still has one more attack left, and you're the target! Now go for her Tentacle Freak! Dominate her now!" Jesse screamed as the tentacle pushed up under her Kevlar vest, and held her up by it. She screamed even louder when she was turned upside down as the tentacle came out through the top of the vest and wrapped around her head.

Samantha glared at Fukushima who was busy having a laugh, even while the audience was booing him. "Put her down you freak!"

Fukushima chuckled and snapped his fingers. Just like before Tentacle Freak tossed the girl to her teammates, where she shuddered after being caught, feeling violated. "Everybody always wants to ruin my fun. Oh well, I'm done for now."

Jesse- 0

----------------------

Eri and Teruha both seemed on the verge of leaping out of their seats, running down to the stadium, and beating the life out of Fukushima.

Masami, eyes hidden behind the glare of his glasses, watched the duel rather emotionlessly. "Very odd creature he has, and his methods are also rather despicable. However, I can credit him on his skill at doing exactly what he wanted to do."

"Translate that to Japanese, not all of us speak Freak." Griff muttered.

"It's simple." Masami removed his glasses, scarlet eyes glistening as he looked at the Tentacle Freak on screen. "Most people can shake off the attack from a monster without losing concentration, but take a look at those girls. They look on the verge of exploding, though whether into anger or tears I cannot be certain. He likes to duel female opponents not just because of the dominance he supposedly enforces, but because when it attacks it also causes psychological damage. It's very effective."

------------------------

Samantha drew, and realized suddenly that she was in more trouble than she might have thought. _'That monster is on level with most level seven or eight monsters, and it has nine attacks each turn. And this turn I can't activate or set any cards at all. This isn't good…'_

She glanced at her set card, and hoped that it would help out. "I summon Riot Gunner (700/900) in defense mode. And then I active the effect of Machine Gun Emplacement. When I summon a monster with 'gun' in its name I can deal you three hundred points of damage!"

The mini-gun spun its barrel and sending a hail of bullets slamming into Fukushima. The Herald took the beating and kept standing, even though he looked like he had just been hit by a truck. "You'll pay for that next turn."

Fukushima- 1000

The Herald drew and the frost around Samantha's set card faded away. "Ha, perfect! I'll save this for later and go on the attack!"

A tentacle slapped the gunner, ripping it in half. Then suddenly another one appeared in its place. "When Riot Gunner is destroyed as a result of battle I can special summon another one from my deck, so now you take damage!"

Fukushima snarled in frustration as he was hit by another series of bullets, putting another hole in his life points. "I've got eight more attacks where that came from!"

Fukushima- 700

Tentacle Freak slapped the Riot Gunner aside, but the moment it blew apart another one formed, and Fukushima was once again pounded by bullets. "I'm getting tired of that…but it doesn't matter since there are no more left after I crush this one!"

Fukushima- 400

A tentacle punched through the last Riot Gunner, leaving an opening to Samantha's life points. "You'd better hope your set card is a good one, or it's already over! Tentacle Freak, dominate her!"

The set card flipped and the tentacle struck a glowing barrier and bounced off. "Damn it…Negate Attack I see. Fine, I set one card face down and end my turn."

Samantha drew, and held up the drawn card. "I activate Silver Bullet, which deals you three hundred damage and increases my life points by the same amount!"

Samantha- 3300

Fukushima- 100

Sakura groaned. "That idiot is going to get us knocked out of the tournament in the first round."

For the first time since the start of the duel Lin, the Asian girl, spoke. "No, he's prepared completely. He's going to win next turn."

Byakuya smiled at this. "When Lin says something with such conviction she is without a doubt correct. Let's see how Fukushima manages this time."

Katsuya punched a hand into his fist. "He'd better not screw this up, or I'll kick his scrawny ass!"

Although they couldn't see it Fukushima's left eye was twitching rapidly. "Those jerks…they have no faith in me whatsoever."

Samantha slapped down her next card. "I summon Twin Gun Fighter (1600/1000), and activate the effect of Machine Gun Emplacement! You lose pervert!"

Fukushima suddenly burst out laughing as his face down card flipped up. "I was waiting for that! Praise of the Freak gives me five hundred life points for every tentacle my Tentacle Freak has. Meaning I gain forty-five hundred life points!"

His female opponent grimaced as Fukushima was hit by her machine gun, but wasn't finished off by it. "I thought I had him too…"

Fukushima- 4300

Shaking off the annoyance she pointed at the pervert, and her newest monster leveled a pair of pistols at him. "In place of its attack Twin Gun Fighter can deal you its attack as damage, though this effect only works when he's my only monster. Take this!"

The gun fighter fired his pistols, striking Fukushima dead on. The Herald grimaced, getting irritated. "How many times will I got shot in this duel?"

Fukushima- 2700

"As many times as it takes to teach you a lesson for your perverted acts against my teammates! I place a card face down and end my turn!" Fukushima licked his lips and drew.

"From my hand I now activate the card I saved last turn. Tentacle Field Sweep! For every two attacks I forfeit I can have Tentacle Freak smash one magic or trap card on your field. And I'll forfeit two of them to blast your set card!" Samantha gasped as two tentacles embedded into her set card, crushing it.

"No…I almost had you…" Fukushima rolled his tongue over his lips and then rubbed his stomach, grinning the whole time showing yellowed teeth.

"Tentacle Freak, get that gun-toting loser out of my way." A tentacle stabbed into Twin Gun Fighter's stomach, and then hurled it into the air where it turned to holographic pixels.

Samantha- 2100

"And now, dominate her Tentacle Freak; attack her with all of your tentacles! Absolute Tentacle Domination!" Samantha screamed as six tentacles wrapped around her body, poking and prodding her in inappropriate places.

She was held up in the air, and as the audience watched in horror the tentacles began to peel her clothes off, first getting rid of the Kevlar vest, and then moving on. "That's right Tentacle Freak; let's see what she's made of!"

-----------------------

A very low growl came from Eri, and her hair started to stand on end. "Kill him…I'll kill him!"

Masami frowned now. "Of course, I might have been wrong and he is just as much of a freak as his monster."

-------------------------

Quickly she was divested of all her clothes save for bra and panties, and the audience was in an uproar, their screams of outrage only further causing Fukushima to laugh. "Come on Tentacle Freak, stop teasing me and everybody else! Let's see some naughty bits, really dominate her!"

"Fukushima! It's over, release her!" The gaunt duelist glanced over his shoulder, and grimaced when he saw Byakuya glaring at him.

"Sheesh, ruining my fun. Fine, Tentacle Freak, let her go, I've already had some fun out of this." The tentacles released Samantha, and her teammates caught her, glaring at Fukushima as he turned around and started to walk away.

Samantha- 0

Moderator coughed into his microphone. _"In what can only be described as both a disturbing and impressive duel Fukushima Nagashi of Team Herald wins the round for his entire team, gaining three victories at once. Team Herald advances!"_

As Fukushima walked back to his team he had a sick grin on his face, which the cameras clearly captured. "Oh I can't wait to dominate all the pretty ladies in this tournament!"

--------------------------

"And there you go!" Mizuki handed her notebook to Starlight, a list of appropriate situations for each weapon combination listed on it. "Now you'll be fighting smart and not just wasting power where it wouldn't be necessary."

The heroine looked the list over and smiled widely. "Thanks Mizuki…" In the back of her head though, she still felt extremely stupid now.

"Don't mention it," the dark-haired girl waved the thanks off with a hand, looking very happy now. "This way it'll be like we're working together when you fight. My brains and your brawn, Ichigo, they're the ultimate team-up!"

"…." And so the feeling of being stupid got worse for Starlight.

Mizuki didn't seem to notice though. She was too caught in hoping to experience the exhilarating rush of being the hero again.

------------------------------

The doorbell rang once more.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Griff stomped up to the door and opened it. "We don't want any of whatever you're selling, go…" His eyes widened at what he saw standing right in front of the doorway. "Ummm, Nikolai, Adriel, Chris, Masami, Eri…it's for you."

_To be continued…_


	107. Home Away from Home Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 107: Home Away from Home (Part 1)

A loud hissing roar echoed across the inside of the boarding house, followed by a shout of panic from Griff and the sound of something tearing through plaster and stone.

Adriel and Nikolai came sliding out into the entryway and then were forced to retreat as something thick and green came crashing through the wall and nearly took their heads off. "Run!"

The roaring grew louder. "Where is the Rising Star? Bring her out! Bring her out or I'll kill you all until I find her!" The voice was low in pitch, sounding like some kind of snake hiss. "Where? Where are you, Rising Star?"

Everyone in the living room was quickly heading outside except for the Saviors, who were getting ready to transform.

Masami frowned and looked at Nikolai. "What's a Rising Star?"

"The only Rising Star I know about is Mizuki, that's her nickname at the Academy." Sanzo noticed that Harrison was glaring at him now. "What?"

"Never you mind," The white-haired boy turned and looked at the entrance to the living room. "What do you heroes intend to do to get this thing away from here? If you have no solution to protect her then say so now, and I will kill whatever it is."

They suddenly heard a pair of gasps from the entryway, followed by a roar of anger and the sound of a something running away rapidly.

"….Where was Mizuki-san again?"

Adriel's face ticked a couple of times. "With…Ichigo in…the gym…"

-------------------------

Mizuki held on as tightly as she could to Starlight's neck, the heroine giving her a piggyback ride as they ran from rooftop to rooftop, trying to escape from the Vengeance that was doggedly pursuing them. "Does this happen normally?"

"No!" Starlight leapt across another expanse, landing on top of a building and quickly rushing towards the other end. "They don't normally come to us."

The hissing roar grew louder and more frustrated. "Give me the Rising Star! Give her to me now!"

"Rising Star?" The heroine noticed that Mizuki's breathing was a little shallow suddenly. "Speak to me please, I can't stop running right now to ask what's wrong."

"It's after me," She muttered quietly. "Why?" The question sounded both curious, and also rather…frustrated.

("That tone of voice sounds familiar.") Starlight smiled slightly as she realized that it was the same as Ichigo's tone of voice concerning his own fate. ("I guess there are more similarities between us than I thought originally.") Then she made one final leap, landing in the middle of a currently empty construction site and setting Mizuki down. "Head for cover, but stay near me. If it's after you then I can't promise I can draw its attention away completely."

Nodding, the dark-haired girl rushed out of sight behind some piled-up steel girders. "Don't forget what we talked about, Ichigo! Pay attention to its abilities and choose the weapon that best matches what I listed, okay?"

"Right!" Starlight threw a thumbs-up behind her. "Leave it to me!"

Then the Vengeance arrived, landing with an echoing crash down at the other end of the level dirt-covered construction site. It was tall, covered from head to toe in green scales, and had the head of a very violent and predatory-looking lizard. Throwing back its snout, the creature sniffed the air and hissed angrily. "Where is Rising Star? She is near here, bring her out!"

Starlight noticed something odd about this creature that stood out against its body. It was wearing some kind of white-metal harness around its waist, the middle of the harness having a strange purple jewel installed in it. ("What is that thing it's wearing?")

"Tell Scale where she is now, puny creature!" Roaring at the heroine, the lizard monster lunged forwards rapidly.

("Let's see,") Starlight thought, mind running over the list Mizuki had written…which she didn't remember at all. "Ummmm…." Her hands snapped up. **"Awaken Aries, awaken Taurus, and awaken Scorpio!"**

"What are you doing?" Mizuki shouted. "You'll never hit that thing with the Wing! If it's fast and capable of running quickly then use Star Blaster! Remember?"

"Rising Star!" Scale changed directions and charged directly towards Mizuki now that he could see her.

"AH!" Starlight shattered the current crystal flower and formed another. **"Awaken Taurus, awaken Leo, and awaken Sagittarius!"** The crystalline formation exploded outwards into the shape of a heavy hand cannon. **"The Cry of the Celestial Navigator, Star Blaster!"** Then she snapped it up and pulled the trigger, a blast of dark blue light shooting from the weapon and striking the reptilian Vengeance in the back with an explosion of power. "You were right, Mizuki! I got him in…" She gaped as Scale barely seemed affected by the blast. "What?"

Mizuki gasped, the terrifying image of the hissing Scale reflected in her green eyes…right before that image changed to that of Starlight Savior's back.

Scale gagged as the Star Blaster's barrel was shoved right down its throat. It tried to bite through the crystal and found itself unable to. Its tail snapped up and around, preparing to slap the Savior's head off at full strength.

"**Stream of Stars!"** Pulling the trigger and releasing the full load of energy in the weapon, Starlight barely flinched as Scale's insides were lit up in a dark blue glow for a few moments…but then she reflected surprise when the creature's tail kept coming, striking her full force and sending her flying out of control along the ground until she crashed into the cement wall of the construction site. ("It…didn't even react to the attack?")

Mizuki didn't understand…this creature didn't look armored, so how had its insides had so easily avoided being harmed by the Star Blaster? Then all thoughts were blown away as Scale's tail snapped up and around her, nearly crushing the life out of her in that one moment before it relaxed and lifted her up off the ground.

"Now to go home…" Scale was about to leap when something hit him in the back of the head, sending him stumbling forward a couple of steps. "Annoying bug, go away!"

Starlight, eyes trembling in fear and confusion, didn't understand. Her aim had been perfect, and had hit the creature right in the back of the head without putting Mizuki at any risk…and yet it was still unaffected. ("What is this thing? Why can't I hurt it?") "Mizuki, what if the best weapon for the situation doesn't have any effect?"

The dark-haired girl gasped for air and kicked a couple of times…

"GAH, screw it!" The heroine ran up to Scale and pistol-whipped him across the face with the Star Blaster, not really surprised that he barely reacted. "What's with you? What are you made of?"

"Shut up, loud annoying non-master thing!" Scale back-handed Starlight a few feet backwards, not noticing that he was slowly squeezing the life out of his captive. "You stop being loud and annoying, or else Scale eat you!"

The heroine, prone on the ground, twitched a couple of times. ("Mizuki said this weapon would work best, but it's not hurting him. Maybe I just need to hit the right spot?") Rolling to her feet, Starlight ran towards the Vengeance and rolled under one of its lazy hits, bringing the barrel of the Blaster against its neck. **"Stream of Stars!"** Everything was swallowed up in dark blue light, and then she was sent rolling backwards as Scale head-butted her in anger because she had flashed him with weird light again. "ARGH! Mizuki, hang on! **Awaken Capricorn!"**

Mizuki could suddenly breathe as she found herself standing next to Starlight. "You…" She coughed and sucked in a bit of air. "You can teleport other people?"

"Yeah…" The heroine didn't bother to mention just how much energy that had cost her, but considering that this creature didn't seem willing to let go of Mizuki no matter what she did to it there had been no choice. "Okay, if Star Blaster doesn't work then what do I do?"

"Well, it must be immune to energy attacks. Try the Comet Lance." Mizuki felt the connection again, and she could experience what Starlight was experiencing…but that didn't make for a very exhilarating situation, considering the circumstances. She was feeling frustrated now, just as much as the heroine.

"Right! **Awaken Aries, awaken Virgo, and awaken Leo!"** A crystal flower formed in Starlight's free hand and quickly spread outwards, changing into a rather complex spear with one end being made for piercing and the other end having a head meant for bludgeoning. **"The Beak of the Celestial Navigator; Comet Lance!"** Handing the Star Blaster to Mizuki, she yelled out a battle cry and charged towards the rather confused-looking Vengeance.

--------------------------

Harrison glared at Nikolai. "Well, where did they go? Why can't we sense them?"

Slipping out of his communion with Illustrious, the Russian Duelist frowned. "Every trail to the attacker is completely invisible to Illustrious. Starlight is still in the city, but that doesn't help. Mizuki has no trails either, which worries me. We cannot find them."

Shiro paced across the room rapidly. "Are you serious? So it's just up to Ichigo to make sure that Mizuki is safe from that thing? I can't accept that! We have to go search!"

"I'm with the chimp." Eri noticed that Shiro had facefallen when she had said that. "I refuse to trust that Ichan can finish that thing off on his own. It seemed fairly powerful."

Sanzo nodded sagely. "That creature triggered my Danger Sense heavily. Something about it is not normal, even considering the fact that it is an evil space monster."

Masami sighed in contentment. "Have I mentioned yet that I love you all for bringing this wonderful lifestyle to me? Without you I'd be so very bored."

"Yes, you've mentioned it numerous times!" Adriel yelled right in his face.

---------------------------

Starlight was sent sliding backwards once more, sweat dripping down her forehead. ("This is impossible.") Stabbing the Comet Lance into the dirt in front of her, she frowned and formed another flower.

Scale tilted his head to the side at the annoying pest, still unsure what exactly she was doing. "You keep bothering Scale, why? What you want?"

"I'd like you to say a couple of words, actually!" She changed her mind and crushed the flower, hopping back a few feet to Mizuki. "It doesn't seem to be working. Mizuki, I want you to run. This thing doesn't even understand I'm attacking it apparently. That's how ineffective my attacks seem to be."

The dark-haired girl couldn't understand it. ("Why is it so immune to Starlight's attacks? Is there some kind of invisible shield I can't see?") "Ichigo…I don't know what to do. This doesn't make sense. Tactically a long range weapon should be best, but it doesn't seem to matter what you use against this thing."

Scale started to approach the two. "Scale is bored of games, Rising Star come with Scale now."

"Not a chance." Starlight snapped the Star Blaster up and aimed at the creature's head. "Mizuki isn't leaving!" Then she opened fire. "Starlight Savior won't let any Vengeance hurt an innocent bystander!"

"Starlight Savior?" Scale stuck his tongue out and hissed low. "You are Starlight Savior?"

"That's right, what about it?" The heroine took a couple of steps back, Mizuki remaining directly behind her.

"Master says that Scale is supposed to kill the Saviors." The reptilian Vengeance threw back his head and roared, charging in at full speed towards the two.

---------------------

"I don't understand." Valor Savior looked out over the city of Tokyo, eyes narrowed. "I can sense a very faint source of energy somewhere in the city, but it's too low to be detected. If they were still fighting then Ichigo would have used a stronger source of power by now. Therefore the only alternative explanation is that someone is actively blocking our ability to sense what is going on."

Harrison scoffed and kneeled to peer down at the streets of bustling Tokyo. "Your dimension is a terrible place, if monsters like the thing that attacked us run free and the only thing standing between them and destroying us all is a group of five incompetents such as that woman-man that leads you."

"I won't argue that Ichigo can be incompetent." The long-haired Savior sat down. "However, there's something about him that you may not understand. He is our leader for a reason just beyond his power."

---------------------

Starlight stumbled backwards, the cracked remains of the Star Blaster getting knocked out of her hand by another brutal tail swipe from Scale. "It looks like I have your full attention!" Skidding past the Comet Lance, she pulled the long weapon out of the ground and twirled it above her head rapidly. "Good, then let's do it!"

------------------------

"A reason beyond his power?" Harrison sighed. "If you're about to go into something stupidly heroic, please shut up."

"No." Valor closed his eyes. "Ichigo is the leader of the Saviors because he wins in a pinch. When the odds are out, and all else fails, he wins through a miracle. It's just what he does. There is no rhyme or reason to it though, which is what surprises me." Then his eyes opened and he smiled sadly. "He surpasses genius and hard work…he just is a hero. He didn't work for it; he didn't need to train or practice. He was born a hero."

"Then perhaps," Harrison muttered. "I truly am the only one who understands just how foolish a hero really is. To crush the darkness one needs strength, not weak ideals and speeches."

---------------------------

Mizuki felt her agitation increasing rapidly as she watched Starlight try to pound the Vengeance with the Comet Lance over and over again. ("What is that idiot doing? I outlined all of this for him in my notes…why is just striking over and over again when it's obvious that the Lance is no good here?") "Ichigo, come over here for a second!"

"Huh?" Starlight used the long pole of her weapon to vault over Scale's head, landing and sweeping the creature off of its feet before running over to Mizuki's side. "What's up?"

"What are you doing?" She shouted in the heroine's face.

"…I thought I was fighting the monster." Starlight gulped as Mizuki shoved a torn-out notebook page right in her face. "What'd I do wrong?"

"You're just attacking with the Comet Lance over and over again! Isn't it obvious that you should switch to a weapon with more destructive power behind it?" The dark-haired girl crossed her arms across her chest, looking disappointed and angry. "If you're just going to repeatedly use the same attack regardless of the fact that it does no good then what good are you as a hero? I know I said that I would the brains of our little team-up, but that doesn't give you any excuse to just strike away like a Neanderthal if it doesn't have any effect."

"…." The heroine's right eyebrow started to twitch rapidly. "Then…" Taking a deep breath, she cleared what was about to turn into an explosion of anger. "Then what would you suggest, Mizuki?"

"You need something with heavier hitting power, right?" Mizuki pointed at something listed on the piece of paper. "Why not try this then? It should work perfectly."

Right eye ticking rapidly, Starlight turned to face the snarling Scale. **"Awaken Virgo, awaken Sagittarius, and awaken Aries!"** A crystal flower appeared in her grasp and she snapped it up above her head. **"The Beak of the Celestial Navigator, Burst Lance!"** It flowed outwards into a lance shape much more accustomed to using its piercing head than the Comet Lance. "Alright, here I go!"

Scale hissed and snapped his tail out at the charging Savior, who deflected the strike with the pole of her new lance and then pushed in harder to try and pierce his chest. "Savior is slow…" Then he launched forward, claws slashing to try and pierce her armor.

Starlight snarled back and was forced back on her heels, blocking a rapid succession of claw strikes. "Not bad, but not enough!" Her right foot came up and hit the monster in the snout roughly.

Hissing in frustration and at the fact that he couldn't land a killing blow against the Savior, Scale's head quickly returned to normal position and he bit down on the pole of the Burst Lance, forcing Starlight to hang onto it with both hands to prevent him from pulling it away from her. His tail whipped up and started striking her sides and stomach, creating small cracks in the crystal defenses of the heroine.

"Ichigo, what's the matter with you?" Mizuki shouted in fear, watching the heroine take blow after blow without trying to retaliate. "Fight back!"

("Savior is being too easy,") Scale tugged once more on the Lance, and was surprised as Starlight released the weapon without the slightest resistance. Opening its snout, it released the long weapon at its feet. "Why did you let go? Do you surrender, Savior?"

"Surrender?" Starlight smiled slightly. "No. No, not at all. It's just that I wanted to say something to you."

"Now's not the time for small talk, Ichi…" Mizuki blinked in surprise as she noticed something. ("That feeling...and that tone in his voice…")

"I owe it to Mizuki. In fact, I wouldn't have even thought about this if not for the fact that she had pressed me to use different combinations of my powers to create different effect weapons." Starlight smiled cheerfully. "And now, the battle is over. You won't be dodging this." A crystal flower appeared in her grasp. **"Awaken Aries, awaken Taurus, and awaken Scorpio!"**

"Ichigo, you won't be able to hit him with the wing! Don't waste power summoning it!" Mizuki shouted.

The flower quickly formed into the spread wing shape of the ultimate weapon of Starlight Savior. **"The Sword of the Celestial Navigator; The Wing of Cryox!"** The weapon dropped onto her shoulder. "You won't be avoiding it now. Because in your focus on me, you didn't even notice what I had summoned."

Scale tried to step back…and realized that he couldn't move. Something was clamped onto his tail. Glancing behind him, the creature realized that there was a dark blue crystal claw hanging in the air, latched onto his tail and anchored in place. "What's this?"

"The time control power of Pisces and the heavy weight of Scorpio. The Dimensional Anchor." Starlight grabbed the handle of the Wing with both hands, her aura exploding to life around her. "It is locked into that section of space, and nothing short of a dimension tearing attack will move it! In other words, unless you're saving up something big I didn't know about…" The feathers of the heavy blade all went perfectly straight. "This is the finish!"

Mizuki couldn't believe she hadn't thought about such a possible combination. ("I had just been treating all of his powers like they were weapons…when they had combinations far beyond that.") Though she smiled proudly, there was also some sadness there. ("I guess my advice really was useless. Ichigo knows what he is doing…doesn't he?")

Scale hissed in anger, trying to wrench the clamp off of his tail. "Release me!"

"I'll be glad to. First though, accept this gift from me to you!" Starlight exploded forwards, her aura flaring outwards around her in the shape of a screeching bird in flight.

Scale hissed in confusion and fear as the screeching bird drew in incredibly close, nearly touching him...

"**Starlight Zephyr!"** Then she swung, the Wing of Cryox sending a roaring explosion of dark blue wind across Scale's body and then through it, sending the creature hurtling backwards as the Dimensional Anchor cracked and shattered.

Mizuki's eyes widened as her analytical mind evaluated the strike. ("He got in to nearly point-blank range before firing…so that the monster would take the full force of the blast without any of the spread hitting the surrounding construction objects. Incredible…how did Ichigo realize so quickly that would be the safest way to use such a high destruction attack?")

Lowering the Wing to the ground, the heroine smiled at the smoldering slash-shaped crater she had created in the ground. "Not one bit of damage to the surrounding area, and one utterly obliterated monster too!" Her hand shot up and her index and middle fingers came up together. "Total victory is ours!" She turned and grinned to Mizuki. "Right?"

"Yeah," Mizuki said, plastering a rather weak smile onto her face. "Good job." Then the smile faltered. "I guess you really didn't need my advice."

"What are you talking about?" The heroine walked over to the dark-haired girl, still grinning. "If not for the fact that you kept telling me to think about my strategy, I wouldn't have realized that the best way to use The Wing of Cryox would be to restrict that thing's movements." She bowed her head. "Thank you, Mizuki."

Blushing, Mizuki rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "You…you're welcome…"

"Hah!" Starlight slapped her on the back, willing away the Wing. "I bet with your help the Saviors could come up with some excellent strategies for combat!" Placing an arm around the girl's shoulders, she started walking away from the smoldering crater. "Come on, let's go home and celebrate!"

Mizuki followed, though her mind wasn't tuned in to what Starlight was saying. After listening to the heroine chatter on for another minute or so, she frowned and brushed Starlight's arm off of her shoulders. ("Ichigo…are you patronizing me? Are you just trying to make me feel better because I seemed so enthusiastic about helping you?")

The heroine blinked at the doubting expression on the other girl's face. "What's the matter?"

"You know what the matter is!" Mizuki crossed her arms across her chest defiantly. "I'm not some child that needs to be told that I was helpful if I wasn't!"

"What are you talking about now?" Scratching the top of her head, Starlight shrugged Mizuki's obvious anger off. "I was just thanking you, that's all. There's no need to go and blow a gasket over this."

"You can't honestly tell me that my telling you to use the Burst Lance was enough to make you think of that Dimensional Anchor idea!" Mizuki poked Starlight in the chest and glared. "I'm not going to lounge in any glory that I didn't earn!"

"What in the nine hells are you talking about?" Starlight brought a hand up to point at Mizuki. "If I said it helped me then it helped me!"

"And if I said it didn't then it…" Mizuki blinked a couple of times as Starlight suddenly collapsed to her knees. "Ichigo?"

"That stung…" Something inside the crater shuddered and emerged slowly. "Scale no likes loud Savior with the weird sword. Master said to kill you…"

("I can't…move…") Using all of her willpower, the heroine turned just enough to watch Scale emerge from the smoldering crater with nothing more than a scratch on his chest. "Impossible…"

"Scale use his poison on you, Savior." The creature started to approach slowly, tail flipping back and forth behind him lazily. "You die in ten minutes. It will be very painful. Scale will end that pain now."

"Mizuki…" Starlight glanced at the girl, trying to keep her vision in focus. "Run…away…" Then she collapsed to the dirt, unconscious.

Mizuki dropped to her knees and shook the heroine a couple of times. "Ichigo…Ichigo? Get a hold of yourself!"

"It is useless. When the Savior struck with the attack Scale bit her. Scale's poison will kill her without a doubt." The creature continued his leisurely approach. "Now, Rising Star, you will come with Scale. You are alone now."

_To be continued…_


	108. Home Away from Home Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are all property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 108: Home Away from Home (Part 2)

"_Scale use his poison on you, Savior." The creature started to approach slowly, tail flipping back and forth behind him lazily. "You die in ten minutes. It will be very painful. Scale will end that pain now." _

"_Mizuki…" Starlight glanced at the girl, trying to keep her vision in focus. "Run…away…" Then she collapsed to the dirt, unconscious._

_Mizuki dropped to her knees and shook the heroine a couple of times. "Ichigo…Ichigo? Get a hold of yourself!"_

"_It is useless. When the Savior struck with the attack Scale bit her. Scale's poison will kill her without a doubt." The creature continued his leisurely approach. "Now, Rising Star, you will come with Scale. You are alone now."_

Mizuki stumbled backwards, her hand brushing against a metal pipe that was on the ground. Grasping it tightly, she stood up and brandished the impromptu weapon at the approaching Vengeance. "Don't come any closer!"

Scale continued to approach, claws extended to pierce through the unmoving Starlight's throat. "This annoyance dies first, for scratching Scale with that screeching sword."

"No!" Mizuki hurled the pipe at the creature. "Leave him alone!"

Scale's tail flipped up and knocked the thrown object out of the air. "Would you prefer she suffered because of Scale's poison?" His cold reptilian features did not change as he continued speaking. "Scale noticed that you and the annoyance were arguing. Perhaps you want to make her pay for patronizing you?"

"…." Mizuki let out a low noise of anger, but it wasn't directed at the creature. It was directed at herself. ("Why? Why did I yell at him like that?")

Scale continued his approach, claws reaching down towards the heroine's neck.

Mizuki needed time to think. She wanted to speak with Ichigo. Amongst all of the things she wanted right now though, she just didn't want to be here and be in this situation.

Scale hissed in surprise as he was blinded by an explosion of silver light…

--------------------------

Ichigo's eyes slowly opened, and he realized he was lying atop Mizuki. ("I can already tell…")

"Kyaaa, pervert!" A loud slap echoed across the glowing silver void and Ichigo rolled away from a very flustered-looking Mizuki with a handprint on his face.

"Yup, that I'm going to get hit." Standing up and rubbing at the mark on his face with the back of his hand, the half demon sighed at the inevitability of his luck.

Sitting up, the dark-haired girl's green eyes looked across the silver expanse the two of them were standing in curiously. "How did we get…" Her brain fully grasped what was going on. "Ichigo, you're okay!"

The half demon patted himself down. "Last I checked, yeah. What's the matter?"

She looked on the verge of tears. "You were poisoned and going to die and…and…" A sudden throbbing came to life in her skull.

"_Excuse me,"_ An echoing voice from behind them called out. _"You are not here for idle chatter."_

Ichigo turned and blinked at the purple-colored liquid humanoid standing a few feet away from him. "And you are?"

"_My name,"_ The creature's voice echoed out. _"Is Poison. I am your opponent in this duel, Ichigo Pilkington."_ A duel disk appeared on its arm. _"If you win then you live, if you lose then you die. That is all."_

"Ichigo…" Mizuki gasped out, suddenly finding it difficult to concentrate through the extreme throbbing pains in her skull. "I want to talk with you…"

The half demon frowned slightly. "It looks like my opponent is this guy. Mizuki, I know you want to talk with me, but I feel that my time is short. I'm willing to speak with you while I duel though. Please understand that I'm not disregarding anything you say." He lifted one arm and a duel disk appeared there.

"You don't have to apologize…it's not like you…" After a few moments of trying to formulate her thoughts into words, Mizuki gave up and sat down on the invisible floor of the silver expanse while nursing her head between her hands. ("Why do I have such a throbbing headache?")

"Duel!" Ichigo yelled.

Poison- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Poison removed the top card of its deck and threw it down onto its disk. _"I summon Poison Claw in attack mode."_ A humanoid lizard with purple fangs and claws appeared on his field. (1300/1100) _"End turn."_

"Draw!" Ichigo added the drawn card to his hand. ("Stuff like this shouldn't surprise me anymore, but I have to admit that even this goes past my experience when it comes to weird stuff. Oh well, at least I get a good duel…hopefully.") Then he glanced behind him and he noticed that Mizuki looked like she was about to pass out from her headache. "Two birds with one stone, or something like that. I summon Catnipped Kitty in attack mode!" A purple-furred cat with colored swirls all over its body appeared on his field. (0/500) "Also I play the continuous magic card Neko Therapy. This card, when activated, lets me select one Cat or Kitty named beast type monster on my field. As long as that selected monster remains in play all monsters in the same mode as it cannot attack. In other words, unless you've got monsters that can attack in defense mode neither of us are attacking."

Mizuki wanted to watch the duel, but every time she opened her eyes the pain in her skull got worse. Then the throbbing subsided as she felt something plop down in her lap. ("Huh?") Opening her eyes, she blinked at the purple lump of fur curled up on top of her legs. "What the heck?"

"It's a cat," Ichigo commented nonchalantly, not noting the fact that it was also his monster as well. "You know, you pet them and you feel better sometimes? Or so I've heard." Then he gulped a little as she shot him an angry glare. "I'm not mocking you!"

After a few moments, Mizuki's eyes softened and she gently ran a hand through the Catnipped Kitty's fur. "Sorry…for being in the way…"

"Being in the way?" Ichigo waved the notion away dismissively. "You're not in the way at all. Honestly, without you I'd have probably been…" He started to tick things off on his fingers. "Smothered to death by Chizuma-san…blown up by Harrison… or driven crazy by Shiro."

The dark-haired girl started to giggle at the images that accompanied two of those. "Yeah, those are my friends…" She sighed helplessly. "For better or for worse."

"End turn." Ichigo commented to Poison before turning back to look at Mizuki. "You know, I still don't fully understand you. You've already run poor Erian out of the house, but otherwise you keep to yourself. Unlike everyone else in the house," He kneeled so he could look her in the eyes. "How come?"

Poison's translucent eyes narrowed and it drew. _"You are underestimating me. That will be your downfall, or do you not realize that if you lose this duel then I will destroy you from the inside out?"_

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Ichigo said, turning to face it. "You're no different than the five dozen other things that have tried to kill me in the past. After a certain point I can't really give you any of the shock or terror you might be looking for, sorry."

"_Then you are either very brave or very foolish."_ Poison threw a card onto its disk. _"I summon Poison Fang in attack mode."_ A purple-clawed and fanged dragon appeared on his field. (1600/600) _"Also I play the equipment magic card Poison Injection. The equipped monster switches to defense mode, and when destroyed the controller loses 500 life points."_

Ichigo frowned as his Catnipped Kitty started to go limp in Mizuki's arms. "Neko Therapy's special ability activates now! When you target the monster that is connected to this card with a magic, trap, or monster effect I may remove that monster from the game and destroy this card, making all damage during this turn zero." The card shattered and the Catnipped Kitty remained in Mizuki's arms, unaffected by the Poison Injection card. "Sheesh, trying to poison a cat. What's the matter with you?"

"_I thought it would be obvious that this is not a game!"_ Poison shouted, a card appearing face-down on its field. _"I place one card face-down and end my turn."_

"It's because…" Mizuki muttered sadly, eyes a little out of focus. "What's the point of getting to know you all? We should be more focused on returning to our own dimension, right? After all, we can't stay here. We shouldn't stay here."

Ichigo frowned a little and kneeled in front of her again, ignoring Poison again. "Is that why you seemed to consciously avoiding speaking or interacting with most of us? You didn't want to get to know us because you'd just have to say goodbye?" When she nodded weakly he sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Now hang on a second, that's not right…"

"_Take your turn!"_

"Fine!" Ichigo shouted over his shoulder, standing up straight and drawing. "I'm talking to Mizuki right now, you lump of sludge! However, if you want me so badly then let me give you what you want! From my hand I activate Polymerization!" The magic card appeared on his field and a swirling vortex appeared in the air above his head.

"I fuse Final Shadows Death God and Night Slasher!" The two named monsters appeared and were sucked into the vortex. "Come out now, Final Shadow Death Murderer!" A bone-masked form covered from head to toe in tattered black cloth appeared on his field. (2000/1000) "Once per turn I destroy one monster in play! My choice is Poison Fang!"

Poison braced itself as its monster exploded violently, slashed to bits by invisible knife blows.

"Death Murderer, attack now!" Ichigo smirked as his monster floated across the field silently and slashed through the Poison Fang.

Poison- 3300

Ichigo- 4000

Poison's set card flipped up. _"I reveal Poison Blood. At the end of this battle phase all monsters that battled with monsters that have Poison in their title are destroyed!"_

"And I activate De-Fusion!" Ichigo's fusion monster shimmered and disappeared, replaced by the cackling black katana-wielding monster and the dramatic black-cloaked warrior. (1900/1000) (1100/800) "Double direct attack!" Both leapt through the air together and slashed through Poison roughly. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Poison- 300

Ichigo- 4000

Turning his back to Poison again, Ichigo kneeled in front of Mizuki. "It's a shame you feel that way, Mizuki. I know that all of us want to get to know you." He blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I guess I only speak for myself…but I want to get to know you better. You seem like a really fun person."

"Really?" Mizuki muttered with eyes downcast and still out of focus as she idly petted the lump of fur in her lap. "But I'm dangerous too. It seems every time that I try to get along with someone in this world something bad happens…or in some cases…"

"_Do not…"_ Poison stumbled back as suddenly it was assaulted by a powerful explosion of force.

Even though her mind was scattered and she felt tired, Mizuki was immediately yanked to full consciousness by the overwhelming release of power that nearly overloaded her senses.

Ichigo smiled as his hair and eyes shifted to a night black color, bolts of black lightning crackling just inches from the girl's face. "Mizuki, not to belittle your problems but now that I know about the potential threat I'm sure we can work around it." Then he returned to normal. "Besides, if you remain afraid of such stuff then what will happen to you later in life? It's not good to remain in fear of this kind of stuff, believe me. Halo would probably still be some brooding bastard in my brain if not for the fact I reached a mutual agreement with him. I'm not saying you should try such a thing with Nightmare, but if you don't stand against the darkness with all your willpower then it'll be the end for you."

"_Draw!"_ Poison, having recovered from the blast of energy, slammed a card into its disk. _"I activate the magic card Poison Needle Spray! By removing one Poison named monster from my graveyard I can deal you 1000 points of damage!"_ A card slid out of its graveyard slot and it pointed at the half demon. _"Die!"_

Ichigo turned to look at the creature. "I said I'm talking, damn it! Reverse card open!" His face-down card flipped up. "Lifeline Fusion lets me pay half of my life points and select one monster on my field." A black aura sprang to life around his body.

Poison- 300

Ichigo- 2000

"Lifeline Fusion lets me send the selected monster and one other monster from my deck to my graveyard to special summon a fusion monster of those two!" Ichigo held up Final Shadow Blood Saber and Night Slasher. "Come, Final Shadow Damage Master!"

A red-cloaked masked warrior holding a pair of bloody knives appeared on his field. (1350/1350) "Damage Master reflects all effect damage I would take back at my opponent. Now disappear, because I'm talking to a good friend and compared to my friend's happiness my life means nothing!"

Poison gasped as the fusion monster landed in front of it and slashed its head off, the rest of its body coming apart and splashing to the ground as a mass of purple liquid.

Poison- 0

Ichigo- 2000

Turning and kneeling before Mizuki, Ichigo smiled. "Are you alright?"

As the cat in her arms disappeared, Mizuki blinked and shook her head out to clear it. "Yeah…I feel okay." Taking Ichigo's offered hand, she was pulled to her feet. "Did you win?"

"Yup." The half demon rubbed an index finger under his nose. "Thank you, by the way."

"What are you thanking me for?" She asked. "I didn't do anything."

"I'm thanking you because if it wasn't for you I would have been unable to concentrate." When her confused expression didn't change, Ichigo smiled and tapped his chest. "You were taking the pain from the poison in my place, making it so I could focus on the duel." He bowed to her. "Thank you for protecting me."

After looking at the back of the boy's head for a few moments, Mizuki flicked one of his cat ears and rolled her eyes. "I said it earlier, didn't I? We're the ultimate team-up. With your brawn…"

"And your brains, we can't lose." Ichigo stood up straight and both of them shared a happy grin.

"Now though," Mizuki said, looking around the silver expanse. "Where are we?"

Ichigo reached out and took her right hand, holding it up to show off the fact that there was a silver bracer attached to her wrist, thin silver chains attached along the vertical band and then running all towards the back of her hand, where there was a silver lock that all of the chains were attached to. "I'm betting this has something to do with it."

"_That is correct."_ A voice that came from the air around them echoed out. _"The Lock of Hope was summoned to you, Milady. It is a powerful controller of the dimensional realities, and it has bonded to you."_

"This thing is bonded to me?" Mizuki tugged on the bracer, finding it rather unwilling to come off. "How do I remove it?"

"_I would not advise that you wish it removed until after you have defeated the creature outside this dimensional space. Because of time differences it will appear that no time has passed when you leave, so I suggest you quickly respond when it attacks. You will know what to do when the time comes, good luck Champion and Wielder."_

Then they were both blinded by a powerful blast of silver light.

-----------------------

Scale stumbled back, covering his now blinded eyes. "What was that?" Then his vision returned and he had to leap back as Starlight Savior leapt in and threw a roundhouse kick at his snout. "How are you able to move? Scale's poison should have disabled you!"

Flipped back to Mizuki's side, the heroine smiled and winked. "I had a bit of help. And now, let's try this again!"

Scale hissed angrily and leapt at the two, hitting nothing but air as Starlight wrapped an arm around Mizuki's waist and leapt out of the way with her in tow. "Fight Scale, annoying Savior!"

Setting Mizuki down after landing, Starlight smiled at the other girl. "Mizuki, now's the time. Show this nightmare that if it is a dream, then it is your dream and you won't be afraid."

Nodding, Mizuki held up the Lock of Hope. ("I won't be helpless in this situation. Not here, not now, and not ever.") She kissed the keyhole of the bracer. **"Insert the key."** A click was heard and all of the attached chains went taut for a moment. **"Awaken the sleeping guardian."** The attached parts of the chains to the lock fell away, all of the silver links dissolving along with the bracer itself. **"Open the doors."**

There was an explosion of silver energy around her as her hair lightened to a pure silver sheen, lines of the same color running along her arm and forming into a pulsing series of runes that went along the length of her left arm. **"I call upon the divine passageway. Hear my call, Mirror Gate!"** Her clothing changed in an instant within the silver light, becoming a very conservative white and silver robe that appeared around her body.

Scale hissed in agitation and anger as he was blinded by another burst of silver light.

A circle appeared in the sky, and then the inside of the circle changed to silver, releasing its bright glow across the construction site.

("The Mirror Gate…") Starlight looked up at the mirror-like hole in the sky…and then smiled at Mizuki. "What do you say, partner? Full power?"

"Definitely," The now light-haired girl replied.

Snapping her two hands together, the heroine formed a dark blue crystal flower in her grasp. **"Awaken Aries, awaken Taurus, and awaken Scorpio!"** The crystal flowed outwards rapidly into the elegant shape of a bird's wing, her hand grabbing the handle of the weapon and bringing it to rest over her shoulder. **"The sword of the Celestial Navigator; The Wing of Cryox!"**

Scale stumbled back in primal confusion as the Mirror Gate suddenly positioned itself between him and the other two. "What is this?"

"This is payback!" Mizuki and Starlight shouted as the heroine exploded past the silver-haired girl in a blur of dark blue light, hurtling through the Mirror Gate.

Scale's eyes widened in fear and awe as a nearly entirely silver Starlight Savior erupted from the reflective surface of the portal, the heroine positioned in the air above him. "Scale no understand…" He started to stumble back.

Starlight's now-silver eyes locked onto the creature, its image reflected in them. "Here I come!" Then she dove, the feathers of the Wing of Cryox all going perfectly straight as she swung the heavy weapon. **"Zephyr of Starlit Hope!"** The swing created a roaring explosion of silver and dark blue wind that almost seemed to curve at the edge like an ocean wave as it got ready to crash down onto Scale.

Arms up in front of him, Scale tried to resist the sudden overwhelming force that attacked him…but his resistance was gone. This attack cut straight through all of his special defenses like they weren't even there. **"Good…"** There was a flash of light and he disappeared.

Dropping down to the ground, Starlight exhaled sharply as the silver glow left her. Willing away the Wing, she turned to look at Mizuki and gave the girl a thumbs-up. "Feel satisfied that you did your part now?"

Smiling, the silver coloring of her hair and the strange priest-like robes having disappeared, Mizuki nodded enthusiastically.

"Good." The heroine walked over and grabbed the other girl's arm, snapping it straight into the air with her own and forming the victory sign with her fingers. "Winners! The ultimate team-up, Mizuki Mitsuhiro and Ichigo Pilkington!"

-------------------

"Scale is sorry that he failed you, master." The creature flicked out its tongue and kneeled in front of a twelve-year-old boy wearing a purple Chinese martial artist uniform that was typing furiously away at a computer.

"This was merely a test," Byakuya said from nearby, his arms across his chest and his eyes narrowed as he looked at the image of Mizuki dressed fuller in the silver and white robes that were summoned along with the Mirror Gate. "It seems that Rising Star has acquired a rather dangerous power now. If she can control this Mirror Gate, then we will have to be much more tactically cautious with our next attack."

"It should be okay," The boy said absent-mindedly, not even looking towards his senior Herald. "My recall device returned Scale to us before that attack could destroy him. All it took was a few hours of rest within the Blood Vat we acquired. And with the dimensional sync in place he's nearly immune to the most powerful attacks of these Saviors." Then he noticed that Scale was rubbing his head under his free hand, like a pet wanting attention. "I will play with you later, Scale. I'm rather busy right now."

"Yes master," Scale said sadly, standing up to his full height, walking past Byakuya, and outside the room.

The dark-skinned Herald frowned slightly. "Did you have to make him so…oddly affectionate, Momo?"

"The psychological development of Scale was rather experimental. He is the first Reflection." The boy turned in his chair to look at Byakuya. "If there is nothing else you need, then could to please ask Jamal to come in. I am ready to begin the creation of the second Reflection, and his strength will be the perfect design to accompany Scale's lethal speed."

------------------

"So you couldn't find them?" Shiro shouted right in Nikolai's face. "How can you not find a monster that apparently has no understanding of how much damage it can cause?"

Wiping a handkerchief across his face, the Russian glared at Shiro. "What else would you suggest we do? If the energy they released was weakened or buffered then there is little I can do."

"I suggest you get back out there and keep looking before I suggest putting my foot up…" The sound of a pair of voices could be heard coming inside through the entryway.

Mizuki laughed with Ichigo, the two of them looking absolutely casual and like nothing was wrong as they stepped over the debris that had been caused by Scale's assault on the boarding house. "It was so much fun, even though I did feel bad for poor Sanzo afterwards."

Ichigo chuckled. "Wow, that's awesome. It sounds a bit extreme for a prank, but if in the end nobody was hurt then I guess its fine."

Shiro and Sanzo both came sliding into the entryway, crashing into each other as their lack of shoes on the polished wood floor resulted in a lack of traction. "Mizuki!"

"Hi guys!" The dark-haired girl greeted cheerfully. "What's up?"

"You're okay!" Shiro shouted, right before he was pulled down by Sanzo as the Hero Saint used him for a support to stand. "Are you unharmed, Mizuki?"

"Oh sure," The Rising Star patted Ichigo on the shoulder. "I had this nice kitty with me and he kept the bad snake away…with my help, of course."

"Nyao." Ichigo grinned at the confused expression on the faces of the two, and then the disbelieving faces of his friends as those who were still awake walked into the entryway. "It's true. Allow me to introduce you guys to the newest member of the Savior team."

"…you're joking right?" The speaker was Adriel, who glanced at Mizuki distrustfully. "I do not trust this girl with my life. Or have you forgotten so quickly that she's dangerous?"

"Ahem, allow me to answer your questions with this." Ichigo walked up to his rival. "I would have died tonight without her help. In fact, without her we'd still have a Vengeance we'd have to deal with."

Nikolai sighed and walked back into the living room. "I won't believe that until I see it with my own eyes."

"Ichan!" Eri charged right past the Russian and skidded to a stop right in front of the half demon. "What happened? You were gone for an hour!"

"Oh yeah," Ichigo patted his stomach. "After we beat the monster I decided I'd show Mizuki this nice ramen shop I know not too far away from here."

"You…" The demoness' right eye started to twitch. "I was worried for your life and you took that human out for dinner instead of at least calling and letting us know you were alright?"

"…Ummm…" Ichigo stepped back. "Well…I'm sorry? It's just that thanks to Mizuki's powers the fight became so easy that I felt I had to reward her somehow, right?" When it didn't look like Eri was going to calm down he prepared himself for a beating.

Mizuki stepped between them both, meeting eyes with Eri. "Erika-san, if you're going to blame anyone then I'm to blame. Ichigo was just being a gentleman. Plus he paid for dinner, so I certainly cannot stand here and let you hit him for something that wasn't his fault."

Eri cracked her knuckles. "I know I said that I wouldn't try to hit you, but you just had to open your big mouth!" She threw a punch for Mizuki's head…and her eyes widened as right before the blow connected it was stopped by a circle of faint silver light. "….Eh?"

Mizuki sweatdropped at the same time Ichigo did. ("I guess there are some fringe benefits to having the Lock of Hope.") The girl glanced at the silver bracer that was still attached to her left hand. ("And I guess…") She glanced back at Ichigo and smiled with him again. "It's good to be home. So, what's on television?" She walked past Eri, who was punching repeatedly and finding all of her attacks blocked by the strange circles of faint silver light.

_To be continued…_


	109. Golden Angel of Love

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 109: Golden Angel of Love

The sun was just rising into the sky, morning coming on fast and the whole of Tokyo sleeping peacefully in their beds.

Except at the boarding house, where Sanzo Uzumaki had just awakened and was downstairs making himself a cup of green tea. ("It's only been a few days since we've arrived and it already feels like this is home now.") After pouring the steaming liquid into a cup he placed the kettle back on the stove and took a sip, smiling at the pleasant sensations as the tea trickled down his throat and eased his nerves.

Walking over to the window that overlooked the garden, the Hero Saint couldn't help but feel excellent now. "Today is going to be a great day." Grabbing the string for the blinds, he pulled down on it and brought light flooding into the dark kitchen…

Instead of a view of the garden though, he got a view of a very large white-furred wolf head, its golden eyes locking onto him almost instantly and not flinching in the slightest when he spat some of his green tea onto the window. **_"Good morning, Sanzo-san..."_**

--------------------------

_A couple of hours later, after the boarding house was mostly awake…_

--------------------------

Shiro gaped from the kitchen window at the giant white wolf that was lying across the grass in front of the garden. "Is that really Eri?"

"That is correct," Krieger, fully dressed for the day already, said while preparing himself some scrambled eggs. "I suppose it is rather startling to think that people such as myself are not human, but creatures just like that. I'm wondering why she is in her full demon form though." He walked over to the window; standing next to Shiro and clicking open the locks before sliding the pane out of the way.

"Are you crazy?" Shiro jumped back a couple of paces towards the entryway to the kitchen in surprise at the action, crashing into Griff as the bronze-skinned boy was entering the kitchen. "Why are you opening the window?"

"Because it is better than trying to talk to her through the glass." Krieger leaned his head out and smiled at the giant wolfess. "Good morning, Erika-san. Why are you in full demon form, if I may ask?"

One of the golden eyes of the demoness flicked over to look in and see that Shiro was extremely scared. **_"I'm in full demon form because I woke up last night with a horrible stomachache. I came outside for some fresh air so I could clear my head…and decided that perhaps it would be a good idea to let my real body's stomach work at making the pain go away."_**

The half cat demon sweatdropped. "Then why are you still in full demon form?"

"**_Because…"_** It was a strange sight to see a wolf sigh, but it was obvious that was what the sudden exhaling action she took was. **_"I seem to be unable to change back to my Human Illusion."_**

"Wait," Griff yelled out a bit louder than necessary, apparently not wanting to come near the window either. "You're saying that you're stuck like that?"

"**_Good job Mohistava, you understand words."_** The snark comment was rather dull in tone, reflecting that perhaps the demoness was not in the best of health. Her muzzle leaned in rather close to the window. **_"And stop cowering behind him, Akugi. If just my appearance scares you then you've got a long way to go before you're worthy of even speaking to…"_**

"So cute!" A squeal came from behind Griff and Shiro, who were bowled over by a blur of black, white, and purple that rocketed past Krieger and leapt out the open window.

Eri crossed her eyes to look at Chizuma, dressed in a purple and white dress she had most likely gotten from Masami, as the black-haired girl hugged her muzzle bodily. **_"Then again, if either of you two gets any ideas from what she is doing let me remind you I bite…hard."_**

Mizuki was next to walk into the kitchen, dressed in a white sundress. "What's all the…" She stopped the moment her eyes registered the fact that there was a giant white wolf right outside the kitchen window. "I'm both extremely fascinated and extremely afraid…someone please tell me which of these two emotions I should be embracing right now."

"I'd say afraid…" Shiro muttered under his breath, immediately regretting it as he realized that Eri's eyes were on him again. "Please don't eat me!"

Mizuki walked up to the window and realized what was the strangest about the image right in front of her. "Chizuma, get off of the giant animal's muzzle!"

"But Mizuki-sama!" The girl protested, running her nails through the silky fur beneath her. "It's so soft and cuddly! It's like having a really big plushy!"

Eri sighed loudly once more, though this time it seemed a little more relaxed. **_"I suppose I can excuse the intrusion since you're scratching a few spots I can't reach properly with my nails that have been driving me crazy since last night."_**

Mizuki jumped back a little with eyes wide. "That voice was Erika-san's…"

"**_Yes it was,"_** The wolfess rumbled out, her muzzle sticking in through the window a little bit. **_"Would anyone else like to state the obvious? Here's one for you, I'm colored white."_** The disembodied voice coming from her gasped loudly in mock surprise, golden eyes narrowed angrily at Mizuki. **_"This just in, I want to step on you right now, you hussy!"_**

"Hussy?" Mizuki's right eye twitched and she pushed past Krieger, stopping right in front of Eri's muzzle. "What's your problem with me anyway?"

A low growl came from deep in Eri's throat, her fangs baring themselves. **_"Do not act like you are innocent! You're corrupting my Ichan!"_**

"I'm not corrupting anyone!" The Rising Star placed her hands on her hips and huffed indignantly. "Ichigo isn't your possession, he's allowed to have free will, you know?"

"I think that will be quite enough, ladies." Halo walked into the kitchen with his hands in his pockets, his eyes flicking over to look at Eri for a few moments before he sighed. "I see you've become infected as well."

"Infected?" Krieger lifted an eyebrow. "With what? Some kind of horrible virus?"

"No, Mister Reinhardt," The enforcer walked over to look directly at Eri's nose, which he casually placed a hand on. "Sure enough, very dry. Miss Amero is rather sick at the moment, with a flu that has been reported infecting a good number of demonic entities across the continent. It should pass in a couple of days, but you will be unable to return to your Human Illusion until then."

"Wait a second…" Krieger's ears drooped. "I shouldn't be in contact with her, should I?"

"It doesn't follow rules that normal viruses use," Halo turned away from the demoness. "If it infects you then it infects you. I'm immune to it, since my body would burn it to a crisp if it entered my bloodstream, and as such Ichigo and Alahandra are similarly immune because I'm currently making sure their bodies are doing similar. While you are not immune I cannot declare you infected until you feel an unbearable stomach pain. Essentially, your choices at that point are either return to full demon form or spend the next few days critically ill in your Human Illusion."

A knock came from the front door.

"And that would be them." Halo walked to the entryway and calmly opened the door, not surprised by who was waiting for him.

"Hello there," The person at the door was a well-groomed man wearing a black suit and holding a clipboard in one hand, his rather bad comb-over hairdo and mustache giving him the appearance of someone that had been having a rather rough morning. "Oh…" He sighed at the enforcer. "It's you again…"

"It's nice to see you too, Administrator. I assume you're here because of the reports?" When the man nodded Halo stepped out of sight. "I'll be right back."

--------------

_A few minutes later…_

--------------

"**_Over my dead body!"_** Roared Eri.

Halo cleaned out one of his ears to hide the fact that her roar nearly deafened him. "Miss Amero, please keep in mind that if people call about giant animals in their neighborhood that the Demon Restraint Department is required by law to send out people to bring you in."

"**_There's no way I'm being carted off when I haven't done anything wrong!"_** Her muzzle snapped at him a couple of times and she growled low.

Chizuma, who was sitting at the table next to Mizuki, pouted. "You're saying they're going to take Erika-chan away? When will she be back?" She definitely didn't seem keen on the fact that her giant plushy was being taken away.

"When they are sure she is no longer a threat…" Halo looked at the growling demoness and sighed. "In other words, never. Therefore I'll have to do what I did earlier when a demon associate of mine was called in on." He turned and walked towards the front door. "Administrator, I'm going to have to ask that you bring out whichever Shadow Duelist you have employed under your command at this time."

"Shadow Duelist?" Krieger blinked in surprise at this. "The Japanese government employs Shadow Duelists?"

"Only because they know that the demon nations decide many things through darkness games, and therefore they always bring at least one Shadow Duelist with them in case such a situation arises. I intend to duel this Shadow Duelist, because when I beat him that will give us one day to legally register Miss Amero…"

"Legally register her? As what?" Shiro was the one to ask this, though he was still staying a good distance away from the kitchen and therefore was standing in the entryway to the living room.

"That will come when it comes, Mister Akugi." Halo walked to the front door and outside.

---------------------------

At one end of the front yard stood Halo, who was adjusting his duel disk on his arm. At the other end was a man dressed in a long black coat, his black mustache and long black hair giving him a rather regal appearance. "So you are my opponent in place of the demon that was reported?"

"I suppose I will be." The enforcer noticed that the others were heading outside to see the duel. "Don't worry, this will be a rather short battle." He turned to look at the man. "What is your name, sir?"

"My name is Dover." The man lifted his own duel disk, activating the device.

"Very well then, Mister Dover," Halo lifted his arm. "Let us…"

"_Hold it!"_ A voice cried out dramatically…and then Alahandra leapt down from the rooftop of the boarding house in front of Halo. "Halo, you can't possibly be serious, can you?"

"…." The enforcer narrowed his eyes at the golden-haired girl. "What are you talking about?"

She sniffled and looked up at him with big pleading eyes. "You dueled the last three of these guys…please, let me duel him! I'll do well, I've been practicing and it's boring to watch you do the same moves over and over again!"

"You understand that Miss Amero is on the line here, correct?" Halo sighed when she nodded. "Very well, do as you wish." Removing the duel disk and his deck, he handed the device to her and walked over to join the others at the front porch. "I didn't feel like obliterating some nobody human anyway."

Sliding the duel disk on and popping her deck into place, Alahandra turned to face Dover and grinned childishly. "Hello there, Mustache Man!" Twirling on one foot she showed off her golden short-shorts and rather tight golden t-shirt. "Do you like my new outfit?" Her hair glittered brightly in the light of the sun, and she kicked one athletic leg out as she struck a pose. "It brings out my eyes, doesn't it?"

"I'm not complaining, not at all." Griff nodded his head sagely along with Shiro's statement, the two of them unable to remove their eyes from Alahandra's body…until they both exploded into black-blue flames for about a split-second before the illusion disappeared.

Halo glanced back at both of them, a vein bulging out of his forehead. "That was a warning…if you ogle her again next time I prove to you that such flames are easily creatable by me." Then he noticed that Chizuma had a similar look on her face. ("It's going to be a long morning that much I'm sure of.")

"Duel!" Alahandra and Dover yelled out, both of them drawing their opening hands.

Alahandra- 4000

Dover- 4000

"It looks like it's time for the Illustrious Alahandra to shine, draw!" The girl's golden-furred wolf ears perked in delight at what she pulled. "Yay! I summon Urd the Rage in attack mode!" A young woman holding a giant broadsword over one shoulder and looking upon the field with her blood-red eyes appeared, smirking confidently and brushing back some of her long black hair. (1800/0) "Then I'll just set one little card face-down and leave it you, Mustache Man."

Mizuki blinked at the summoned monster a few times. "I…didn't expect something quite like this…especially not something so…"

"Sexy!" Chizuma exclaimed, hands together and little stars in her eyes. "Alahandra-chan has great taste in Duel Monsters, as well as absolutely fabulous fashion sense!"

Dover drew. "My name is not Mustache Man!" He looked at his drawn card and smirked. "And let me show you my real power! I summon Des Caliber Knight in attack mode!" A skeletal knight riding on top of an undead horse appeared on his field. (1900/1800) "Des Caliber Knight, attack now!"

"Reverse card open!" Alahandra's set card flipped up and a swirling vortex of energy appeared in front of Dover's knight. "Negate Attack stops you from attacking and ends the battle phase."

The Shadow Duelist inserted a card into his duel disk. "I place one card face-down on my field and end my turn."

"Then it's back to me, draw!" Alahandra pulled the top card off of her deck and looked over at Halo, waving enthusiastically. "Halo, are you watching?"

"Yes, I'm watching, stupid." The enforcer rolled his eyes as she stuck her tongue out at him. ("Why do I tolerate you?")

"From my hand I summon Beldandy the Peace in attack mode." A brown-haired girl holding a staff appeared on her field, a peaceful smile on her face. (1900/0) "And then from my hand I activate the equipment magic card Goddess Aura on Beldandy, powering her up by 300 attack points." (2200/0) "Attack now Beldandy!" The peaceful brown-haired girl leapt across the field gracefully, twirling her staff above her head as she got ready to strike down the Des Caliber Knight.

"You're far too naïve, little girl!" Dover's set card flipped up and a dark aura surrounded Beldandy. "I activate the trap card Shadow Pit. This card can only be activated when I have an undead or demon type monster in play. Your attacking monster loses 1000 attack points." (1200/0)

Alahandra's normally cute features twisted in a moment of anger. "I've got no choice! Go Beldandy!" She winced as she watched the undead monster slash her monster to bits. "Goddess Aura activates now. When this card and the equipped monster go to the graveyard I gain 300 life points and it equips to a monster on my field." Urd started to glow golden. (2100/0)

Alahandra- 3600

Dover- 4000

"Urd, attack Des Caliber Knight!" Alahandra's cute smile returned as her monster launched across the field angrily and slashed the undead knight in half. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Alahandra- 3600

Dover- 3700

Dover narrowed his eyes and drew. "The game begins now, girl. From my hand I special summon Shadow Paladin at the cost of one card from my hand." A fountain of darkness erupted from her field and formed into a heavy-looking suit of black armor with a grey mask for a face. (2100/200) "Battle! When Dark Paladin battles with a monster that has the same attack as it, it cannot be destroyed as a result of battle during that turn!"

Alahandra winked and pointed at her set card. "Reverse card open! Mischief of the Goddess of Time is a quickplay magic card that makes it my battle phase now!"

Dover frowned and looked at the cards in his hand. "Then I suppose there is nothing I can do but sit back and let this happen. By all means, dear, continue your turn."

"I think I will." Alahandra slid a card from her hand into her disk. "I activate the quickplay magic card Heavenly Light, powering up one angel type monster in play by 800 attack points." Urd started to glow even brighter than before. "Urd, attack Dark Paladin now!" (2900/0) Her monster leapt across the field and slashed through the dark knight easily, hitting Dover with a strong shockwave as well.

Alahandra- 3600

Dover- 2900

"She's incredible…" Chizuma breathed out, her hands lacing together and the stars in her eyes multiplying. "Alahandra-chan is incredible!"

"Meh," Halo muttered apathetically.

"And for my final card I summon Skuld the Insight in attack mode." A black-haired girl holding a large metal hammer appeared on Alahandra's field. (1700/0) "End turn."

"Draw!" Dover glared at Alahandra's grinning face and then added the card to his hand. ("This girl is treating me like I'm so kind of common duelist…and that will be her downfall.") "I activate the magic card Painful Choice." Five cards appeared in the air above him. (Des Caliber Knight, Des Caliber Knight, Dark Paladin, Dark Paladin, Skull Knight #2)

"Go ahead and take that Skull Knight." Alahandra stuck her tongue out and blanched at the selection. "Why are you playing so many icky monsters, Mustache Man?"

"I'm not Mustache Man!" Dover added the monster card to his hand and inserted the rest of the cards into his graveyard slot. "I activate the continuous magic card Shadowed Graveyard. All monsters I draw are discarded and I draw two cards per each of my draw phases. Also, I summon Skull Knight #2 in defense mode and set one card face-down. End turn." A card appeared face-down on his field and a beaten-up skeleton wearing armor appeared on his field in a crouching position. (1000/1200)

Alahandra placed her hand on top of her deck. "I hope you don't intend to last much longer if you're just going to defend, Mustache Man!" Then she drew, arm extending fully with the draw before the card came up in front of her face. "I summon Valkyrie Soldier in attack mode." A woman in scantily-clad golden armor appeared on her field, wielding a long golden spear in one hand. (1800/1000)

"Amazing…her draw power is like that of a pro!" Mizuki exclaimed, eyes locked on the duel.

Halo rolled his eyes once more at the rather entranced looks on the faces of Griff, Shiro, Krieger and Chizuma. ("And her ability to screw with the sex drives of mortals continues to play itself out. Alahandra,") He projected this next thought out so she could hear it. ("Stop it right now. These are teenagers; the last thing they need is your influence.")

("Awww, but Halo…I wasn't going to do anything bad. What's wrong with stoking the fires of passion in their heart a little bit?") The golden-haired girl looked over at the enforcer and pouted sadly, sticking her lower lip out to try and enhance the cuteness factor.

("Your physical appearance means nothing to me, if you're trying to seduce me or some such stupid thing.") The enforcer brushed back a lock of his hair. ("You're so sickeningly sweet that I find it hard just to watch over you. By no means do you and I share any interests either, so please just…")

("Sheesh, you turn everything into a speech.") Alahandra pointed at the Skull Knight. "Go Skuld!" The little girl leapt across the field and flattened the bony monster with her hammer. "When Skuld destroys a monster as a result of battle I draw one card!"

Dover's set card flipped up. "I activate the continuous trap card Undead Order of Knights! When an undead or demon type monster with Knight or Paladin in its title is destroyed as a result of battle then I special summon a monster with the same name from my deck." Another Skull Knight #2 appeared on his field.

"Valkyrie Soldier, attack the Skull Knight now!" Alahandra hopped up and down happily as her monster pierced the bony creature and shattered it, a third Skull Knight appearing in play. (1000/1200) "Heh, Urd can attack directly when all your monsters are in defense mode! Go!"

Dover yelled out as the young woman's mighty sword slashed through him.

Alahandra- 3600

Dover- 800

"Yeah!" Alahandra threw her fist up into the air triumphantly. "I'm gonna win, I'm gonna win, I'm gonna win!"

"Go Alahandra-chan, as to be expected of our manager!" Chizuma hopped up and down, clapping her hands together in excitement.

Halo closed his eyes and sighed in exasperation. ("I notice you haven't turned down your powers at all, have you?")

Alahandra ignored the comment. ("I'm hoping maybe I'll finally figure out whether you're even capable of love, you big ice-hearted creep.") "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Dover recovered quickly and drew two cards. "I activate the magic card Raigeki Misfire! All cards on my field are destroyed, and for every one destroyed you lose 200 life points." His three cards in play exploded and lightning shot across the field to hit Alahandra and send her hair standing on end.

Alahandra- 3000

Dover- 800

Stumbling for a few moments, Alahandra nearly collapsed from the force of that alone. ("He's using heavy amounts of energy now to boost his attacks…")

Halo glanced over at Dover and narrowed his eyes, the beginnings of anger visible in those night-colored orbs. ("He's taking this seriously, will you be alright or do you need my assistance?")

Nearly fainting, Alahandra collapsed to her knees and started to pant sharply for air. ("Halo…I'm starting to feel kinda dizzy…and tired…I think I'm dying…")

"…." The enforcer narrowed his eyes at her. "You're trying to get into a position where it seems like you're dying because you want the answer to your question…idiot. I'm not going to fall for such a lame trick. If you want your answer then beat this human, how about that for motivation?"

"Okay!" She chirped cheerfully, leaping to her feet and looking absolutely fine.

"And still you underestimate me…" Dover muttered. "Well no longer! I activate the magic card Rise of the Lord of Knight! This card lets me remove undead and demon type Knight or Paladin named monsters from my graveyard to special summon Lord of the Knight from my hand or deck to the field!" He flipped the other card in his hand over. "I remove ten monsters from my graveyard to special summon Lord of the Knight!" A huge skeleton made up of the composite parts of numerous other kinds of skeletons appeared on the field, riding atop a patchwork zombie horse of similar design. (?) "For every monster removed by my magic card this monster's attack and defense are increased by 500." (5000/5000) "During my battle phase this monster must attack the strongest monster on your field. Lord of the Knight, attack Urd now!"

Alahandra motioned to her set card. "Reverse card…" Then her eyes widened as the card didn't open and her Urd the Rage was trampled by the charging dark monster.

Alahandra- 100

Dover- 800

"While Lord of the Knight is in play all of your trap cards are unable to be activated, and all face-up traps on your field are negated." Dover motioned to her graveyard slot. "And all cards that activate in your graveyard are useless too, so your Goddess Aura card cannot recover your life points or equip to one of your monsters. End turn."

The golden-haired girl looked down at her deck and then over at Halo. She pouted and put her hands on her hips. "I can't lose here…or else I won't get to learn what kind of girl Halo already likes…and that information must be known for the sake of the world! For I, the Illustrious Alahandra and avatar of the goddess Luna, will not rest until Mister Grumpy-Pants Halo finds some happiness!"

The enforcer twitched a couple of times. ("Does she even realize that she said that out loud?") He noticed that Griff and Shiro were snickering quietly. "Die." There was an explosion of flame behind him and a few seconds later the two boys were running inside screaming that they were on fire. "The next person to comment on what she said will suffer a worse fate."

Alahandra grabbed the top card of her deck. "Draw!" Glancing at the card, she motioned to her two monsters. "I switch Skuld and Valkyrie Soldier to defense mode. End turn."

Dover drew and threw the card onto his disk. "I summon Vile Knight in attack mode." A black knight wearing heavy black armor with green sludge oozing from it appeared on his field. (1400/1000) "And now for the battle phase! Strike them both down, my shadowy knights!" He laughed as his two monsters trampled Alahandra's creatures. "End turn. Little girl, during the next turn you will lose!"

"Draw!" Alahandra glanced at the drawn card. "There won't be a next turn, Mustache Man. From my hand I activate the magic card Pot of Greed, drawing two cards from my deck. Then I activate Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two!" With three cards in her hand, she had to smile at what she was holding.

"Yay! I play Cherub Bell, adding one angel type monster from my graveyard to my hand!" A card left her graveyard and she slid it in amongst the cards in her hand. "And now I summon Beldandy the Peace!" The brown-haired staff-wielding girl appeared on her field once more. (1900/0)

"And now I play the magic card Bond of the Heavenly Siblings. This card can only activate when Urd, Beldandy, and Skuld are in my graveyard or on my field. I select one of them and increase her power by 2000 points." (3900/0) "During this turn if she battles with a dark attribute monster her power increases by 1000 points."

"Even with the boost it won't be enough to win, little girl." Dover smirked. "I will not lose to you, not after your disregard of my skill."

"Skill or no, you're boring. Therefore you need to get out of my way and let me play cupid for Grumpy-pants Halo!" The golden-haired girl discarded a card from her hand. "I discard one angel type monster to activate Beldandy's effect. For every angel type monster in my graveyard all monsters on your field lose 200 attack points!" A holy light fell over his field. (4200/5000)

"Hmph, that's not enough to end this!" Dover glared at her…until he realized that she was grinning widely. "What are you smiling at?"

"Mustache Man, you forgot your little Vile Knight thingy." She pointed at the Vile Knight. "Beldandy, attack with Divine Smash!" Her monster leapt into the air gracefully and fired an arrow of light from her staff that pierced the body of the Vile Knight and shattered it in one huge blast of power.

Alahandra- 100

Dover- 0

"I…I lost to a little girl?" Dover collapsed to his knees while Alahandra ran over to Halo swiftly, arms flailing in the air as if she were trying to propel herself forward faster.

The enforcer sighed, a little irritated that Alahandra had actually won. No, that wasn't right…he was irritated her opponent had been a loser who hadn't been paying attention to his own life points. Glancing back at Chizuma, he blinked as he realized that she was no longer there.

Alahandra stopped directly in front of Halo, Chizuma hugging her from behind. "Okay Halo, it's time to pay up! We've got an extra hour until the mean men come back and by then everything should be in place, right?"

"That's correct…" He noticed that Mizuki was still at the entrance, and was apparently planning on listening in. ("That makes things a little more uncomfortable.") "You're going to blab this anyway, so I'll say it aloud." He held up a finger. "Most look for a potential mate that has some kind of features they can relate to. There is only one female I know of that can truly keep me interested…and she also shares some hobbies of mine too." He turned and started walking inside, hands in his pockets.

"…." Alahandra glared at the back of Halo's head, thinking he was about to walk off without telling her.

Stopping in the entryway, the enforcer allowed himself to smile slightly. "She appreciates the amusing aspect of watching mortals suffer, she definitely has the sense of humor I enjoy, and without a doubt she wouldn't make things dull for me." He sighed, thinking the answer to Alahandra's question before returning to his emotionless state and walking inside while pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. He had some calls to make and a certain someone to call in.

Chizuma blinked at how rigid Alahandra has suddenly become. "What's the matter, Alahandra-chan?"

"I…" The golden-haired girl started twitching. "You've got to be kidding me! Come on Halo, do you know how hard it will be to play cupid if that's your answer?" When he didn't respond she growled and muttered something under her breath before shouting it at the top of her lungs after him. "Grumpy-pants! Big fat Grumpy-pants Halo!"

Lowering his phone, the enforcer stopped and glanced behind him. "You've forgotten just what side of Ichigo I am, haven't you?" He motioned to the burn-marks in the wood where Griff and Shiro had gotten a taste of his anger. "Evil is far better in the long run then good is, in my opinion. And by no means do I give a damn about any of these mortals excluding the one my life is connected to." Then he walked off, returning to his phone calls.

"What was his answer?" Mizuki asked expectantly, unable to figure out what the two were talking about.

Alahandra cried streams of anime tears down her cheeks. "You're such a meanie Halo. If you knew about her beforehand why didn't you stop her?" When she realized he wasn't going to respond the golden-haired girl looked over at Mizuki and sweatdropped. "Well…it's someone very close to you…"

"…Chizuma?"

Said girl blinked and stuck out her tongue in disgust. "Ugh, don't even joke about that possibility Mizuki-sama."

"No…no…it's…" Alahandra continued to sob comically. "Oh never mind, I can't figure out how to play cupid here." She trudged the rest of the way inside the house, leaving a very perplexed Mizuki and Chizuma to follow her inside still prodding her for the answer.

_To be continued…_


	110. Wolf Days of Summer

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 110: Wolf Days of Summer

Krieger placed a hand over his chest and sucked air into his lungs rapidly, trying to calm himself down after his mad dash to escape what seemed to have been Halo's rage. ("Damn my hormones, I couldn't help but think about Alahandra and…") He blushed and shook his head out rapidly. "No! Do not think bad thoughts about Alahandra!"

Looking around he realized he had rushed up to the boy's wing of the boarding house. "Hmmm, I guess I may as well go to my…" A thump came from one of the closed doors. It repeated a couple of times in a slow rhythm. ("What is Ichigo doing in there?") He walked over to the door and knocked a couple of times. "Ichigo, are you alright?" When he got no response he gently opened the door and pushed it inwards…

And walked right into a wall of brown. ("What in the…") Sputtering and hopping back, the half cat demon twitched a couple of times as right past the swinging arc of the door to Ichigo's room was a ceiling-height wall of brown fur. "Oh no…Ichigo? Ichigo?"

His answer was a loud and heavy snoring noise which he could hear right through the wall.

After a momentary falter that nearly turned into a face-fall, Krieger sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with a hand. "How is he still asleep? I can't imagine being stuffed in that room is comfortable." Prodding the mass of fur with his foot a couple of times, he realized that wasn't going to cut it. "Fine, if that's what it takes then I'll do it!" He kicked the warm and soft wall full force.

A loud yelp shook the house and the wall shifted momentarily before finding that movement was impossible. **_"Hello? Is someone there?"_**

"I'm here Ichigo," Krieger sighed and rested his back against the wall connected to Ichigo's room.

"**_Krieger…I don't suppose you could explain why I've got one of my shirts stuffed up my nose, could you?"_** The voice was Ichigo's, but it had a rumbling echo to it that didn't mix to well with the half demon's normally innocent tone. **_"Or why I'm in a position that feels like it was meant for Yoga…"_** A few seconds passed and another thump came from past the pulsing wall of brown fur. **_"I have paws now…you know; stuff like that never really bodes well for me."_**

"Ichigo, perhaps you should relax a little…this may take a minute or two for me to explain." Krieger rubbed the back of his head nervously, very worried that at this rate he was going to wind up in a similar situation.

------

_A few minutes later…_

-----------

"**_I guess that's why I felt pretty bad last night…"_** Ichigo groaned and the wall of flesh shook a little. **_"Krieger, could you please bring Halo here right now? My tail is starting to fall asleep."_**

Halo sighed and stepped past Krieger, arms crossed in front of his chest. "I should have realized that while you were asleep your body would instinctively turn off the energy I was making you burn to kill any chance of the Flu infecting you."

"**_Okay, great, I'm gifted, that's nice…"_** A very loud thud came from somewhere inside the room. **_"Get me out of here!"_**

"Don't you worry, there's help coming in a moment. I knew this would happen, so I brought an old acquaintance of yours along." The enforcer allowed himself a slight smile as he heard someone coming up the stairs. "Ah, there she is now. I suppose she's finished with Miss Amero, which is surprising."

"**_She? Who's she?"_** After taking a minute to think, the half demon groaned. **_"You can't mean…"_**

"Hiya Ichigo-chan!" The speaker was a girl dressed in a pink pair of shorts and shirt, her pink eyes grinning as she heard a panicked bark and the building shook a little bit.

"**_Mitosha?"_** Ichigo tried to move, but found it impossible considering how scrunched for space he was already. **_"Halo called you?"_**

"Yup!" The Traveler blushed back her blond hair and ran a hand through Ichigo's fur, giggling as all of it stood on end. "You're awfully jumpy…but I guess that's the downside of being trapped in that kind of position for so long. Don't worry, I'll have you down to a much more manageable size!"

"**_Halo, would you mind coming in here so I can roll over on you in reprisal for this?"_** When he got no answer a low sigh echoed from him. **_"Fine, get the stupid thing over with."_**

-----------------------

_A few minutes later…_

-----------------------

Mizuki scribbled down a few more equations in her notebook, trying to stump herself to pass the time that they had been kicked out of the living room. "Why aren't we allowed in there again?"

Griff shrugged. "Because Halo is a jerk and told us to get out or he lights us on fire again?" Sniffing his shirt again, he frowned. "I still smell like ash."

Shiro looked at some of the burnt ends of his hair and sighed depressingly. "Oh man, I'm never going to get the smell out of my hair…"

Chizuma stayed at the other end of the room, agreeing with both of them. "You two smell like ashtrays."

"Shut up." They both muttered.

Masami stepped out of the living room and gave his quirky smile, hand adjusting his glasses on his face gently. "Though I should be tired of it, I cannot stop enjoying how much I love being a genius. Come in, they're ready." He motioned to the living room.

"They?" The other members of the room asked at the same time.

------------------------

"Halo, what's this all…" Krieger was the first to enter and the first to get a piece of paper shoved into his face. "What the heck is this? An exotic pet registry form?" He put two and two together. "Oh…you didn't…"

Alahandra bounced up and down rapidly, clapping her hands together a few times before she leapt forward and hugged her subject. "It's perfect! Brushed and cleaned to excellence! And with Masami-sama's collar you look so pretty!"

Said subject was a normal-sized white wolf wearing a golden collar around her neck, her golden eyes glaring at the girl with all of their might. _"I will kill you, Mitosha, Halo, and anyone who laughs. Am I making myself clear?"_

Griff and Shiro both twitched at the same time as they stepped past Krieger…and fell over laughing.

Mizuki walked around them and blinked in surprise at the wolfess. "Wow, Erika-san looks just like a normal wolf…amazing…" She looked over at Mitosha, who was resting on a nearby couch. "Did you do this?"

"Yeah…" The Traveler breathed out; still recovering from the drain it had taken on her powers. "Why?" Then she flinched past as she was suddenly eye to eye with Mizuki. "What are you looking at, human? Get out of my face!"

"Are you an alien like Erian-san?" Mizuki was grinning from ear to ear, looking like a child that had discovered a new toy as she leaned in uncomfortably close to Mitosha.

The pink-eyed girl's right brow twitched a couple of times. "Last warning…"

The dark-haired girl didn't move, continuing to have that big grin on her face as she waited for an answer. "Are you?" Then Mizuki blinked a couple of times as she realized Mitosha had disappeared.

She looked up and her eyes widened as she found herself standing next to a couch that looked like it was meant for a giant. "That's so cool! Matter reduction…that means it's actually possible! Hey, can you tell me how you did that?" She called up to Mitosha, who was glaring down at her.

"You just won't stop talking, will you?" Mitosha lifted one leg up above her, getting ready to stomp down on the annoying human.

Mizuki gulped and sweatdropped. "Maybe…I shouldn't have bothered you?"

"It's a bit too late to apologize!" The Traveler snapped her foot down, but before she could connect she was bowled over by a blur of brown fur.

Mizuki was sent up into the air a few inches by the earth-shaking caused by Mitosha crashing on the ground near her. Then she froze up as she found herself looking directly eye to eye with a hazel orb the size of her head. "….."

The owner of said hazel eye was a medium-sized brown-furred wolf which nudged the girl a couple of times. _"Mizuki? Hello? Helloooo? Earth to Mizuki, you okay?"_

"Ahhhhh…." The dark-haired girl partially wanted to scream, and partially wanted to run…until her brain caught up with the owner of the gentle-spoken voice that was echoing to her ears. "…Ichigo?"

"_Yeah."_ The wolf glared over at Mitosha, who was starting to stand up. _"Mitosha, restore her right now. If you don't then I'll knock you unconscious and she'll be restored anyway."_

Grumbling about how annoying humans were, the Traveler snapped her fingers and after a few moments Mizuki was her normal size. "Are you happy now, Ichigo?"

"_Blissful,"_ The half demon echoed out coldly at her. _"Now go lie down and do not use your powers again without permission."_

Frowning, Mitosha collapsed in a couch further away from the others and continued to recover her energy.

Halo willed away his illusion that he had placed over that small section of the room to keep outside interference away during that momentary incident. ("Hmmm, it seems that even when she is threatened with something that has the potential to kill her there is no reaction.") Returning his eyes forward, he continued to watch the two stupid males laugh away at the demoness which seemed to be on the verge of biting their faces off.

Mizuki collapsed down on the couch Mitosha had abandoned and placed a hand over her heart. "That was scary…" Then she realized that her savior was sitting in front of her, watching her calmly. "I thought you were immune to the flu?"

"_I was supposed to be…"_ He sweat-dropped and hung his head. _"Then I kind of accidentally turned off what made me immune to it."_ When she started giggling he sunk a little lower to the ground, ears flattened to his head. _"Yeah…I'm stupid…"_

Mizuki sighed to indicate she was done giggling and patted the cushion next to her on the couch. "Are you going to join me up here or not? I don't think Halo-san has the nerve to tell you that you aren't allowed on the couches."

"_Yeah…sure…"_ He hopped up onto the couch and curled up next to her, looking very depressed. _"I don't want to stay this way…it stinks. Walking around on wood with paws is hard, for one thing."_

She crossed her legs and smiled gently down at the whimpering wolf. "You know Ichigo, it could have been worse. Oh yeah," Her hand reached over and started scratching behind one of his ears. "Thank you for saving me again, Hero…" Her eyebrows lifted up a little bit and she blinked at him. "Wait, why are you a wolf? Shouldn't you be a cat?"

"_Well that's because…"_ Ichigo barked in surprise as Shiro suddenly tackled him while screaming 'No!' sending the couch teetering backwards and dumping everyone on it to the floor.

----------------------

Halo patiently waited until everyone had finally calmed down before he continued. "Now then, for the next few days Ichigo and Miss Amero are going to be unable to return to their normal forms. Therefore disguises are necessary. I've already gotten the forms together to register Ichigo and Erika as a pair of exotic pet wolves. That will make their living here nice and legal."

"Did you hear that, Eri-chan?" Chizuma grinned and hugged the white wolfess tighter. "Now you don't have to leave, plus you get to my pet!"

"_I'm ecstatic…"_ The demoness echoed bitterly, bristling in anger at the thought of being considered anyone's pet.

Ichigo sighed contently, Mizuki still scratching behind one of his ears. ("I could think of worse ways to spend the next few days, that's for sure.")

Halo removed two pieces of paper from his suit pocket and placed them down on the little table set up in the middle of the room. "These would be the register sheets. There needs to be a name under them for who is declaring ownership of these two. I don't care who signs it, but Alahandra will not be the owner because I have no wish to harbor either of those two under my roof for the duration of this flu."

"_Declaring ownership?"_ Eri barked angrily, baring her teeth at the enforcer. _"What kind of crap is that? I am no one's possession!"_

Chizuma launched out of her seat, snatching the pen off the table and quickly scribbling her name down on Eri's sheet before dropping down next to the wolf and hugging her again. "Don't be a stick-in-the-mud, Eri-chan! We're just going to have a few days of fun, that's all. And then you'll be back to your cute self, right?"

The demoness huffed, but her anger was diffused slightly at the feeling of Chizuma hugging her. ("I could think of worse ways to spend the next few days, I suppose.")

Mizuki noticed that no one was walking over to sign Ichigo's sheet. After a few seconds of awkward silence she sighed and stood up, walking over and signing her name on the other register sheet. Sure enough, on her way back to her seat Eri was glaring at her.

She didn't care though because the demoness had already proven that she wanted to treat Ichigo like a possession, so to her this was just a fight over property rather than a person, which is what Ichigo was. ("The way she treats him is no better than slavery…") She dropped down next to Ichigo on the couch and ran her fingers through his fur, eliciting a happy growling noise from him.

Eri snarled inwardly, plotting different ways to kill the human that was still trying to take possession of her Ichan. Then Chizuma started to scratch behind her ears and she decided that she'd wait until later to plot ways to kill Mizuki. It was hard to think of evil plots when you were getting your ears scratched.

-----------------------

_A few hours later…_

-----------------------

Despite the rather strange circumstances of the morning, everything had calmed down more or less by the time afternoon had rolled around. Most of the members of the household had left to go do different things for the rest of the day.

Alahandra had taken Chizuma, Chris, Teruha, Mitosha, Ambience, Mizuki, and Eri into town for a day of shopping. She had also taken Masami along as a fashion consultant, but considering the amount of photographic equipment the self-proclaimed genius had brought with him it was uncertain whether or not that was a believable story.

Krieger had disappeared after awhile, probably to try his best to avoid winding up sick. Harrison did what he always did, which was disappear without a trace at the start of the morning and not return until nightfall. Sanzo did similar, not leaving any information about where to find him. Halo had left the moment he was able to, because he hated to remain around when there were better things to be done. As for Adriel…well, no one had heard from him since this morning, so they just assumed he was off doing his own thing.

This left only Rysel, Griff, Shiro and Ichigo in the house. Rysel was in the living room watching television, while Griff and Shiro sat in the kitchen at the same table. They were looking at each other with the same heavy-lidded appearance on their faces.

"All attempts up to this point have failed…" Griff dead-panned.

"I can understand your frustration, and therefore I have no choice but to offer you my assistance in this matter." Shiro had a similar tone to his voice. "Now, let us ponder on a way to improve our chances of success in this mission." Then they just returned to staring at each other.

"_Aren't you two supposed to be the funny guys?"_ Ichigo looked between them both, seated at a far end of the table. _"Right now you're just really boring…and you're starting to creep me out too. Can we do something already?"_

Griff and Shiro ignored Ichigo's question…until a few moments later when their eyes both opened wide and they turned to look at the wolf as if they had just found the answer to their prayers.

"_Everyone that has ever looked at me like that has never had my best interests in mind…"_ Ichigo was about to leave when the other two boys stood up and pointed at each other.

"Could it have been so simple?" Shiro asked seriously.

"It tends to be the simple things that answer the problems," Griff replied.

Then they both smiled slyly and turned their heads to look directly at Ichigo, who sweatdropped and started whimpering. _"I have the sudden feeling I'm about to be used."_

"Of course not Ichigo," Shiro said cheerfully, holding up a blue leash and collar that Alahandra had left behind for Ichigo in case he needed to be taken outside. "We just decided that the best way to alleviate our boredom is to go out for a nice healthy walk, and we'll take you along with us. How does the park sound?"

Griff nodded along with Shiro's words, having that same smile on his face. "Yeah Ichigo, my main man, just hang out in the living room with Rysel for a second while we get ready." Then they both sprang up and ran off toward the boy's wing of the boarding house and their rooms.

---------------------

Rysel and Ichigo both were watching the monitor in total silence, the sounds from the surrounding speakers making the possibility of speech impossible…

Rysel clicked the mute button and glanced over at Ichigo. "You do understand they believe that having you along with them will help them '5C023 CH1CK5', correct?"

The wolf's shoulders slumped a little and he sighed. _"Yeah, I know."_

"I was just making sure, carry on then." Rysel clicked the mute button and returned to the enjoyment of his beautiful entertainment system.

_To be continued…_


	111. Fluid Obsession

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 111: Fluid Obsession

The sound of barking dogs, laughing children, and couples enjoying the summer sun reached Ichigo's ears…and inwardly he remembered why he fought as a hero. ("It's to protect peaceful times like this. The Blood Children are quiet, at least for now. This is what summer is all about.") Then he remembered that he was being led around on a leash by Griff and Shiro, and that peaceful moment disappeared as he realized that the collar around his neck was nearly choking him.

Griff tugged on the leash a couple more times. "Come on Ichigo, there's a bunch of cute girls just over there. Plus there's that college campus I told you about."

Because of where they were Ichigo didn't say anything, but he did sigh quietly. Hopefully this wouldn't take too long.

Following just behind the two, Shiro punched his fist into the air like they had already succeeded. ("This is the perfect plan! I heard from Masami that Ichigo has the odd ability to be cute when he doesn't even realize it...therefore by harnessing that untapped potential we will become gods amongst men!") He started laughing crazily, while Griff and Ichigo stopped to stare at him.

------------------

"Alright girls!" Alahandra grinned and motioned to the bustling street before them. "We've got a few hours of time to kill, so where should we go first?" Amongst the storm of suggestions thrown at her, the golden-haired girl winked and motioned off towards the nearest store. "Nevermind, let's just try everything out!"

"Yeah!" Teruha, Chizuma, Chris and Mitosha yelled out at the same time, following the girl into the store.

Eri's right eye twitched a couple of times and then looked up at Mizuki. _"You're not going in?"_

"I would…but…" Mizuki sighed as three of the girls rushed out of the door they had entered a few moments later. "They apparently didn't read the sign for the store." Coughing into her hand to hide the blush in her cheeks, the dark-haired girl glanced down at the wolfess calmly.

Eri returned the calm look with a dark glare. _"You want to fight or something?"_

Mizuki sighed. "Does everything have to be a fight with you? I can't just look at you for the sake of looking at a wolf?"

"_Che, if it's not a fight that you want then don't look at me, hussy. I won't hold back for anyone who would try to take Ichan from me."_ Her eyes closed and she held her muzzle up in the air haughtily.

"Now you listen here…" Mizuki started.

Teruha stomped up to the two, interrupting them. "What the heck kind of store was that?"

"Hiro's Adult Books…" Mitosha followed from right behind her, shivering. "You humans are sick creatures."

Chris gulped. "I feel a little shaken up now…can we please look before we leap next time?" She glanced behind her. "Hey, where are Alahandra and Chizuma?"

The door to the store opened and Alahandra stomped out dragging a protesting Chizuma with her. "I don't care if you were reading it in appreciation of the art, we're leaving!" She threw the other girl over her shoulder and turned to growl at the man at the register. "Next time mark your door a little clearer, pervert!"

("This is going to be an interesting day,") Mizuki and Eri thought in perfect unison.

----------------------

Shiro, sitting at a bench, winced as not too far away Griff continued to be berated by the girl he had approached about how dangerous it is to bring something as dangerous as a wolf to a park where families would go during the weekend. ("Sheesh, his first pick really has got a strong pair of lungs. I can hear her from here.")

-----------------------

"I'm sorry," the store owner said. "We don't allow pets in this store."

"She's not a pet," Alahandra replied, skipping in and patting Eri on the head, which elicited an angry growl from the wolfess. "She's one of the girls!"

The rather burly man crossed his arms across his chest, not looking convinced of that. "I'm not buying it. Please take her and you can tie her up outside until you're done in here."

Huffing a little bit, the golden-haired girl turned and shrugged to Eri. "Eri-chan, can you wait outside please?"

The wolfess continued to glare, but padded outside the store and sat down. ("I seem to be constantly humiliated and to be honest I'm sick of…") Her nose twitched a little and she sniffed the air. ("What is that smell? It's strange…the kind of unnatural thing that makes my hair stand on end. What's the cause of it though?")

In a nearby alley, a beige-clothed form was watching the store the girls had entered with a slight smile on its face. "So that is Teruha-chan, eh?" Then it stepped into the light, revealing a beige t-shirt, shorts, and baseball cap sitting on the body of a very familiar player in the DMWC.

Eri narrowed her eyes slightly as she recognized who it was. ("It's that Eki guy, the smell is coming from him. It's weird. Like some kind of oil.") Then he disappeared from her sight and she felt a hand on her head.

"That's a good girl," Eki said comfortingly, his eyes narrowed to their usual squints. "Just be quiet." He walked into the store, leaving a very frightened Eri to wonder how he had done that.

---------------------

Teruha smiled and closed the door to the changing room, getting ready to try on some of the shirts she taken off the rack inside the store. Posing in front of the full-body mirror, she flexed one arm and grinned widely. "I love my strength." Then she started to pull her shirt up over her head…

"You are not alone in having such a feeling, dear Teruha." Eki said, his back resting against the far wall of the rather small changing room.

Teruha's arms dropped and she turned on one heel to face him, eyes wide in surprise and anger. "How'd you get in here? Get out right now before I call the police! Or better yet…" She cracked her knuckles. "How about you get out before I knock your block off?"

Eki chuckled politely. "I suppose you wouldn't remember me, would you? No, that day was so many years ago and I'm sure that you have long since convinced yourself that it was a dream. There was no lab, there was no fire, there was no fight, and there were no memories…"

"What are you babbling about? Get out!" She screamed this, hoping that someone in one of the adjoining rooms would come in so she wouldn't have to break this guy in half.

"I cannot do that. I'm partaking in the breathtaking beauty that is you, dear goddess of might." Eki laughed at his joke.

"That does it, you're dead!" She wound up her fist to punch him right in the face.

Eki sighed sadly. "Just like before though, you're just so utterly quick to be violent." Suddenly she was yanked a foot off the ground, something invisible slowly tightening around her throat and forcing her to bring her hands to her neck to try and break the hold of whatever was choking her. "It's a shame that, just like that time, I have to remind you of your position in comparison to mine. Your strength means nothing, dear Teruha. All it does proves that you are my plaything, as are all others who get in my way."

Teruha struggled to cry for help, her muscles flexing as she attempted to break the inhumanly strong force squeezing her neck.

"It is no use. Help will not come, because no one can hear you. I am quite stealthy, and quite capable of making sure no one can sense my handiwork." He smiled as her head was forcefully tilted to look down at him by that same unseen force. "You feel so good, Teruha. Your skin is so supple, and your curves…mmmm, absolutely delicious." He licked his lips. "You can feel it, can't you? You can feel it wrapping around you like a second skin..."

Teruha whimpered and tried to kick him, but her legs wouldn't move. That force had completely enwrapped her. It was like being trapped underwater now, but there was no feeling of water. There was just a lack of air and the feeling of being violated…

"Now then, I suppose we should go. Don't worry, Teru-chan, I don't intend to kill you." He giggled quietly to himself. "No, I just want to enjoy what has been culminating for so long in you. All that strength, enhanced by those primers without any regulation…and yet you retain a normal shape. You are a true miracle, Teru-chan. My miracle…" She was suddenly adjusted in midair so her face was within range of his own. "Mine." He leaned in towards her, lips preparing to meet hers…

And so he was unprepared when a hand exploded through the wooden wall behind him, latched onto his neck, and then pulled him out of the changing room with incredible speed.

Teruha collapsed to the ground, able to breathe again. Sucking in a few quick breaths to recover, she forced herself to her feet and immediately realized that Eki and her rescuer were facing off just outside the changing room. "I'll kill that bastard!"

----------------------

Eki popped his neck and smiled in a eerily way that resembled a certain someone else's trademark quirky smile. "Yo, Masami, it's been a really long time. I hope you don't mind that I paid Teruha a visit."

His light blue coat blowing around his feet, Masami pushed up his glasses with one hand and frowned. "So the damage has already been done? That's a shame Eki…"

The self-proclaimed genius tilted his glasses down a little, for just a moment a flash of his scarlet eyes appearing. "If you had just shown up looking for me then I wouldn't have to kill you."

Mizuki and Alahandra ran into the changing room, and gasped at the gaping hole in one of the walls.

Eki glanced over at the two girls and mock-saluted them. "Yo, C-Cup Ladies, don't mind me. I've just got a little bit of business with these two."

Mizuki flushed a bright shade of red and covered her chest with her hands. "What did you call me?"

Alahandra cupped her chest and blinked. "Hmmm, you were close, but off by a cup size…"

Teruha kicked the changing room door down, her teeth gritted. "Get out of the way Masami, I'm snapping this freak's neck!"

"Jeez Eki…" Masami sighed tiredly. "Was it necessary to get them riled up like that?" Then he noticed that the other boy was smiling strangely. ("This could be bad…") "Ladies...don't let him get you riled up…"

"You're about one minute too late to say that, Masami!" Teruha charged right at Eki and punched full force, missing as he skipped out of the way. Her fist connected with the wall and sent an explosion of plaster and wood chips through the room. "I'll kill you!"

Mizuki, her embarrassment forgotten, realized that Masami had her under one of his arms and Alahandra under the other. They were in the middle of the clothing store. "Ummm…could you please put me down, Masami-san?"

The green-haired boy released her and frowned. "I suggest all of you get towards the front of the store and take cover. Teru-chan is on the warpath." Then he was swallowed up by a stretching cloud of dust caused by another explosive strike from the enraged girl.

When the dust finally settled a good portion of the store was completely demolished, walls torn down and all. This left a large section of rubble with a dirtied Teruha standing over it, her back to Masami.

And near the back of the now-ruined store was Eki, that same copycat quirky smile on his face. "Oi Oi, don't hurt yourself now. If you can't hit me there's no reason to go and smash up this poor store in your frustrations."

"How dare you talk so calmly to me after what you did in there!" She looked like she was about to snap once more. Then a deep sigh escaped her lips and she punched the ground full force, sending up one more explosion of dust before she calmed down, steely vision settled on Eki. "I challenge you to a duel! You're in the tournament, aren't you, mister Multiple Personalities?"

"That I am. Is there any particular reason for this challenge?" Tilting his head to the side, the beige-clothed boy continued to copycat the expression Masami normally saved for when he was either amused or in deep thought.

"Let's just say it feels like the right thing to do!" She glanced back at Masami. "I need a duel disk."

"…" After a few moments Masami walked up to her and handed her a duel disk. "That's my spare, but you aren't going into this alone. Teru-chan…" He lifted up another duel disk, this one on his arm. "I'm going to support you."

"A two on one, between Masami, Teru-chan, and myself?" Eki lifted up his arm to reveal a duel disk that had appeared there, his deck already in place. "Alright then, you two, I had better not win. If that's the case, then I'll know you've gone soft…Masami."

"What is going on?" Alahandra asked in confusion, hiding behind the counter at the front with Mizuki.

"Shhh, it's gotten exciting all of a sudden." The dark-haired girl lifted her head into view carefully to watch what seemed to be intense situations erupting into duels. ("This is so weird, but so great!")

"Duel!" Teruha and Masami yelled at once, while Eki just continued to smile.

Masami- 4000

Teruha- 4000

Eki- 4000

"Here I come Eki, draw!" Masami yanked the top card off of his deck and added it to his hand. ("I didn't equip my deck with any special strategy in mind for today, so it looks like I'll have to ad-lib this battle out.") "I set one monster face-down and two cards face-down. End turn."

Teruha placed her fingers on top of her deck. "It's my turn, draw!" The strength behind the draw actually shook the already damaged structure of the building a little bit. "I won't forgive you for what you did, you strange freak!"

"Strange freak?" Eki sighed mockingly. "Your words hurt me so, Teru-chan."

"Stop calling me that!" She tossed a card onto her disk. "I special summon Gilasaurus!" A hissing raptor appeared on her field. (1400/700)

Masami glanced at the monster that Teruha summoned and then he pointed at his set card. "I reveal Clone Summon! This trap card activates when a monster is special summoned. The controller of that monster special summons two more monsters of the same type as the summoned monster from their deck that is level four or lower."

Teruha pulled her deck out of its slot and fanned it out, a pair of cards sliding free from the rest. "My choices are the other two of my buddies, come out now Gilasaurus!" Two more hissing raptors appeared on her field and she returned her deck to her slot before glancing over at Masami and smiling slightly. ("Masami, I'm surprised you haven't said anything stupid or perverted yet about what he did. Maybe there's hope for you yet…") (1400/700)x2

Eki tilted his head to look at Masami. "You know, Masami-kun, I don't get you. You've had a prize such as Teru-chan under your nose all this time, and yet from what I've seen up to this point you haven't really taken advantage of it. You're plenty powerful enough, so why not? Come on, what happened to the same kid I used to plot with when we were younger?"

Masami fixed his glasses before answering. "I actually lived with the humans you and I used to mock for their weaknesses. You'd be surprised how pleasant it is to actually have friends, Eki."

He suddenly struck an overly dramatic pose, pointing at the other boy. "Also, my perversion actually remains in the level of good taste. You, my friend, are just creepy and have very little class anyway."

"Could it be that you're just jealous of my levels of information?" The beige-clothed boy smirked, his squinted eyes lifting slightly to show he was pleased. "Or are you telling me that I'm wrong for knowing things like the cup sizes of those two beauties over there?" He motioned to the two girls behind the counter and laughed when they both glared at him.

Masami frowned and held up a finger, waving it in the air at Eki. "Tsk, I say to you. Of course I know all about their bodies, including many odd little facts they probably don't even know themselves…but most of it is genetic stuff and wouldn't be too interesting anyway. What I chastise you for is your blatant misuse of such information. I am beyond you in that realm…I can actually exercise control over myself."

"That's why you're a fool." Eki's smile disappeared, replaced by a frown. "You always had that silly conscience of yours holding you back from truly taking your place."

Teruha slammed her foot down full force, shaking the building. "Hey! I do believe we're forgetting that we're in the middle of a duel! And on that note, I play the magic card Panic Evacuation!" A card appeared on her field. "This card lets me return all monsters on my field to my hand to deal you 500 points of damage per returned monster!" Her three Gilasaurus disappeared. "Take this!"

Eki slid back slightly as he was hit by a blast of force from the magic card.

Masami- 4000

Teruha- 4000

Eki- 2500

"And then…" She added the three returned monsters to her hand and slammed a card into her duel disk. "I activate the magic card Dino Stampede! During this turn whenever I special summon a dinosaur type monster you take 800 points of damage!"

Mizuki's head came into view from behind the counter, her green eyes wide. "So that's why she chose two more Gilasaurus instead of something stronger!" Then Alahandra pulled her back down out of sight.

"That's right," Teruha said, pounding a chest against her fist. "Strength is my specialty, and it is my weapon! Take this, freak!" She threw the three monster cards back onto her disk. "I special summon my three Gilasaurus once more!" (1400/700)x3

Eki threw up his arms and braced himself as he was hit by a massive wave of force as the three summoned raptors charged through him wildly.

Masami- 4000

Teruha- 4000

Eki- 100

"I'm not done yet!" Two of her Gilasaurus disappeared. "I offer these two to summon my Ultimate Tyranno!" The giant bone-jointed dinosaur appeared on her field and roared, sending up clouds of dust in its rage as it was forced to hunker down a little in the store. (3000/2000)

"End turn." Teruha dropped a hand onto her hip and smirked at the shuddering Eki. "Remember well my power before you ever dare try whatever you did before again, freak!"

"…Remember?" Eki's arm slowly lowered, his cap having been blown away to reveal his long blue hair. "Let me help you do just that." His squinted eyes curled downwards slightly. "I suppose I was intending to play around a little bit, but as I thought you two together are too much for me to handle on my own. Therefore…" He drew. "It looks like I'll have to give you both a taste of my deck's power."

Mizuki's head poked up from behind the counter again. "I'll be okay; I just want to see what he's so excited about summoning."

Eki smiled slightly at her comment. "Excited? Yes, I suppose that's one way to put it." The card he had drawn was flipped over. "I activate Pot of Greed." Drawing two cards from his deck, he added them to his hand. "Now then, let's get this show on the road with Emergence of the Ultimate Threat!" A magic card appeared on his field, and from behind it he sneered. "At the cost of three cards from my hand I can special summon one monster from my fusion deck and ignore the summoning requirements."

("That could only mean…") One of Masami's eyes could be seen behind his glasses, and it narrowed slowly.

"Come out Anime Character; Dragonball Z-Super Buu!" Eki started laughing as a tornado of pink appeared in front of him, forming into a strange white pants-wearing pink-skinned monster with a tentacle on top of its head. (500/1500)

"Your monster only has 500 attack points, what can you possibly do to either of my monsters?" Teruha smirked…until she noticed that Eki was sneering.

"Buu's power is far more than that pitiful lump of flesh and scales on your field, Teruha!" He slammed a card into his disk. "I activate the magic card Soul Screen. During this turn all damage to my life points is zero." A glowing barrier of white appeared around him. "Now then, let's show them Buu…just what we can do."

The pink creature sneered as well, revealing a row of fanged teeth as a card appeared on Eki's field. Then it lifted one hand above its head and fired a huge pillar of pink light that exploded right through the roof of the building and into the sky high overhead.

"Hah, what was that supposed to…" Teruha was cut off as it suddenly started raining pink blasts of energy that slammed into her deck, and with each hit one card was spat out of the stack. "What's the hell is this?"

"The magic card Human Extinction Attack." Eki held up his disk to show his deck was under attack as well. "By discarding one monster from my hand while Super Buu is in play, I can destroy all monsters in all players' decks. For every one destroyed that player loses 300 life points."

"What?" Teruha was blinded as a burning light engulfed her with the completion of the effect, the same with Masami.

Masami- 400

Teruha- 1000

Eki- 100

The aftermath left Eki's field covered in bright pink flames. "For the next three turns I cannot attack. However, the monster I discarded for the effect of my magic card was Murder Banker. When this monster is discarded for the cost of a card that destroys monster then I draw two cards."

Pulling two cards off of his deck, he noticed that Teruha looked very shaken by his appearance. "Ahhh, it's the flames. That…" His squinted eyes opened completely, revealing their blue-grey irises. "Recognize me now?"

The girl's eyes widened slowly… "That…that can't be. It was a dream…" She clutched at her head, looking like she was about to have a mental breakdown. "That didn't happen!"

"Sorry Teru-chan," Masami muttered right before he removed his glasses and turned to face her.

Mizuki blinked a couple of times in surprise as Masami turned Teruha around, looked her right in the eyes, and the girl collapsed to the ground unconscious. ("What was that just now? What did he do?")

Eki frowned, his eyes locking onto Masami's chest. "It's that trick again, huh?"

"Yeah, but you left me little choice." Scarlet eyes glowing, Masami turned off Teruha's duel disk. "The last thing we need right now is for her to go fully berserk. At her full strength we'd have a repeat of what happened the last time. And I don't know about you but getting the crap beaten out of me once was enough."

"Heh, I suppose you've got a point." Eki held up one of his two drawn cards. "I suppose the duel between us will continue then, Masami! I activate Magic Purge!" A blast of wind ripped across the field and the pink flames disappeared. "And then I place one card face-down and end my turn." A card appeared on his field and he smirked at Masami. "By the end of this you'll be finished."

"Finished?" Masami snorted and placed his hand on top of his deck. "You seem to have forgotten just who the senior of us is." He drew.

"Reverse card open!" Eki's set card flipped up and Buu started roaring. "Buu's Thrashing is a continuous trap that during each of your standby phases powers up Buu by 500 attack points and deals you 500 points of damage! It's over, Masami."

The self-proclaimed genius snorted indignantly. "Someone seems to have gotten a bit full of themselves because of their past victories in the tournament." His eyes narrowed slowly. "You're one hundred years too early to beat me on your own! Reverse card open!" His set card flipped up and a bright green light engulfed.

"That card…" Eki snarled in anger, his eyes trembling in silent rage.

"That's right." Masami's eyes narrowed just a little more. "The quickplay magic card DNA Stockpile. This card can only be activated when I have ten or more monsters in my graveyard. All monsters in my graveyard return to my deck, and for each one returned I gain 200 life points."

Buu howled loudly and charged across the field, punching Masami in the chest and then returning to Eki's field. (1000/1500)

Masami- 2300

Teruha- 1000

Eki- 100

Alahandra and Mizuki both gaped at the field…and then started cheering.

"The Human Extinction Attack has been countered." Masami smiled coldly. "As for Buu, I've got just the answer for him and your trap. From my hand I activate the magic card Level Manipulation! At the cost of 1000 life points, I lower the level of one monster in my hand by two stars." His set monster disappeared. "Come out now, Genetic Mirror!" A metal-banded warrior holding a large mirror-like shield appeared on his field. (0/0)

"A zero attack point monster…" Eki growled. "Are you mocking me?"

"Yes…yes I am." Masami held up a magic card. "I activate the magic card DNA Breakdown. This card can only be activated when I have a monster in play that has Genetic in its title. One monster on your field is removed from the game and I special summon a monster from my deck that is the same level as the monster I removed!"

"Fool!" Eki pulled Buu's Thrashing out of his disk. "I sacrifice my trap to negate your targeting effect!"

"That's the end." Masami pointed at Buu. "Go Genetic Mirror, attack now! When Genetic Mirror battles with an opponent's monster it copies that monster's attack and defense!" (1000/1500) The warrior and Buu collided in midair, exploding violently.

"Its fine," Eki mocked. "At the end phase of the turn Buu will return even stronger than before! It's your loss, Masami!"

"You should know better than to say such things," Masami held up the last card in his hand. "I activate the magic card Divine Slash of Heaven. All cards in both graveyards are removed from the game."

The door to the store opened at that moment and Chris ran in. "What's going on? What's with all the explosions and..." She blinked at the completely destroyed store. "What the heck?"

"Mizuki-sama!" Chizuma slid past Chris and leapt over the counter, tackle-hugging the dark-haired girl. "I was so worried about you!"

"I see…" Eki watched his graveyard slot spit out the twenty cards that remained in there. "An interesting attack against me. With my deck empty of monsters and no monsters in my graveyard, you feel the duel is yours." He drew. "But the hundred years is up. I activate the magic card Buu's Immortality! From any location Buu returns!" An explosion of energy erupted in front of him as the monster revived in defense mode. (500/1500)

Masami frowned in frustration. "So you managed to bring him back regardless, huh?"

"That's right." Eki smirked coldly. "Buu is immortal, as am I. You cannot defeat me, Masami. I will take Teruha as my prize. She has already been claimed." He noticed that the girls at the front of the store were glaring at him. "It also seems that the ladies won't let me…" He struck a mocking pose of fear. "Oh no, whatever should I do?" The fingers of his right hand snapped in mock realization. "Oh yeah, that's right…they can't stop me!"

Masami suddenly blurred out of sight with Teruha, appearing behind the counter with her over his shoulder. "Eki, I offer you one chance to walk out of here with your pride still intact. Regardless of what you think about my friends, with them on my side you can't win."

"What makes you say that?" He snickered at Masami. "Don't tell me, the scary little ladies are going to scream and hit me with mallets, eh? Or better yet, they'll chase me around the place throwing stuff."

The self-proclaimed genius's eyes closed. "Your loss." Then he whistled sharply and the roof above Eki collapsed as a giant white paw came crashing through it.

The blue-haired boy emerged from the rubble with a growl on his face. "You bastard…" Then he looked up and found himself staring into a snarling set of fangs. Turning off his duel disk, he stepped forward and was suddenly standing in front of the counter. "You win, for now. I don't have the wish to fight you, these girls, and whatever the hell that is. Catch you later, Masami." Then he blurred out of sight.

"See you later, Eki." Masami sighed as everyone turned to glare at him all at once, including the store owner. ("Thanks for leaving me a mess to clean up.")

_To be continued…_


	112. Dreamcatcher

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 112: Dreamcatcher 

After an hour or so of rather skillful evasion from the police, the ladies and their escort met up at the restaurant they had chosen as the predetermined meeting place in case anything went wrong. It was a sushi place that was well known for its buffet, and therefore was definitely popular for the likes of Alahandra, who like most demons could have something of a bottomless pit for a stomach when they got hungry. As an added bonus, the place had an outdoor patio area so Eri could actually join in this time while they ate, instead of having to sit alone outside.

Alahandra dipped a piece of sushi into a bowl of sauce she had acquired immediately upon arriving, eating the whole thing in one bite. "Mmmm, I love this place. Okay Masami, explain who the creep was."

Sighing, Masami realized that all eyes at the circular table were on him now. "There's not much to say. He's someone from my past, an old friend back from my childhood before I got to know Teruha."

Apparently having forgotten her near mental breakdown, Teruha took a sip of her water and frowned at the green-haired boy. "That doesn't tell us anything!"

"I'm not going into the details about my childhood, but I will tell you all about Eki." Masami sat back a little in his chair and crossed his arms across his chest, resting a finger under his chin. "What to say about Eki…hmmm…he's got a bad habit of voyeurism and he's a bit obsessive."

A round of eyebrow twitches swept over the gathered girls. "We know that already…"

"Hmmm, that you would." Crossing his legs, he frowned. "He's got blue hair and blue-grey eyes…"

"We know." They repeated dangerously.

"Well then perhaps I should tell you about his nickname?" When he realized they were about to start hitting him a deep sigh escaped his lips. "I suppose I don't have a choice, do I? Very well, let me start with the simple thing. Eki is like myself…a genetic monster that was originally a human at birth."

"A monster?" Mizuki peered in at Masami's face and blinked a couple of times before pulling on his cheek. "You look pretty human to me, and you feel it too."

His right eye twitched, eyes hidden behind the glare of his glasses. "Miss Mitsuhiro, please understand that just because I call myself a monster does not mean I have to be some kind of hideous deformed creature to meet the requirements." His lips quirked a little and he removed his glasses, soft scarlet eyes meeting hers. "This is my natural eye color, and this is the natural color of my hair. These alone qualify me as unnatural."

"Yeah, but strange eye and hair colors aren't all that surprising." Mizuki leaned back a little and glanced across the gathered members of the table. "I see at least two colors that don't seem very natural. That alone doesn't classify you as a monster."

Masami lifted up his right hand and grasped the edge of the metal table. "You make a good point. Those things alone don't make me particularly different from those whose company I enjoy." Veins started to bulge out along his right arm and hand, and in one twist of his wrist he wrenched the edge of the steel table up easily, crushing and twisting it into a ball-like shape that barely seemed to upset the rest of the table and the food on it.

Everyone but Teruha leaned in a little to observe the results of his handiwork, a little whistle coming from Eri down below. _"That's not bad…I don't think even at my fullest I could cause that kind of damage with such ease."_

"So what are you?" Mizuki asked simply, suddenly remembering her encounter with Mitosha and deciding that getting very close to Masami might lead to a similar incident…and she wanted to avoid that if possible.

"To put it bluntly, I'm the attempt of a foolish man to combine the best qualities of plants into his own son to create something…though to this day I'm not sure what his intent was." When some gasps came from the ladies he smiled warmly. "Please don't act that way; it makes it seem as if I'm saying this to get pity. Besides, my father got what he deserved in the end. He died surrounded by the things that were his life, and that is that."

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, he continued to smile. "I seem to be walking down the road of memories, so I suppose I'll tell you about Eki. When I first met him he was just a little blue-haired boy that seemed in desperate need of a friend."

The incredulous looks on their faces told him that it sounded rather hard to believe. "It's true; Eki was actually a perfect little angel of a kid. Considering our track records for escape attempts and overall damage to those we disliked, I would actually be the delinquent."

His eyes narrowed, pained slightly. "Then a certain something happened, and Eki was injured…badly. He was on death's bed until his Weird saved him the best way it could."

"His what?" This question was from Teruha, because now the conversation had gone into a realm she knew nothing about.

"Weird." Masami picked up a glass of water and shifted it a little bit, the liquid flowing back and forth like the waves of the ocean. "It's a living aura created for the purpose of assassinations. Eki is a trained assassin, much like me…but the main difference is that where my body was my weapon his Weird was his weapon. There's no real way to define what it can do or how it works. All I'm sure of is that it is nearly invisible to sight, smell and hearing. A perfect weapon for a living killer."

"Masami…" Teruha rested a hand on the boy's shoulder gently. "Maybe you should get off the whole killer thing?"

He lifted his eyes up to notice that everyone at the table had stopped eating. They seemed tense now. "I apologize…" His pained expression faded and he smiled warmly. "Please don't be worried. I know it must seem scary to think that Eki now has his sights on all of you, but I promise that as long as breath is drawn into my body that he will not touch any of you ever again. You cannot forget that I was created for the same purpose that he was…and therefore I know exactly how to counter him."

Then he glanced behind him. "Excuse me ladies, we have an uninvited guest to the conversation." He stood up and blurred out of sight. Moments later he reappeared, hands on his hips and a smile across his face. "I see now…you can come out, Mister Wilhelm. I don't intend to continue until you've shown yourself."

"Wilhelm?" Mizuki blinked a couple of times and looked up and down the street. "Harrison is here?"

"That he is." Masami sighed. "And he's being difficult." Brushing back a few strands of his hair, the boy turned to face the street. "As you wish, then let me draw you out with my patented ultra-super-secret Masami-style technique…" His hand snapped out and grabbed something from out of the flower arrangement in the middle of the table, holding it up to his lips and yelling loudly into it.

From nearby a crash could be heard, and then Masami disappeared again. Seconds later he returned with a very angry-looking Harrison in his grasp. "Scream into the Hidden Microphone _no Jitsu_." Grinning, he motioned to his seat. "Join us please, I insist."

Trying desperately to get the ringing noise out of his ears, the white-haired Kaiser glared at Masami for a few moments before he realized that all of the other occupants at the table were giggling helplessly at him. A low growl escaped his lips and he sat down, glaring at the girls dangerously. "How did you know I was listening in?"

Masami flicked the tiny bug into the air and caught it, winking. "Your little toy makes a lot of micro-vibrations. I knew it was there from the moment my hands touched the table." He snapped his fingers. "And for my next trick…"

He disappeared once more and appeared with a very surprised Sanzo in tow. "Grab the Guy's Backup _no Jutsu_."

The silver-haired Hero Saint sighed. "Alright, you've made your point." He noticed that the girls were laughing too hard to notice that he didn't seem too pleased that he had been discovered. "How did you find me?"

"I found you because Harrison didn't offer any resistance at all. I knew that meant he wasn't alone, or else he would have attempted to run or fight me. Therefore I decided that you would be nearby and chose the place where I felt human warmth." Masami noticed that the rest of the patrons out on the patio were clapping along with the members of his table.

"Thank you," He bowed. "Thank you!"

Sanzo leaned down a little. "Masami-san is incredible…"

"I'm leaning somewhere between impressive and annoying," The white-haired Kaiser grumbled, not pleased by this turn of events.

"So, why were you listening in on us?" Chris blinked as Masami coughed sharply and walked off, muttering something under his breath.

"I'd think it would be obvious after what happened last night." The Hero Saint, lacking a chair, kneeled down next to Harrison. "That creature was after Mizuki, so we've decided that until we find out what sent it that we'd keep an eye on her."

"_Wouldn't it just have been easier to accompany us as escorts, like Masami did?"_ Eri's muzzle came up and she snatched a piece of sushi off of Teruha's plate.

"That's what I said," Sanzo muttered defensively. "Harrison suggested we keep an eye on you through methods I found rather questionable though."

"If we could avoid attracting attention and also exercise a bit of stealth then it would be sounder tactically then to just walk around as a big mob." The Dark Kaiser closed his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest, looking down at Eri and smirking. "You look good like that, beast. I'm surprised though, demons are supposed to be much larger."

Eri growled lowly and narrowed her eyes at him, fangs bared.

"I see," He placed his chin in his hand and looked her over inquisitively, ignoring the fact that she was angry. "I guess if you're a runt in your human disguise then you'd be a runt in your real form."

The demoness looked like she was about to attack…when she was suddenly pulled back by the collar to Chizuma's side.

The doll-faced girl patted the white wolfess on the head. "Be a good girl now, and don't listen to what Harrison says. He's just jealous that he can't be as cute as you."

Harrison closed his eyes and went silent, deciding that he was done goading the demon for now. As nice as it would be to kill her, he knew that the complications would not be worth the rewards…at least for the time being.

Eri felt a similar feeling, and tried to compose herself. ("There's no point in snapping here. I'll wait until we're home, and I can attack him when his guard is down.")

Then Chizuma's hand started petting her and she sighed in frustration. ("One of these days I'm going to use that stupid toy of Masami's and make myself tall, because I hate feeling small compared to others…")

-------------------

On the rooftop of the building across the street from the restaurant, a pair of eyes was watching the group's movements very carefully.

Katsuya grumbled and looked at the patio of the restaurant through his binoculars, right eye twitching. "Man, this pisses me off so much. I'm hungry, but mister high and mighty says that it's our turn to keep an eye on the Rising Star. This is such crap."

From behind him the giant form of Jamal chuckled. "It could be worse. After all, the other option you had was to go with Fukushima on his mission."

A shiver ran down the brown-haired boy's spine. "Forget that, I've got no wish to hang out anywhere near him. Oh well, at least this will just be a peaceful observation mission." He placed the binoculars off to his side and yawned.

"Yo," Masami called from the other side of the roof. When the two Heralds rolled to their feet and faced him he smiled cheerfully. "It seems that our group is very popular with the long-range observation crowd today." The glare from his glasses was nearly blinding. "However I've got to ask…what would a pair of guys from one of the DMWC teams want with us?"

Jamal frowned a little bit and stood up, his impressive height allowing him to glower down at the green-haired boy. "I'm surprised we were found out so quickly."

"Well, if you use binoculars then make sure you use the kind that don't create glare." The self-proclaimed genius smiled at them both. "So, what will it be? I'm not really in the mood to duel or fight, so if you just tell me what you were spying on us for then I'll let you go without any incident."

"Che," Katsuya stood up and cracked his knuckles. "We can't allow that. However, we've been ordered not to fight you anyway. Therefore…" He tapped the collar of his purple uniform a couple of times. "Momo, it seems we're in need of a tactical withdrawal. Let's leave them with somebody to play with though."

Masami sighed and adjusted his glasses. "Leaving so soon? We haven't even gotten the introductions out of the way."

"That's true, but it'll have to be another time. Until then enjoy playing with one of our Reflections." Katsuya and Jamal both smiled at the same time right before they disappeared in a flash of light, replaced by a shadowed and towering form.

Rubbing the back of his head, Masami frowned. "Such a mess, that's for sure." Then he closed his eyes and a golden glow surrounded him. "No time for that though, it looks like its showtime!"

--------------------------

An explosion shook the rooftop across from the restaurant and the caught the attention of everyone below at the street level.

Chris sighed and hopped up, bowing a little bit. "If you'll excuse me, it looks like we've got company." She ran towards the building at full speed, and realized that Mizuki was running alongside her. "Mizuki-chan, you're coming too?"

The dark-haired girl nodded slowly, seeming a little uncertain about her choice. "I certainly can't stand by and do nothing. If I can help then I certainly have the obligation to do so." Glancing behind her she realized that Harrison and Sanzo were following. "Are you two sure that you want to come along?"

"Don't misunderstand," The Dark Kaiser replied as they entered the lobby of the building and ran to the elevator. "I have no desire to help these heroes, but I do want to see this power that you say you have now."

Sanzo just quietly nodded. He knew there was little he could do to help, but at least his being there would be better than his not being there if Mizuki wound up in danger.

-----------------------------

Shining Savior leapt back and frowned, the Seraph Scepter at his side pulsing a couple of times before he stabbed it point-first into the roof and glared at the creature. "What the heck is the deal with this thing?"

His opponent was a large round-bodied humanoid surrounded on all sides by thick plates of metallic armor, the layers combined to form a powerful shell that up to this point had deflected all of his attacks. "Guard's defense can't be broken by your little light blasts, Savior."

The golden-haired hero sighed once more. "That may be true, but you haven't really done anything else but block my attacks. Come on and fight back a little bit, at least."

The heavy-metallic Reflection didn't move. "Guard feels no need to fight you if you cannot get past Guard's defense."

"….well then this is just one big awkward situation." Shining Savior heard the door to the rooftop open and the sound of armor on concrete. "Hey Chris, it seems that our opponent doesn't want to fight."

Fantasy Savior pouted and tilted her head to the side in confusion. "He doesn't?" She walked up to Guard and poked the unmoving metal creature a couple of times. "Hey, what's the deal? You can't just come out and not want to fight. That messes up the whole hero and monster dynamic!"

Sanzo nodded sagely, while from near the entrance Harrison sighed at the stupidity of this whole thing.

"I have no wish to waste energy fighting an enemy that cannot defeat me." Guard rumbled this out, still not moving at all.

Fantasy Savior twitched a couple of times and pink energy started to leak from her hands. "Is that so?" She slapped the creature's shell with her hands repeatedly before hopping back a couple of steps. **"Lullaby Touch!"** An explosion of pink energy erupted around Guard, but when it faded the Reflection was revealed to be completely unharmed.

"…" Shining snapped his fingers and disappeared within a burst of golden light, returning to Masami. "There's no point in burning myself out while waiting for this thing to decide whether or not it will fight."

---------------

_One hour later…_

---------------

Fantasy screamed in frustration and kicked Guard's layered shell, wincing and hopping around clutching her foot. "Ow!"

Mizuki yawned and looked over at Sanzo. "Got any threes?" When he shook his head she drew another card from the deck of playing cards that Masami had taken out.

Harrison twitched a couple of times, glaring at Guard. "What's the point of this thing?"

Masami shrugged at the question. "Who knows? I'd think that if you would go to the trouble of creating a monster that it would want to fight, but this one doesn't seem to want to waste unnecessary amounts of power."

Fantasy stumbled over and collapsed next to the rest of the members of the group. "I give up. Maybe we should just leave it there? It's not like it's going to go anywhere."

"And I'm sure that everyone else is waiting for us…" Mizuki glanced over at Guard as the Reflection made a loud snorting noise and started moving. "I guess we're not done here."

Guard shuddered and slowly stood up, his layered armor unfolding as he went from a ball-like mass of armor to a burly humanoid knight covered by sharp pieces of armor, a white metal belt with a purple jewel in the buckle around his waist. "That was a nice nap. Now then, I believe my job was to destroy you correct?" He started to stomp across the roof towards the gathered teenagers slowly.

Fantasy Savior yawned and rubbed some sleep from her eyes. "Finally he feels like fighting, huh?"

Guard lifted one heavy fist, the armor around it combining to create a hardened blade of metal. "There's only one Savior for me to fight? That's disappointing, then this battle will be ending rather quickly."

The purple-haired heroine leapt through the air and kicked the Reflection in the side of the head. "Don't underestimate me or else you'll…" She twitched as she realized that he hadn't even reacted to the blow. "Eeeep."

Guard grabbed her leg roughly and hurled her back the way she had come. "Impetuous girl, you cannot beat me. Not only do I have resistance against all of your attacks, but I am a defense type. That kind of combination creates a powerful body that cannot be defeated or harmed by your weak strikes!"

"Weak strikes, huh?" She skidded as she quickly landed on the ground safely. "I'll show you what my training with Teruha-san each day has taught me! My power has improved dramatically from what it once was!"

"It's useless." Guard arched back one of his fists. "In a battle of raw power a little girl like you cannot win against one such as me!"

"We'll see about that!" Hand glowing bright pink, Fantasy launched past the others and met Guard in the middle of the roof, their fists creating an explosive impact that sent dust flying out in all directions along with bursts of pink and black energy.

-------------------------

Griff trudged down the street quietly, head hanging low and eyes twitching in frustration. "One hundred…one hundred times and failure after failure after failure!" He turned and pointed at Ichigo, who was prancing next to him happily. "What are you smirking about?"

"_I just think it's funny that I got one hundred compliments today too. What a coincidence, huh?"_ The brown wolf stuck his tongue out at the bronze-skinned boy and then lagged back a little to walk alongside Shiro, who was the one holding his leash. _"You didn't do well either Shiro."_

"Don't remind me," The green-haired boy groaned. "Still though, at least it's not as bad as how phenomenally horrible Griff did."

"Shut up!" The Egyptian turned and pointed at Shiro. "Bring a cute dog, you said, and we'll succeed! Well guess what, Shiro, thanks to that dimwitted idea I wound up spending the way listening to people either praising Ichigo or telling me I was crazy to bring a wolf to a park!"

"It's not my fault you actually took my idea seriously! It should be obvious that most of my plans are half-baked anyway!" The two matched glares for a few moments and then turned away in opposite directions.

"Hey, is that Shiro and Griff?"

Both boys turned at once and looked across the street to see the ladies of the boarding house all sitting at a table at the patio of a restaurant.

"_Oh great,"_ Eri echoed out quietly as the trio approached. _"Those two idiots actually convinced Ichigo to go along with them. I can only imagine what kind of degrading things they've made him do."_

"You're not one to talk," Griff snapped out, pointing at the collar around her neck. "Or have we been so quick to forget that we're someone's pet, Miss Queen of Duel Academy?"

"_Mohistava,"_ The wolfess growled out quietly, her fur bristling. _"You're just building up your tab. Don't regret it when I come to collect."_ She left it at that.

Shiro sighed. "You know Griff; you must look crazy arguing with a dog." He didn't notice the momentary twitch that came from Eri when he said that.

_("It seems like there's going to be a lot of debts I've got to collect on soon.")_ Then Eri's ears folded to her head as a sonic boom of sound and force reached her hearing, leaving her very dazed and most of the humans nearby just as dazed as they were assaulted by the high-powered concussive blast as well.

-------------------------------

Fantasy could see the ground now, as she found herself hurtling off the roof of the building. ("What happened? I remember connecting blows with the monster…and then losing consciousness.") Her eyelids were only half-open, everything seeming to move in slow motion. ("Why am I flying? Did he really take my hit like that and beat me in one blow?") Had the shockwave alone from their attacks hitting been enough to take her down?

Then gravity took hold, and she felt herself starting to fall downwards. She was at least ten stories in the air, so the landing would more than likely leave her badly injured. ("I guess it's true. Starlight isn't just our leader; she's our group's real strength. Without her the rest of us are just pitiful and weak beings in armor…")

Her eyes closed peacefully. ("I'm the most hopeless out of all of us though. Even when I powered up and achieved second level integration, after that my abilities seemed to be absolutely useless against any kind of difficult opponent.")

It was so horribly frustrating that she was so weak. It was the reason she had trained with Teruha, so that her strength could reach levels which when increased by her Source would result in her having a super strength that could be her unique talent…something the others didn't possess. ("Even now though, all that training meant nothing.")

Her forward motion suddenly stopped and she felt arms wrap around her waist. A feeling of weightlessness overtook her and all she could hear was the sound of the wind blowing through her ears. "Chris, are you okay?"

Fantasy opened her eyes slowly and blushed as she realized she was looking right into Erian's very concerned face. ("Am I dreaming? Why aren't I falling?")

The yellow-eyed Traveler gently released the heroine's waist, holding onto her hand gently and letting her drift a little bit away from him. "Can you hear me?"

She nodded meekly. "Erian…why aren't we falling?"

"Oh, it's because I'm negating the force of gravity around us." He smiled cheerfully at her. "It's kind of like a counter-current against the pull of the planet, so don't let go of me and I'll never let you fall."

"Erian…" Fantasy's eyes filled up with tears and she hugged him, sniffling. "I really tried too! I matched that guy's strength with my best and in the end I wound up getting taken down in one hit!"

She started to cry quietly. "We're supposed to be the ones protecting you guys too, and in my case I'm so weak I can't even hold against the shockwave created by a clash between his energy and mine…I'm so pitiful…"

Still smiling, Erian pulled her back a little bit and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Chris, I think you misunderstand what went wrong. In truth, you used too much power and created a backlash that no one would have been able to stand against unless they had a special kind of defensive resistance to damage."

He pointed over at the rooftop, where the dust was starting to clear to reveal the untouched Guard. "Your power is incredible enough as it is. It's the opponent that is the problem, Chris. Against this kind of enemy power alone won't be enough."

She felt herself being lowered to the rooftop gently, Erian landing next to her as they returned to the hold of gravity. "What do you suggest? My best attack is Lullaby Touch, and my strike against him was a fist full of it."

The Traveler smiled. "I was planning on saving this for a less dangerous time too, but I guess this is as good of a time as any." A ball of rainbow light appeared in his grasp, forming into a glittering jewel that pulsed through a full spectrum of colors in a few seconds. "Chris…" He turned to face her.

The heroine blinked in confusion as he opened her hand and placed the rainbow jewel he had formed in her palm. "What's this?"

Still smiling warmly, Erian placed a hand over his chest slowly. "That is a gift to you from me. It's a sign of my affection for you, and of the bond I want to share with you from now until eternity."

Fantasy stared at the jewel's pulsing colors with wide eyes now. "A sign of your affection…of a bond you want to share…" Her body started to tremble, armor quietly rattling as a shaky and overjoyed smile crossed her face. "You…you mean this…this jewel…it's a…"

"I know it's a bit rough, but I haven't spent too much time trying to refine its power," Erian blushed. "Of course I hope you accept it anyway. I can't express in words how important it is too, so…" He yelped as she hugged him with enough strength to nearly crush the air out of him completely.

"Of course I accept this! Oh Erian, I love you too!" She kissed him once before dropping him and dancing around with the jewel in her hands, singing a wordless tune happily.

Erian blinked a couple of times at her and then at Guard, who was slowly approaching. "Ummm Chris, I know this is a joyous occasion and all but aren't you forgetting the problem?"

"Yes, my dear!" She grinned at the Traveler and then turned to face Guard confidently. "Sorry, monster, but now my mood has improved drastically. I'm going to win regardless of what you do!" The jewel shimmered and disappeared, her armor exploding to life as it started to glow in a similar pattern to that of the energy that had been coming from Erian's gift.

"No matter what color you are, the outcome will…" His eyes widened as suddenly he was sliding backwards, a dent in his armor. ("That's impossible…") Then he was twisting in a corkscrew through the air, another indent in his plating where she had landed a knee against his face. ("Her speed…her power…they've increased…")

Fantasy slid to a stop, the air around her twisting slightly…as if it were adjusting itself to her will. "I'm sure that hurt too. That is the power of our love, jerk!" Her hair and eyes had also shifted to a similar rainbow pulse that her armor now had. "Now then, it's time to clean house!"

From his position back-first on the ground, Guard blinked a couple of times and then stood up. "Your blows…hurt? That shouldn't be possible…my resistance should render all but the most destructive of strikes useless…"

From behind the heroine Erian sighed and brushed himself off as he stood up. "I suppose I'll let you know what you're facing. This is the real potential of the other four Saviors, those who don't have the ability to create raw weaponry, abilities and energy like the wielder of the Infinity Mind can. Their power doesn't come from within, it comes from us."

"That's right!" Fantasy yelled triumphantly. "This might I feel flowing through my veins is because of my dear Erian! Our love will conquer all!" Then she charged forward, slamming her knee into Guard's midsection and sending him sliding back on the balls of his feet.

Erian continued talking while he watched Chris pound away at the Reflection, which was unable to counterattack because of her speed compared to his. "Every Savior except for Starlight and Shining can accept a Traveler's Heart, which is what I gave Chris. The limit is three, and it's not something we give lightly to any guardian…but the final product of such a union is a great thing. Now Fantasy Savior has my powers, and therefore I can sense whatever she strikes and easily match her energy to counter any kind of unnatural negation it might have. The so-called magic resistance that Ichigo said you things have is now null and void when she strikes you, meaning you're taking the full force of each and every one of her strikes."

Fantasy landed next to Erian and squealed in delight, hugging him again. "Yay, Erian's so cool! He gives me an awesome power-up, but what's even more important than that…"

She kissed his cheek and dropped him, a blush creeping onto her face. "Is that jewel represents his promise that one day we'll be married…the greatest engagement present ever!"

Erian nodded. "That's right, the greatest engage…" He stopped and replayed what she had said in his mind. "Engagement? Married?"

Fantasy was no longer listening, her eyes locked on Guard. "Like I said, it's time to clean house."

"Wait, what's this about an engagement?" Erian twitched as she ran towards the Reflection, apparently not hearing him. "Chris, what are you talking about?"

"This is not an advantageous position for me." Guard curled downwards, reforming into his armored ball shape. "Now is a good time to gather my energy and think of a strategy to defeat you. Even with your increased power you won't get past this shell."

Fantasy placed her hands in front of her, smiling widely. "I thought you figured it out already, but I guess not!" A glowing ball of prismatic light appeared between her hands, rapidly warping and expanding around her right arm. **"Awaken the grasping hand of my love's power!"** A pink and red metallic claw appeared attached to her right arm, the heavy grasping weapon humming with prismatic energy. **"The crushing claw of the god of dreams; Dreamcatcher!"**

Guard shuddered and tried to switch back to his humanoid form as the clamps of the huge metallic claw slammed down on his sides, lifting him upwards into the air. "Release me!"

"With pleasure!" Fantasy's right hand twisted and the claw apparatus hummed. **"Lullaby Piledriver!"** An explosion of pink energy erupted straight from the base of the claw through Guard's body, leaving a smoking hole in the armored ball.

"**Good…"** A flash of light erupted around the Reflection and he disappeared.

Lowering the Dreamcatcher, Fantasy willed the weapon away and grinned. ("I can just see it now…Christian Richards…") She blinked and turned to look at Erian. "Dear, do you even have a last name?"

"…." Erian rubbed his palm against his face and glanced over towards Masami, who besides Harrison was the only one conscious because of the close proximity to Fantasy's first strike with Guard. "What did I just wind up doing?"

"I believe they call it proposing," The self-proclaimed genius shrugged and walked towards the exit from the rooftop. "Don't take my word for it though. Ask the girl you gave a beautiful and most likely irreplaceable stone to."

The Traveler groaned as Fantasy hugged him again with enough strength that he was taken off his feet. ("Part of me wants to sit her down and explain that's not what Heart Integration is, but another part of me…") He blushed and sighed. ("I guess maybe I'll explain it to her a little later.")

_To be continued…_


	113. Understanding

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 113: Understanding

The sun was falling down below the lines created by the surrounding buildings, as night was quickly on the approach. And walking down the streets of the Tokyo neighborhood they lived in were the tenants of the boarding house.

"So you gave her a rare stone that was created in your body?" Teruha giggled when Erian nodded meekly. "Well, what do you think she was going to treat it like?"

"…Yeah, but still…" The Traveler watched Chris, who was up ahead of the rest of the group by a little bit, nearly dance on air. "I suppose I need to tell her that a Traveler's Heart isn't actually what she thinks it is, right?"

"I suppose so," The brown-haired girl patted the smaller boy on the shoulder. "However, the real question is whether or not you want that stone to be your proposal gift to her or not."

"…Huh?" Erian scratched the top of his head, looking confused at that. "Wait, what do you mean by that?"

------------------------

Mizuki winced and slapped the side of her head again, trying to get the ringing out of her ears. "I hope I didn't suffer any permanent damage because of that little stunt on the roof."

"_You should be okay,"_ Ichigo echoed out, walking alongside her. _"If not though then I'm sure Masami can help. When it comes to genetics he's the best guy I know, and if anyone can fix physical problems that a doctor can't it would be him."_

"You know," The Rising Star placed a finger on her chin. "Now that I think about it, do you even know anyone normal Ichigo?"

The wolf sighed and shook his head. _"Insanity follows me wherever I go. I'm sure I could try to have normal friends, but they'd just wind up getting sucked into the stuff that seems to follow me and then they wouldn't be normal anymore."_

"Wow, that's surreal." Mizuki patted him on the head. "I can't imagine having a life where the strange and normal have switched chances of happening."

Eri pushed between the two of them, knocking Mizuki's hand away. _"Remove your hands from my Ichan."_ She ignored the fact that said Ichan and the dark-haired girl were now glaring at her. _"Oh, also Mizuki…"_ She turned to look up at the girl. _"Do you believe in gods?"_

"It's kind of hard not to," The Rising Star muttered. "After all, there are six of them participating in the DMWC, right?"

"_Let me refine my question. Do you personally believe in a specific god?"_

"Not particularly, why?" Mizuki blinked as the demoness fell back a little bit, wandering away from them. "Okay, what was that all about?"

"_I've got a bad feeling we'll find out soon enough."_ Ichigo slumped his shoulder-blades and sighed tiredly. _"Like I said, Mizuki, it follows me wherever I go."_

----------------------------

"Shiro, I think you're putting too much effort into coming up with a plan for this." Masami crossed his arms across his chest as he and the other green-haired boy turned around a corner, at the head of the group as they neared home. "I know what you want the GAD for, or at least I have a general idea. Honestly I'm looking forward to it, but you're putting too much effort into trying to come up with a plan."

Shiro stuffed his hands into his pockets. "It's not that easy though. I want this to be something brilliant, to be something that will go down in the record books as the ultimate prank…"

"A prank?" Hand coming up to his chin, Masami stroked his face gently. "That's what you want this to be?"

"Those are what I do best, so I may as well treat it like one." He tapped the side of his head with a finger. "I've got a list of goals in my mind, but there are some complications."

"Well run them by me when you have the time, I'm sure I could…" The self-proclaimed genius stopped and his eyes disappeared behind the glare of his glasses, his quirky smile returning. "Shiro, I'll see you inside." He vaulted over the wall next to them and out of sight.

"….Okay then…" Shrugging at the rather random action his newly-declared mentor had taken; the green-haired boy turned another corner and stopped in front of the wooden doors that led into the front yard of the boarding house. "Home sweet home!"

Pushing the double doors open, he leapt into the front yard and immediately gulped at what was waiting for him. "I don't suppose if I said I was sorry that you would not kill me, would you?"

---------------------

Everyone walked through those same double doors less than a minute later, walking across the dirt path to the front door…and finding it locked.

Alahandra tilted her head to the side and tried turning the doorknob again, finding it not moving. "Shiro did walk ahead of us with the key, right?" When everyone else nodded she sighed. "If he locked us out purposely I'll be very mad at him."

"**_You won't need to worry about that,"_** A rumbling voice echoed out behind them, shaking the surrounding earth. **_"He's just currently rather indisposed of."_**

The group all turned at the same time, and a similar feeling of immediate danger swept over them as they realized that they were staring at a white muzzle that was big enough to eat any one of them whole in one bite.

"Hello Eri…" Teruha stepped back until she was pressed against the front door of the house, and she took in the sight of a white wolf that was nearly as big as the house itself. "M…my, aren't you big this evening…" She knocked on the door behind her gently. ("Masami was with Shiro; please tell me that he is inside.")

"**_Yes, Mitosha told me something interesting about her power. Apparently there's a limit to how much size she can take or add, and it depends on the amount she gathers from other objects. Sorry Ichan, but I'm borrowing what she took from you for a little while."_** The wolfess noticed that most members of the group she was trapping in front of the door looked like they were either going to fight or run. **_"Don't worry; I just want Mizuki and Griff. The rest of you are welcome to go inside. The key is under the mat."_**

Teruha reached down and grabbed the key, which was exactly where the demoness had said it was, and hurriedly unlocked the door. "Right, good night Eri!" She ran inside quickly, most of the others running in after her.

Eri's paw, which was currently as big as the body of her target, snapped out and knocked Griff to the ground as he tried to run inside with the rest of the boarding house tenants. **_"Oh no you don't, I told you that all your insults to my honor were building up towards a final tab, didn't I Mohistava?"_**

"I vaguely remember something like that," The bronze-skinned boy gasped out as the weight on his chest grew a little heavier when he tried to squirm away.

By the time the immediate rush to escape what seemed like a very messy release of demon anger had ended, only Sanzo, Harrison, Mizuki, Ichigo, and Griff remained outside, the first and fourth in front of the third defensively.

Narrowing her golden eyes, Eri lowered her muzzle so she was doing the best she could to mimic coming face to face with Harrison. **_"I doubt you're here because of the hussy."_**

"I'm here because I'm sure you'd like to take this moment to get back at me for my insults against you." The Dark Kaiser didn't sound worried. A huge opponent was beatable, and even if she wasn't he had no intention of running from a confrontation with a demon of any kind.

"**_Get your insolent butt inside. The only problem I have with you is my pride as a Kaiser of Duel Academy, and that will be settled on the dueling field one day. Otherwise, your idiotic insults about my heritage slide off of my body like water off of a duck."_** She huffed once in his face.

"Very well, I look forward to crushing you there." Turning, Harrison walked through the still-open front door calmly. ("Part of me is worried about Mizuki's safety, but Sanzo is there along with that one…that Ichigo Pilkington. Despite him being a dirty half-breed, he wants to protect the Rising Star with all of his might. She'll be better off without me around to get the annoying bitch even more irritated anyway.")

With the number of people she had deal with lowered by one, Eri's massive head turned to bring Mizuki directly into her vision. **_"You, I want to have a few words with you."_**

When neither of the girl's two guards moved, she growled loudly enough to shake the building a little bit. **_"Alone."_**

Sanzo grimaced. "Erika-san, this is not right! Mizuki hasn't done anything to warrant this kind of treatment!"

"_That's right!" _Ichigo barked. _"Eri stop trying to intimidate Mizuki just because you don't like her!"_

"It's alright, you two." Mizuki, eyes closed, motioned behind her to the front door. "Go inside and please don't hang out near the door. This conversation will have needed to take place at one point or another, so it might as well be now."

Sanzo frowned, but he complied and walked inside slowly. ("My danger sense isn't going off. However, that doesn't make me any less worried. Please be alright, Mizuki.")

Ichigo followed the Hero Saint, his movements a little jerky as he forced himself inside. Every instinct in his body told him that he should be outside, but he also got the feeling that Mizuki wanted to speak with Eri alone. ("I've got no choice. I just hope everything goes alright.") He heard the front door close behind him, and knew that despite how much he wanted to solve this problem…it wasn't his responsibility to deal with.

----------------------------

Alone outside, Mizuki and Eri stayed in total silence. They were looking directly into each other's eyes, not flinching at all. If there was someone that had a pin nearby, they could have dropped it and heard it hit the dirt.

Then Eri's muzzle shot forward, fangs snapping shut inches from Mizuki's face.

The girl didn't flinch at all. "I can't bring myself to be intimidated by you right now, for you to need yourself this big and scary-looking means that you're just as nervous about this as I am."

"**_Is that what you think?"_** The wolfess rumbled out this question evenly.

"Yes," Mizuki replied, arms at her sides and looking just as relaxed as the wolfess. "There's the chance I'm completely wrong, but I have a hunch that I'm correct in assuming this."

"**_Che,"_** Eri huffed once, the sound sounding like something between a sigh of relief and a noise of frustration. **_"Mitosha, restore my normal size and go inside."_**

From her hiding place behind the wolfess, the Traveler snapped her fingers and walked past the rapidly shrinking white animal. "Alright, good night Kaiser." Nodding to Mizuki, the pink-eyed girl opened the front door and walked inside.

Now at her normal, albeit still very large, size Eri removed her paw from Griff's chest and stepped forward, bringing her muzzle close to Mizuki's face. **_"Do you understand why I want to talk with you alone?"_**

"I can only guess it has to do with Ichigo," The dark-haired girl didn't back down at all. She stood strong, despite the fact that inwardly she wanted to run away as fast as humanly possible.

"**_It does,"_** Eri sighed loudly. **_"It's so frustrating, you know? A cute girl falls out of the sky into the arms of the guy who has gone through hell and high water to win my heart. From then on it just seems that no matter how hard I try to keep you two apart fate brings you two together in ways that are annoyingly irritating."_**

"I can't say I know the feeling, but I can say that you're mistaken if you think I feel the same way you do about Ichigo." Mizuki scratched the side of her head, looking a little perplexed as she attempted to come up with a way to describe it. "When I'm with him it's like being with a brother, though I'm an only child so that's probably not what being with a brother feels like."

A low growl came from the wolfess…and then she closed her eyes, brow furrowed in frustration. **_"I know that! I see it when you and he speak to each other. There's a love there, but it's not the same thing as what I share with him. The problem is that my demon side, the raw emotions I feel is telling me that you could easily take him from me. That's not something I want to risk."_**

"And the other side?" Mizuki asked. "What about the human Erika Amero? What is she telling you?"

"**_She's telling me that I'm the worst girlfriend on the planet for being jealous of Ichigo having a female friend,"_** Eri's ears lilted and her head drooped downwards. **_"I want to feel pride in being a demon, but in this day and age the burning jealousy that comes with having selected a mate is the biggest pain in the ass I've ever felt."_**

Her eyes glanced at Mizuki angrily. **_"What would you do if you were in my position? I want a human reaction to compare to what I'm feeling is the only answer right now."_**

Blushing, Mizuki rubbed her chin and tried to put herself in the shoes of the demoness. "It's…a tough call. If it was me I'd try my hardest to avoid violence, since that's just not how humans resolve their day to day problems normally."

"**_There's the difference,"_** Eri tilted her head up to look at the sky. **_"The Demon Nation is all about solving its problems with shows of force and violence. That's why the current answer to the problem is to kill you and leave it at that, but I can't bring myself to do it. You're not truly at fault here, or else I wouldn't be held back by the thought of the guilt I'd feel for killing someone that didn't deserve it."_**

Mizuki nodded. "I know it's not surprising but I'm relieved to hear that. If you want to solve this problem without hurting anyone, both emotionally and physically, then perhaps it's best to try and embrace your human's side of dealing with this problem?"

"**_Perhaps,"_** The demoness glanced at the door. **_"Very well, for now I'll leave it at this. If you want to get on my good side, do not openly challenge me when it comes to Ichigo. You don't know him like I do, and you don't understand that he's a lazy bum at heart that needs me to motivate him to action, whether physical or emotional."_**

Mizuki frowned in displeasure. "Ichigo is his own person."

"**_I know that."_** Eri narrowed her eyes at the other girl. **_"I love Ichigo with all my heart, but I can't let him remain a submissive child forever. I push him because I wait for when he finally understands that it's no fun to have a boring relationship where you've got a yes-man for a mate."_**

"…" Mizuki blinked a couple of times in surprise. "Wow…that makes sense and yet doesn't make sense at the same time."

"**_My business with you is done then."_** She watched Mizuki slowly turn to leave, the girl still looking rather surprised at the explanation she had been given. **_"Oh yes, one thing of note though…if you dare mention a word of this to anyone, I will bite your head off."_**

Mizuki opened the front door and waved her hand a little to acknowledge, though she looked more perplexed as her mind looked back at her memories of earlier experiences with the demoness, now with the knowledge of why Eri acted like she did concerning Ichigo.

"**_And now then,"_** Eri removed her paw from Griff's chest, muzzle coming down to growl right in the boy's face. **_"I hope you didn't have any plans for the next couple of hours, Mohistava. I've got a year or two worth of insults and mockeries to pay back…with interest."_**

Griff twitched a couple of times. "I…I…" Then he started crying as he realized there was no getting out of this one.

----------------------------

_A couple of hours later…_

-----------------------------

Mizuki ran her brush through her hair slowly, sitting on the fluffy covers of her bed and looking at herself in the small mirror located next to the windowsill which was positioned right next to her bed. She had already changed into her nightgown, and was getting ready to go to bed. ("Today's been an interesting day. I've learned something new about a girl I thought was just jealous and hateful demon.")

A tapping came from her window, and she nearly fell off of her bed when she looked up from the mirror and realized there was a huge brown wolf head which had replaced her view of the backyard. ("I don't think I can get used to the concept of living with demons, at least not when they're like this…") Reaching out, she unlocked the latches for the window and pushed the pane aside so Ichigo could speak with her.

"**_So,"_** He echoed out quietly, trying not to be too loud for the sake of the neighbors. **_"I see you still have all of your limbs, which means the conversation with Eri went alright?"_**

"More or less," Placing her brush on the nightstand, the Rising Star leaned a little out the window and patted the wolf muzzle hovering there. "I think she and I came to an understanding, though if you're going to cause me all of these problems then I'm wondering whether or not I want you for a pet now." She winked jokingly.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out, licking the underside of her chin. **_"Yeah, yeah, I'm a scoundrel and a playboy."_**

"Well, maybe a scoundrel." She remembered what Eri had said. "A playboy would assert themselves a little better to get what they want."

"…" He blinked silently at her a couple of times. **_"Assert myself? That sounds kind of pointless. Eri would take it out on my poor flesh if I stood against her."_**

"Are you so certain?" Mizuki smiled a little bit and gave Ichigo an inquisitive look. "What makes you think that?"

A nearby thud could be heard as Eri approached her conversation with Chizuma apparently done. **_"Ichan, let's go to sleep."_**

"…" Ichigo breathed out loudly and then turned to look the demoness eye to eye. **_"I'm not done talking with Mizuki, sorry."_**

For a few moments it seemed like Eri was going to order him, and then she glanced at Mizuki. **_"Fine, enjoy your talk with your 'sister'."_** It seemed like she was smiling as she suddenly tackled him, knocking him to the ground with a crash. **_"But if my pillow won't come over so I can use him, I'll just have to come to him instead."_**

She rested her head on his midsection, glancing once more up at Mizuki. **_"Be grateful that I'm allowing my Ichan to continue talking with you even though I want his company."_**

"Oh I'm honored." Mizuki smiled inwardly, having caught the light-hearted tone of the demoness' last sentence.

Ichigo looked up at Mizuki and then back at Eri before lifting a brow. **_"Am I missing something?"_**

_To be continued…_

_Chris: Heya everyone, its Chris! It looks like we're up first thing in the morning for the DMWC's second round, and that means we're going to have to be on our best!_

…_Bwha? I'm up first? Alright then, I'll show them the power of my deck and win a victory in the name of my dear Erian!_

**_Ichigo: Hey, what do you mean 'dog aren't allowed in the stadium'?_**

Next Episode: The Intricate Magical Web


	114. Chibi Magic!

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 114: Chibi Magic!

"_Ladies and gentlemen, we've seen some amazing things in the first preliminary rounds from the competing teams,"_ Mediator yelled into his microphone. _"But now the competing groups are going to have to step things up a notch if they want to get some cheers from us!"_

"_Our first match this morning is Team Halo versus Team Kekkei Genkai!"_ He pointed down at the gathered teams on the field. _"It seems that Team Halo only has seven of their competitors today, which is rather disturbing since they seem to be lacking Adriel Zaytel, Ichigo Pilkington, Erika Amero, Rysel, and Masami Morioka! According to our data those are their heaviest hitters too!"_

-------

Down below on the dueling arena the rather diminished team was gathered nervously, as Mediator's words reached their ears and reminded them that they were lacking their best duelists today. Adriel had just disappeared ever since the flu incident starts, Ichigo and Eri were out for obvious reasons, and Masami had refused to wake up no matter how hard they had tried. Rysel, on the other hand, had just told them that he was too busy "destroying worthy opponents in the eternal game of pwnage' and therefore didn't have the time to come to the tournament.

Across from them were the five members of team Kekkei, all of whom were wearing an assortment of rather simplistic clothing meant more for movement than for fashion. At the head of their group was a slender girl with silver hair and deep crystal-blue eyes. "I suppose we can do this the old-fashioned way, wouldn't you say? We choose to send out Sensatsu out for our first duelist, how about you guys?"

With no clear leader determined, the members of Team Halo had a little conference amongst themselves until Chris suddenly skipped in front of the rest of them and grinned. "I want to go first! Masami gave me my cool costume, and I want to try it out!"

The rest of the group didn't argue, heading to the bunker bridge and getting onboard, while Team Kekkei did the same. This left just the purple-haired girl and Sensatsu, a blue-haired boy wearing a rather long deep-blue cape and holding a rose in his mouth. "This will be quite a pleasant duel, I must say."

"Yup!" Chris shouted, tossing something to the ground in front of her and disappearing in a burst of white smoke.

----------------------------

From inside the living room of the boarding house, it was a rather small group watching the television at this early time in the morning.

Ichigo huffed and squirmed a little. _"I still don't get why this is necessary…"_ Then he let out a quiet gasp as a normal wolf-sized Eri and Mizuki adjusted atop his currently slightly larger than couch-sized body.

"It's because it's cold in here and you're warm," The Rising Star breathed out before hugging the wolf's neck to try and keep herself warm.

"_And you?"_ Ichigo echoed, his head tilting just enough to look at Eri.

"_I don't need a reason to lie on your body,"_ The demoness replied curtly.

------------------------

When the smoke cleared it revealed Chris wearing a long set of flowing purple magician's robes and a pointed purple witch's hat, the latter of which rested attached to her head more by the string connected to the robes that by actually sitting on top of her. "The mighty mistress of magic, Christian Richards is here!"

Sensatsu smiled at Chris, a glint of light coming from one of his teeth. "I'm quite fortunate to have such a beautiful girl be my opponent. After seeing some of the members of your team, I was worried that my opponent would be someone with a lack of feminine charm or beauty."

The purple-haired girl brushed her long cape back, her magician robes blowing in the blown air from the vents below as she grinned and struck a pose. "Well then you'd be in luck with our team, because we've got a guy on our team that has feminine charm and beauty, but that's beside the point since I'm your opponent."

------------------

Ichigo's brow twitched in irritation and he huffed, lifting Eri and Mizuki up a little bit as his chest rose. _"That was a jab at me, wasn't it?"_

Mizuki giggled and patted the rather perturbed-looking wolf on the head gently. "She called you beautiful though, so I'm not so sure she meant it as an insult."

His ears folded on top of his head and he whimpered. _"She said I had feminine charm though…"_

"_That's because you do, idiot."_ Eri stretched out across her section of the sideways-laying Ichigo, yawning. _"Don't complain though, at least she was offering you a compliment."_

------------------

Sensatsu shrugged his shoulders and held up another rose, eyeing Chris charmingly. "Let me be your prince charming in this lovely battle, milady Christian."

Chris activated her duel disk and stuck her tongue out at the playboy. "I'm already taken by my dear Erian, so your advances are a big waste of time!"

"A big waste of time?" Sensatsu brushed back a strand of his long blue hair and flicked the rose he was holding across the expanse of the dueling arena at his opponent. "My advances are not so easily negated…" The rose stopped in mid-air and dropped to the ground halfway across the dueling field. "What exactly was that?"

-------------------

Erian lowered his hand slowly, eyes closed and brow twitching rapidly. Then he noticed that everyone in the bunker was staring at him. "Regardless of my decision about Chris, I won't let someone hit on her in such a stupid fashion."

--------------------

Chris jumped up and down a couple of times, grinning widely. "Yay, my dear Erian is jealous that other men are captivated by my beauty too! Okay Sensatsu-san, if you beat me in a duel then I'll go out on a date with you!"

---------------------

Erian started twitching more rapidly, and the screen in front of him froze and the image started skipping. "W…w…what?"

----------------------

"An interesting proposition…" The blue-haired playboy smiled and activated his duel disk. "Very well then, I accept your challenge!"

_Christian Richards of Team Halo versus Sensatsu Suisho of Team Kekkei Genkai begin!_

Sensatsu- 4000

Chris- 4000

Sensatsu placed a hand on top of his deck and drew. After glancing at the card he smirked and threw it onto his disk. "During my standby phase I special summon Quick Ninja in attack mode." A black-robed ninja appeared on his field. (1000/1000) "This monster can attack you directly despite the phase or despite effects on the field at the cost of me ending my turn during my standby phase. Direct attack!" He smirked as his monster ran across the field and slashed a kunai through Chris' chest roughly. "Also, after Quick Ninja finishes its attack it switches to defense mode. End turn."

Sensatsu- 4000

Chris- 3000

Whistling and brushing her chest off, Chris grinned widely. "You're definitely good, but it's not enough to finish me off just yet!" She drew and threw the card onto her disk. "I summon Chibi Spider Magician in attack mode." A cute little cartoon spider wearing a pointed witch's hat and holding a wand in one hand appeared on her field. (400/500) "When this monster is summoned I add one Magical Spinneret magic card from my deck to my hand and then activate it!"

"Magical Spinneret?" Sensatsu's eyes widened as a magic card appeared on the girl's field. "What does that do?"

"It will let me send two magic cards from my deck to my graveyard to deal you 300 points of damage and then let me gain 300 life points!" Chris winked and held up Double Magic and Wave Motion Cannon. "I send two magic cards from my deck to my graveyard to activate my magic card!"

Sensatsu- 3700

Chris- 3300

Grabbing his chest, Sensatsu winced as pain appeared there. "Interesting, but that was barely worth the cost of two magic cards from your deck."

"I'm not done yet." Chris snapped up her hand and pointed directly at her opponent. "Chibi Spider Magician can attack directly regardless of whether you have monsters in play or not!" The little cartoonish monster hopped across the field and smacked Sensatsu in the head with its wand.

Sensatsu- 3300

Chris- 3300

Rubbing the top of his head, the playboy winced and nursed his skull. "I don't see why that effect did any good for your current situation."

A card left her graveyard. "When my monster deals you damage I can select one magic card sent to my graveyard by the effect of Magical Spinneret and make it the top of my deck." Holding up Wave-Motion Cannon, she added it to the top of her deck and slid a card into her disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn." A card appeared behind her monster as it bounced back to her field and hugged her, giggling.

Sensatsu frowned and snapped the top card off of his deck. ("Wave-Motion Cannon is a very dangerous and rare direct damage magic card. If she draws it then my life points won't last for much longer.") Looking at the cards in his hand, he smiled slightly. ("I can stop her from doing such a thing though, thanks to this card.")

Chris started dancing around with her Chibi Spider Magician, laughing and sweeping her cape out behind herself. "This is so much fun! I'm getting to play with my new cards, and beat up on a silly boy that wants to court me too!"

("A silly boy?") Sensatsu twitched a couple of times and then held up a card. "I play Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." Adding two cards to his hand, he held up another card. "Then I play Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two."

After doing so a pair of brown-clothed ninjas appeared on his field. "The cards I discarded were my Rush Ninjas!" (300/300)x2 "When these monsters are discarded by a card effect they special summon themselves."

---------------

"_It's a rush deck,"_ Eri growled out, ears flattered to her head as she pawed at Ichigo's ribs in agitation. _"He's trying to finish Chris off before she can set up a decent defense against his attacks."_

"It should be fine," Masami said from his seat right next to Ichigo, though no one in the room remembered him having been there beforehand. "Chris is a very resourceful girl, and don't forget she's a member of Obelisk Blue. If anyone is good enough to stand against this kind of strategy then it would have to be her."

----------------

Sensatsu pointed at his three monsters. "I offer three Ninja monsters on my field as a sacrifice to summon Ninjutsu Lord!" A gold-covered ninja appeared on his field in a burst of white smoke. (1500/1500) "When this monster is summon I can special summon any number of Ninja monsters from my graveyard and hand to the field!"

His three sacrificed ninjas reappeared and he threw a card from his hand onto the last slot on his disk. "My final monster is Thief Ninja!" A ninja with a large burlap sack over one shoulder appeared on his field alongside the others. (1600/700) "And now my rush goes full power, attack her monster now!"

Chris pouted at the Thief Ninja as it ran up and slashed her Spider Magician in half. "Hey, that's mean!"

Sensatsu- 3300

Chris- 2100

"It may be mean, but it is necessary." He pointed at her deck. "When Thief Ninja deals you life point damage the top two cards of your deck are discarded."

Chris gasped as her Wave-Motion Cannon and one other card were snatched from the top of her deck and dropped into her graveyard slot. "Hey, I was going to use those cards!"

"Sorry, but I can't let you set me up for defeat that easily!" Sensatsu pointed at her. "The rest of my ninjas, attack her life points directly!"

"Reverse card open!" Chris grinned childishly as the rest of the monsters on the playboy's field were suddenly snatched up into a glowing net of light strings. "My Magical Embrace card activates when a spellcaster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle. During this turn you cannot attack me directly."

Brushing back a few strands of his blue hair beautifully, the playboy held up a finger and waved it in the air at her. "That won't save you, unfortunately. I activate the quickplay magic card Smokescreen Technique! This card activates when you activate a widespread effect, allowing my ninjas to escape it! Therefore, I can now attack directly!" All of his monsters broke free of the net and charged across the field towards Chris rapidly. "This is the end!"

"Nope!" Chris held up her Magical Embrace trap. "Magical Embrace has one other ability. During this turn I can activate magic cards from my hand. Therefore I play Swords of Revealing Light!" Three glowing swords of green light fell down from the sky and crashed down in front of the ninjas. "Sorry, for the next three turns you can't attack!"

Sensatsu smiled, a glint of light coming from his teeth. "Sorry, but you cannot stop me that easily. I activate Mystical Space Typhoon!" A burst of wind washed over the glowing swords and shattered all of them violently. "And now I continue! All of my ninjas, attack her directly!"

Chris' right eye twitched. "You're a persistent guy, but I'm ready for you! Through the effect of Magical Embrace I activate the Scapegoat quickplay magic card sitting in my hand!" Four colored Goat Tokens appeared on her field. (0/0)x4

Then she braced herself as all four of her summoned monsters were slashed to little pixels of light. ("This guy's rush strategy is really good when put against my attempts to stall and use my burn tactics.")

Sensatsu inserted a card into his disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Assassin Plans." All five of his ninjas disappeared in bursts of smoke. "I remove all Ninjas on my field from the game. During my next standby phase I return them all to play and deal you their total original attack in damage divided by two. Also I place one card face-down and end my turn." He smirked, looking ready to play the last card in his hand.

Chris drew, and her eyes widened as another ninja, this one steel grey, appeared on Sensatsu's field. "Where did he come from?"

"That is my Guard Ninja." The blue-haired playboy pointed at the summoned monster and winked at the girl. (400/2400) "This monster cannot be normal summoned, but can instead be special summoned from my hand to the field during your standby phase if I have no monsters in play. At the end phase of this turn this monster will destroy itself if that is the case, but by then Assassin Plans will end this duel."

For a few moments Chris looked her hand over, and then inserted the drawn card into her duel disk. "I activate Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and then discarding two." After doing so she held up Pot of Greed. "Now I'll draw two, just like you did." Adding two cards to her hand, she narrowed her eyes seriously. ("I'll have to treat this guy like a real threat, apparently.")

Sensatsu smirked at her. "I will have my date, as now my eye is set on you. Christian-chan, please show me your best so that I can accept my date with you while having a clear conscience."

Chris smiled cheerfully. "Sorry, but my dear Erian is the only one I've got my eyes on at this time. Despite the fact I'm sure you're a great guy, I can't lose to you because I'm not fated to." A card was thrown onto her disk. "I'll show you that now. I summon Magic Thread Mistress!" A woman covered in sheer violet cloth appeared on her field. (0/1500) "And now I remove the top three cards of my deck from the game. Also, I place three cards face-down and end my turn."

Sensatsu pointed at his Guard Ninja, which proceeded to explode. "My monster destroys itself, and then I draw to start my turn!" He did so and Assassin Plans started to glow. "Now my ninjas return, and with that your life points will disappear!" All five of his ninjas appeared and his continuous magic card shattered. "Your life points disappear now!"

"Reverse card open." Chris pointed at her center set card, which flipped up and released a glowing shield of light around her. "Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment makes all effect damage to me during this turn zero."

Sensatsu pointed at his own set card. "At the cost of 1000 life points I activate Seven Tools of the Bandit, negating your trap and leaving you open to destruction!" The glowing barrier around Chris shattered.

Chris snapped her hand out and another of her set cards flipped up. "I activate the effect of Magic Thread Mistress! By returning one card that she has removed back to my graveyard I can start a new chain before your card effect resolves! Therefore I reveal my Trap of Darkness trap card! At the cost of 1000 life points I remove my Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment from my graveyard to activate its effect again!" The barrier returned.

Sensatsu- 2300

Chris- 1100

Sensatsu snapped his hand out and his five ninjas vanished. "I sacrifice all of these monsters to summon Ultimate Rush Ninja Lord!" A shimmering white ninja appeared on his field. (2500/2500) "This monster can be special summoned at any time by sacrificing three monsters. By sacrificing four I can make this monster immune to magic cards. By sacrificing five monsters though I can make all of your magic and trap cards useless!"

Chris' eyes widened in fear. ("My set Gravity Bind is useless now?")

"This is the end!" Sensatsu pointed at the Magic Thread Mistress. "Your monster cannot use its effect unless it is in attack mode, so therefore when I strike it down I will win my date! Go now, and win me this beautiful girl's heart!" The glowing Ultimate Rush Ninja Lord charged across the field and lifted its kunai to slash down the female spellcaster.

"I've got no choice but to trust fate and activate Magic Thread Mistress' effect!" Chris pulled a card from a pocket somewhere inside her robes out. "I select one random card that was removed by the effect of my monster when you attack and during this turn if that card is a trap the effect of Magic Thread Mistress becomes that!" The card was flipped over to reveal a picture of a demon howling in pain as smoke rose from its body. "It's Skill Drain! At the cost of 1000 life points during this turn the effect of all monsters becomes void! However, the effect of Magic Thread Mistress prevents her from becoming affected by her own abilities, therefore stopping an infinite loop from beginning."

Sensatsu- 2300

Chris- 100

Sensatsu snickered. "What good can that card do for you? You cannot stop my attack so easily!"

"Yes I can!" Chris' set card flipped up and the Ninja Lord stopped his charge. "The continuous trap card Gravity Bind prevents all level four or higher monsters from attacking, therefore making your attacks during this turn useless."

"I see." Lowering one hand to his hip, Sensatsu smiled slightly. "Impressive, but it will not matter. I end my turn, and that means the effect of your Magic Thread Mistress returns to normal." Gravity Bind shuddered and its color changed to shades of black and white. "All of your magic and trap cards are now negated."

Chris grabbed the top card of her deck, her eyes trembling in a small amount of fear. ("My dear Erian, I really meant what I said about not having eyes for anyone but you. I don't want to go on a date with this guy…")

---------------------

Eri growled and dug her nails into Ichigo's side unintentionally, fur bristling. _"Come on Chris, you can win this duel! Show him that you're not one to be underestimated or to be treated like some kind of prize!"_

"_Ow…"_ Ichigo whimpered and turned his head about to nip the wolfess' ear. _"Eri, could you please stop stabbing me? It's really starting to hurt now."_

"_Quiet!"_ She bit his much larger ear and tugged roughly. _"Don't ruin the tension!"_

-----------------------------

Chris drew and frowned. ("I can't win alone through the use of this card.") "I have only one choice, and that's to trust in the power of my Magic Thread Mistress." She pulled the last removed card out of her robe pocket. "This is it."

Sensatsu rubbed an index finger under his nose slowly. "Very well then, show me your determination to win. If your ability to draw isn't quite so good, then I wonder how good your strategy is to make up for that fact."

"My strategy…" Chris blinked at her Magic Thread Mistress and then held the final removed card up. "Alright, let's do it! I activate the effect of the card removed by my Mistress, and transfer its power to the Mistress for this turn!" A golden coffin appeared around her monster.

Sensatsu blinked at the coffin. "What is that?"

"The power of the card which was removed." Chris held up her Magic Thread Mistress card, which she slid into her graveyard slot. "I sacrifice one spellcaster on my field to special summon a spellcaster from my hand to the field thanks to the power of Magical Dimension! Now come out now, my greatest spellcaster, Dark Magician!" The coffin opened to reveal the mighty and famous purple-robed spellcaster. (2500/2100) "Also, when this effect completes I can destroy one monster on your field! My choice is obvious!"

"And my choice of moves is also obvious!" Sensatsu motioned to his Ultimate Rush Ninja Lord, which exploded. "By sacrificing my monster when it is targeted by a destruction effect, I can special summon all of the monsters used in it's summon to the field in defense mode." His five ninjas returned to the field in defense mode.

Chris frowned. ("Because his ninja left play, my Gravity Bind is back in effect and therefore my Dark Magician can't attack.") "End turn."

Sensatsu grasped the top card of his deck and smirked at her. "Chris-chan, do you understand that my Quick Ninja is a level three monster. Because it is in defense mode I cannot attack you directly through its effect, but during the next turn I can end this in one strike no matter what you do." He drew and held up the drawn card. "I activate the continuous magic card Ninja Defense Formation. For every defense mode Ninja on my field, the opposite monster zone on your field is blocked." All five of Chris' monster zones were suddenly lit up with orange light. "Therefore any monster in your monster zones cannot attack. I switch Quick Ninja into attack mode and end my turn." His black ninja stood up and brushed itself off, getting ready to attack directly during the next turn.

Chris licked her lips and prepared to draw. "I'm ready."

"I'm not done yet." Sensatsu removed a card from his graveyard and inserted it into his disk. "I activate the final effect of Ultimate Rush Ninja Lord. When I have five ninjas in play I can change it into a continuous magic card that copies its magic and trap negation effect until my next standby phase. In other words…" He pointed directly at her now terrified face. "During the next turn you will lose, and during your next turn you will be unable to do anything against me except use monsters. So therefore I hope you enjoy our date. End turn."

"I thought I told you," she said coldly, eyes narrowed. "My eyes are only on my dear Erian, and therefore the only reason I made that promise is because no matter what I will win! Draw!" She looked at the drawn card and her cold glare faded back to a warm smile. "Yay! I sacrifice Dark Magician to special summon my Chibi Dark Magician in attack mode!"

Sensatsu blinked in surprise as the serious-looking magician disappeared and was replaced by a cartoonish and giggling version of itself. (2500/2100) "What kind of joke is this?"

"This isn't a joke!" Chris pulled the top card off of her deck and discarded it to the graveyard. "When Chibi Dark Magician is summoned I send the top card of my deck to the graveyard! If that card is a magic card I may activate it from the graveyard, meaning you can't negate it!" A holographic version of the card appeared in the air and the audience gasped. "My card is Dark Magic Attack! If Dark Magician is in play, or in this case Chibi Dark Magician which counts as Dark Magician, then all magic and trap cards on your field are destroyed!"

Sensatsu yelled out as a powerful blast of magic leapt from the monster's staff and shattered his absolute lock combo, leaving his field wide open. "But during the turn that you activate Dark Magic Attack, your Dark Magician cannot attack. Also your Gravity Bind is still in play, so I've still won!"

"You haven't won yet!" Chris removed a card from her graveyard and held it up. "I activate the magic card that was discarded along with my Wave-Motion Cannon! It's called Chibi Magic! I can remove this card from my graveyard and pay half of my life points during the turn that a Chibi spellcaster was summoned to special summon a second Chibi monster from my deck or hand that is the same level or lower than the summoned Chibi!"

Sensatsu- 2300

Chris- 50

Chris grabbed a card from her deck and grinned at it. "Let's do it, Little Erian!"

------------------

"Little…Erian?" Everyone in the bunker and back at the living room of the boarding house echoed out at once.

-------------------

Chris threw the card onto her disk and a little green-haired magician wearing rainbow robes appeared on her field. "I special summon Chibi Rainbow Magician!" (1500/1500) The newly summoned spellcaster suddenly broke into a big grin as he was hugged from behind by the girl that summoned him.

Sensatsu twitched a couple of times and wished that he was in the monster's place at that moment.

"Now then," Chris skipped back to her position on the field and grabbed some cards from her deck. "Chibi Rainbow Magician discards the top seven cards of my deck and lets me add one random magic card from amongst them to my hand! Let's do it, Seven Colors of the Rainbow activate!" She yanked the top seven cards free and threw them in an arc forward, watching six of them disappear while the final one appeared face-up on her field. "Yay! It's Emergency Provisions!"

Sensatsu frowned as the Gravity Bind card was sacrificed, meaning that the Rainbow Magician could attack his Quick Ninja now. "This doesn't mean that you've won though."

Sensatsu- 2300

Chris- 1050

"Yes it does." Chris grabbed the top card of her deck. "Chibi Rainbow Magician has another effect, which activates when it attacks. I guess the top card type of my deck. If I'm correct then I discard that card and depending on what type it is my Little Erian activates a different effect, or if I'm wrong the card enters my hand! I call trap!" She drew and held the card up to reveal Full Salvo, a trap card, which she discarded into the graveyard.

"And what happens when you call trap correctly?" Sensatsu asked; sweat building on his shiningly beautiful face.

"I get to use one of my graveyard normal traps, followed by which I remove it from the game!" A trap appeared on her field. "I activate Magician's Circle, letting me special summon a spellcaster with 2000 or less attack points from my deck to the field, and you do the same!"

"I have no spellcasters in my deck." Sensatsu grimaced as he watched the Chibi Rainbow Magician strike his Quick Ninja over the head with its staff and blow the black warrior apart.

Sensatsu- 1800

Chris- 1050

Chris' field was covered by a bright light as another cartoonish magician appeared, this one being a little kitten wearing spellcaster robes. "Chibi Kitten Magician is special summoned to my field!" (200/200)

"It only has 200 attack points…" Sensatsu started laughing, covering his mouth with one hand haughtily. "Such a cute little thing cannot defeat me!"

"The power of cuteness conquers your quick striking ninjas no matter what you say!" Chris grinned as her Kitten Magician skipped past the crouching ninjas and hit Sensatsu in the head with its wand. "Since my little friend can attack directly, you're in for some trouble!"

Sensatsu- 1600

Chris- 1050

Stumbling back a little, Sensatsu rubbed the top of his head and sighed angrily. "I'm growing tired of your childish strikes!"

She stuck her tongue out at him and then removed a card from her deck. "Well excuse me for being me! When Chibi Kitten Magician deals you life point damage I may destroy a monster on my field to set one normal trap card from my deck face-down on my field!" Her Kitten Magician shattered and she placed a card face-down in her disk. "End turn, and good game!"

Sensatsu drew, and his eyes widened as her set card flipped up. "Just Desserts…"

"For every monster you have, you take 500 points of damage!" Grinning, Chris, Chibi Dark Magician, and Chibi Rainbow Magician all stuck their tongues out at the playboy at the same time and blew a raspberry at him right before he disappeared within a violent explosion of power that overwhelmed his field.

Sensatsu- 0

Chris- 1050

As the now smoldering and twitching Sensatsu collapsed face-first to the ground, Chris danced around the arena and waved to the cheering fans before she skipped to the bunker bridge and flew inside, the first thing on her mind being to glomp her dearest as hard as she could.

----------------------

Eri sighed, sounding a little lovesick. _"Why don't you ever romance me like that anymore, Ichan?"_

The much larger wolf's right eye twitched a few times. _"Because I'm too busy constantly saving your pride, or your life, or the world, or…"_ He yelped in pain as Eri bit his neck. _"Ow, not so hard!"_

Mizuki had to put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from giggling too loud.

_To be continued…_

**_Krieger: It seems that the time has come for me to finally debut. I will show them the cold fury of the White Tiger of the Southern Lights Academy._**

_Griff: You go and do that, but be careful Krieger…this guy you're facing off against looks like he fights tigers for a living._

_**Krieger: Don't worry, I can match his strength with my own…I think…**_

_Griff: Wait, did you just mutter 'I think'?_


	115. The Amazing Chapter 115

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. The dimension hoppers are property of Seeker of the Soul.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 115: The Amazing Chapter 115

Moderator punched his fist into the air strongly. _"It's amazing to think that we've got so many incredible duels to look forward in this tournament, but at the moment the greatest battle is standing down on the field below! On one side we have the White Tiger of the Southern Lights Academy, Krieger Reinhardt, while on the other side we have Shiko Tsumyaku of Team Kekkei Genkai!"_

Down on the dueling arena stood Krieger, wearing his fur-lined coat while a fine icy mist hovered at his feet. "I look forward to this duel. Let us present the viewers with something worth watching."

Across from his stood a rather stocky young man wearing a tight ninja costume similar to what Sensatsu had been wearing before. "Regardless of what you say, I don't feel much of a need to speak civilly with you. After this duel ends you probably won't feel like talking with your friends, since because of this you will place one loss upon their shoulders." His duel disk activated.

"That's a rather strong threat that you make towards me," Krieger activated his duel disk as well. "Regardless though, I have no intention of running from this battle. My obligation to try my hardest outweighs the severity of your words."

"_Begin!"_

Krieger- 4000

Tsumyaku- 4000

"Draw!" Krieger snapped the top card off of his deck and slid it into one of his disk slots. "I place one card face-down on my field and then I place one monster face-down in defense mode. End turn."

Tsumyaku drew from his deck and calmly placed a card onto his disk. "I summon Spine Cannon in attack mode." A humanoid made of bone with a cannon sticking out of its back appeared on his field. (1400/1300) "Then I play the magic card Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two. At that time the effect of Spine Cannon deals you 300 points of damage for every card I draw from my deck outside of my draw phase!"

Krieger's eyes widened as he was pushed back by three bursts of powerful energy that came from the cannon on the monster's back.

Krieger- 3100

Tsumyaku- 4000

"And then," The ninja-suited young man held up another magic card. "I activate the quickplay magic card Reload, allowing me to shuffle my hand back into my deck and draw a number of cards equal to the number I shuffled back in." Four cards left his hand and then were drawn from his deck, and a powerful shockwave of force was thrown right into Krieger's face.

Krieger- 1900

Tsumyaku- 4000

"I'm not done yet though!" He slid one of his remaining four into his disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Shuffling Strategy, which during the end phase of my turn shuffles my hand back into my deck and then I draw the same number of cards I shuffled back in. Also I place one card face-down and end my turn." Two cards were shuffled into his deck and two new ones were drawn.

Krieger- 1300

Tsumyaku- 4000

The stands erupted into a series of protests aimed at Tsumyaku, mostly from the female members of the audience.

"It seems you've got some support because of your looks," The stocky boy shrugged his shoulders at the amount of anger directed at him. "It doesn't matter though, because no matter what you do I will win this duel because unlike you I do not rely on foolish things such as popularity and outlook to win."

"Draw!" Krieger added the card to his hand and then motioned to his set monster. "I won't surrender this duel just because of your opinion of me! I reveal Living Icicle!" A spike of ice appeared on his field. (100/400) "When this monster is flipped summoned I may destroy one magic or trap card in play! My choice is your Shuffling Strategy continuous magic card!" The selected card froze over and shattered.

A magic card appeared on his field. "I activate the magic card Ice Formation, allowing me to add a water type level five or higher monster from my deck to my hand. My choice is Mobius the Frost Monarch." A card left his deck and he added it to his hand. "And then I activate the magic card Frozen Greed, discarding one water attribute monster from my hand to draw two cards." Holding up the Mobius he had just searched for, the half cat demon discarded it casually.

("Why didn't he summon Mobius and destroy my set card?") Tsumyaku frowned in realization as he noticed the look in Krieger's ice-blue eyes. ("He intends to repay the damage I just dealt him, does he?")

"I activate the magic card Monster Reincarnation, allowing me to discard one card from my hand to add one monster card from my graveyard to my hand." He discarded one card and then picked up Mobius again. "And now I tribute summon Mobius the Frost Monarch!" The Living Icicle exploded and was replaced by a towering humanoid made of ice that released a powerful blast of cold air which froze the set card on Tsumyaku's field and destroyed it. (2400/1000)

"So you've destroyed my set card, have you?" The stocky boy held the destroyed card up coldly. "This was my Forest of Bone trap card, and when it is destroyed during this turn you cannot attack."

"I see…" Krieger grabbed another card from his hand. "That's fine though, because I'm not quite finished yet." A card appeared face-down on his field. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

-----------------------------------

"Momo," Byakuya called. "Is the next Reflection complete yet?" Entering the boy's laboratory, the elder Herald frowned at the fact that the door was unlocked and the room empty. "Where is he?"

Checking the computer sitting on top of the desk, he found a note.

_Took Scale out for a walk and to test my new invention, the third Reflection is ready but doesn't seem willing to listen to anybody but the one it was based on._

_Momo_

"He took Scale out for a walk…" Byakuya pressed his palm against his face in frustration. Picking up a remote from nearby, he turned on the small television and flipped to the morning news.

"…_unknown creature, but thought to be connected to the attack on Tokyo a few days ago." The female reporter was behind a number of police barricades, a small park in view close by. "The report was put in when there was a call from a woman about someone's pet trying to eat her dog while she was walking in the park. Animal control, who arrived shortly after, quickly realized that this reported pet wasn't actually a pet at all."_

_A loud hissing noise could be heard in the background and a trio of police officers in padded armor went flying by, landing on top of each other in a heap._

Turning off the television, Byakuya wondered whether Momo understood that these creatures were not meant to be pets. ("Regardless, I have to do something about this. Scale may have gone wild, and if that is the case then I alone will not be able to defeat it.") He looked over at the Blood Vat and the unmoving form inside. ("I suppose we'll have to see just how effective you are, won't we?")

--------------------------

Masami rolled out of bed, parts of his hair sticking in strange directions. "Vengeance alert…" Still dressed in his bright green pajamas, the self-proclaimed genius started on his way to his room's door. Or at least he tried to, since he was still getting oriented to the fact that he was awake. "Stupid Vengeances…waking me from dreams…they must pay…" His hand reached for his doorknob…

The door flew open, Mizuki flying in with an alarmed look on her face. "Masami-sama!" She heard a loud thud noise and the door's movement stopped.

"Yes Miss Mitsuhiro?" Masami's hand slowly came out from around the door, followed by his now red face. "I assume Ichigo and Eri are panicking?" She nodded earnestly. "Don't worry, I have an answer. It's an experiment I've been working on, but if it works then you and Ichigo can go deal with the monster…"

-----------------------------

_A few minutes later…_

------------------------------

Hair still sticking out in random directions, Masami yawned loudly and sat down in the middle of the living room floor. In his hands was a small golden box. "Good morning."

"_No time for good mornings!"_ Ichigo looked absolutely freaked out, a low whining coming his throat as he paced around the room. _"Hurry up and make me normal so I can go beat the Reflection!"_

"Right, right," Masami yawned again and put the box at his feet. "This is called the GCD, short for Genetic Conversion Device. With it I can change the target's genetic code for a short time. It was the precursor to the…" He looked over at Mizuki, and for a few seconds pondered what would happen if he tried to mention the GAD. ("Where would Shiro come flying in from screaming, I wonder.") "…current experiment I'm working that has nothing to do with genetic manipulation at all."

Eri sweat-dropped. _"Morioka, what are you talking about?"_

"Can you really change something's genetic structure with that?" Mizuki leaned in and poked the box a couple of times, expecting it to be alive or something else weird. "How does it work?"

"_Explain later, zap now!"_ Ichigo started hopping up and down impatiently. _"If that thing causes injuries at the park then it will be our fault. The others are at the tournament right now!"_

Masami sighed melodramatically and pointed outside the room. "Ahem, could the female members in this room please leave, lest you don't mind seeing our good Ichigo without clothing."

Mizuki and Eri hurriedly rushed out of the room. A rainbow flash of light later and Starlight Savior was running for the front door. "Alright, leave it to me!"

"Hang on!" Mizuki grabbed the heroine's waist to stop her from running off. "Unlike those of you with Sources I really can't move at superhuman speeds, so could you please give me a ride?"

------------------------------------

Scale hissed again and threw a nearby park bench at the policemen firing at it. Each of the bullets struck its scales and dropped to the ground without even having flattened. "Annoying humans go away and let Scale enjoy park time with master!"

"I am the hero of the heavens!" An echoing voice yelled out from somewhere nearby. "In the name of love and justice I will defeat you in thirty minutes or less!" A dark and light blue form landed in front of the Reflection, a crystalline spear held masterfully in her grasp. "I am Starlight Savior!"

"Shut up, stupid Savior!" Scale leapt forward and tackled Starlight, the two of them rolling about in a heap. "Scale no like you! You make master mad!"

The heroine kicked the creature in the head and rolling away, though the blow had no effect on it. "Well excuse me for not letting you run rampant!" Her spear already broken, she tossed the pieces aside. ("I don't have a whole lot of time for this, so we'd better end it quickly.") "Mizuki, call the gate!"

There was no response. "Ummm….Mizuki?" Starlight looked up at the rooftop she had jumped from and sweat-dropped at the fact that the dark-haired girl was still up there. "Whoops, sorry about that."

-------------------------------------

"She's here…" Momo removed the device from his pocket. ("I knew you would come out if I took Scale out for a walk, Savior. That means Rising Star is nearby too, so this is the perfect time to use my new invention.")

After careful research he had determined that Starlight Savior, while unable to defeat the Reflections alone, was nearly unstoppable while Rising Star's Mirror Gate was empowering her. ("However there is a weakness to that boost.")

Down below Starlight skipped under a claw strike aimed for her head and slapped Scale's hand away roughly with the butt of her spear.

("The first weakness is your own body, Savior. If you go through the Mirror Gate the overwhelming amount of energy is draining on your endurance, hence why afterwards you are left tired.") The device in his hands started to beep, lights flickering on along its interface.

Scale hurled a fallen tree at Starlight, the offending mass of wood blown apart by the Star Blaster before it could reach her. The two charged at each other again and this time Starlight led with her foot, catching the Reflection in the head and throwing it backwards a couple of steps.

("Secondly,") Momo pushed down on a button near the bottom of the device, aiming at a tree. ("You can only keep that level of charged effort up for a short amount of time. Against single opponents this is fine, but what happens if your opponents are multiple?") A ray of light shot out of the device, flying into the tree. "It will be your defeat."

--------------------------------

Starlight twisted in mid-air and fired the Star Blaster into Scale's face at point-blank range. Despite the Reflection's immunity to normal damage, the fact it was being attacked was enough to make it flinch back a little. ("I saw Mizuki running down here, so I just have to buy time until she arrives.")

A new howl shook the ground around them as a block-bodied wooden humanoid came rushing in and slammed a fist the size of a mailbox into the heroine, hurling her through the air and then skidding along the ground.

"Another Reflection?" Starlight started to stand up but was forced to the ground again as Scale's tail hit her bodily and pushed her down once more. ("Are they getting desperate and sending out more than one?")

The wooden monster howled again, even though it lacked any kind of visible mouth, and threw itself at the fallen heroine. She fired a pair of blasts into its chest but that didn't divert it from where it was going to land, which was right on top of her.

"**I call upon the divine passageway!"** The monster got a view of itself before it crashed into the Mirror Gate that appeared in its way and was sent flying back the way it had come from. **"Hear my call, Mirror Gate!"**

Starlight propped herself up on her elbows and smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem," Mizuki returned the smile, standing just behind the heroine in her silver robes. "From what Masami said you didn't have a whole lot of time in this form, so shall we?"

"Let's," The heroine stood up and a crystal flower appeared in her grasp. **"Awaken Aries, Taurus and Scorpio!"** The flower bloomed outwards, forming the massive feathered form of her mightiest weapon. Grabbing its handle, she brought it crashing to a rest on her shoulder. **"The sword of the Celestial Navigator; The Wing of Cryox!"**

----------------------

"All according to plan," Momo said emotionlessly.

-----------------------

The wooden monster howled again as the silver Starlight Savior came rushing through the reflective side of the gate, now bathed in silver energy. She brought the blade down through the creature, and it exploded instantly.

-------------------------

("I see…") Momo had underestimated Starlight Savior's ability to predict intent. ("You knew that monster was a mere distraction, something to try and draw out the Zephyr…") This didn't sit well with him. It meant that the power boost from the Mirror Gate, while short-lived, could be used against multiple opponents. "Byakuya won't find this news very pleasing."

"Such a stupid tactic," Starlight commented, turning to look up directly at where the Herald was hiding. "I can sense your location, in case you were wondering. As for the Mirror Gate…"

Mizuki took over. "The evening when we defeated Scale we did a bit of practicing, and figured out how the Mirror Gate worked. You won't catch us with a trap as simple as that."

("Is that so?") Momo aimed his device at another tree, a beam of light leaping from it and creating another wooden humanoid that charged at Starlight.

"Don't you get it?" Using one hand she slashed the air in front of her and the creature split in half before exploding. "Or is this just a game to you?"

A pair of beams leapt from the cover of the treetop and created another pair of monsters, which charged with Scale in the middle of them. "Scale tear stupid Savior in half!"

"Go Starlight!" Mizuki braced herself and the silver aura around the heroine grew brighter. "Let's end this!"

"Yes ma'am." She launched forwards and swung the sword in a horizontal arc in front of her, a powerful bird-shaped blast of screeching silver and blue light crashing through the three monsters, destroying the two artificial ones and throwing Scale backwards. "Sorry, but Scale is the only one getting torn apart today!"

The Reflection hissed in anger and leapt to its feet. "Scale no afraid of shiny Savior! Shiny Savior will be eaten alive by Scale!"

"Just try it," Starlight commented casually, easily holding the normally far too heavy Wing of Cryox in one hand. "I won't allow you to do as you please."

Momo sighed in disappointment and touched the jeweled facet on his uniform, disappearing in a flash of light right as Starlight leapt into the air, the silver aura building up around the blade of her sword. **"Zephyr of Starlit Hope!"** Then the park was alive as a wave of silver and blue light easily swallowed up Scale.

"**Good…"** The Reflection's shadowed image within the pulsing wave faded away as it was rescued before it could be destroyed.

-----------------------

Byakuya was waiting as Momo appeared in the middle of the room. "That was a rather fast walk, I was just about to leave and reprimand you for going off and doing as you please when you should be more careful about being identified."

"I had to make sure of something." The boy walked over to his desk and sat down, immediately typing something on the computer. "The Artificial Vengeance creator is still in its testing stages. Those creatures created by it though were able to assist Scale sufficiently, which means that once I've charged it properly the creations from it will be strong enough to help us overcome the glaring weakness Rising Star's friends have shown us to have."

"Is that so?" The leader of the Heralds glanced over at the Blood Vat and the creature still inside. "Let me ask you something…if I had gone there with my Reflection, what would have happened?"

"There would have been a fifty percent chance that it would have defeated that combination, but I do not wish to leave that to chance." Momo opened the small fridge underneath his desk and pulled out a can of juice, sticking a straw into the opening and taking a deep drink. "On the plus side, I learned that Scale loves to play Frisbee."

Byakuya wasn't sure whether that was a joke or not so he walked out at the moment to conceal the fact he was groaning.

---------------------------------

"Don't feel so down," Teruha patted Krieger on the back. "It's not like you can win every single duel, Krieger-sama."

"Indeed…" Griff laughed falsely, trying his hardest to avoid getting affected by the depressed look on his friend's face. "Come on man, it's not that terrible."

"The problem…" Nikolai started to walk towards the exit of the bunker. "Is that if we lose again we'll have to go the fifth round, where Ichigo is supposed to duel. If he can't duel then we will go to one of our reserves and none of them are here."

"I'm sorry," The half cat demon bowed his head again, looking thoroughly depressed.

"Don't worry too much about it," The Russian thumbed at Teruha. "The two of us will pick up the remaining slack."

_To be continued…_


	116. The Real Nice Guy's Descent Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh. I do own all these people though.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 116: The Real Nice Guy's Descent (Part 1)

The first thing Mizuki and the back-to-wolf form Ichigo got when they walked through the front door was a heavy news-style video camera right in the face. "GAH!"

"And here," The smartly-dressed reporter said into her microphone, "Is the highest-rated female duelist currently on the DMWC website, Miss Mizuki Mitsuhiro!"

"Who are you?" She stammered out nervously, the bright light from the lamps set up in the entryway semi-blinding her. Combining this with the fact that she was already a bit tired from their earlier battle against Scale and those weird tree monsters and it equaled a need to go lie down.

"We're from the DMWC headquarters, interviewing the participating duelists for information that we put in their bios on the website." The reporter, smiling a plastic smile, extended her microphone into Mizuki's face. "Miss Mitsuhiro, would you please explain your reasons behind your clothing of choice during Team Virtue's first round?"

"How did you get in here!?" She shouted, echoing the silent Ichigo's thoughts as well as her own.

"Is it my turn for the interview yet, mademoiselle?" This came from behind the camera and reporter as Masami, dressed in a bright green bathrobe with extra slicked-back hair and what looked to be a tobacco pipe hanging out of his mouth, strolled in. "After all, to get the best information about this team's members you need only ask the illustrious and gentlemanly Masami-sama."

A shared vein bulged out of Ichigo's and Mizuki's foreheads, the latter asking, "And just who are you supposed to be, huh?"

"Me?" His scarlet eyes glittering, the self-proclaimed genius rested his elbow against a nearby wall and gave a winning smile. "I am Masami, the dashing and debonair playboy." He took a puff from his pipe and a spray of glittering green bubbles came out. "Doesn't it suit me so?"

"Ichigo," Mizuki coldly released the leash in her hand. "Sic'em." Then Masami was buried under a snarling ball of brown fur. A few moments later his hand rose up from past the wolf currently biting him so that he could dramatically yell, "I regret nothing!"

With the camera getting a picture of a mauled Masami as its background, the reporter leaned in towards Mizuki and asked, "Oh, so your dog is named after Ichigo Pilkington?"

-------------------------------------

"_Second Round; Duel Number three, Nikolai Corben versus Sharin Gan! Begin!"_ Mediator slammed his microphone down and ran out of the announcer's box, shouting something about having to use the bathroom.

"Duel!" On one end of the field stood Nikolai dressed in his normal grey-suit attire. Across from him was a petite girl with crimson eyes and onyx hair.

Nikolai- 4000

Sharin- 4000

"Draw!" Nikolai added the card to his hand and threw a different one onto his disk, a cloaked magician appearing on his field. "I summon Chaos Shadow Wishmaster in attack mode!" (1000/1200) "When Wishmaster is summoned I remove the top card of my deck from the game. Also during each of my standby phases an additional card will be removed from the game." He pulled the top card from his deck and inserted it into his back pocket. "When this card is destroyed as a result of battle all of those removed cards will come to my hand. End turn."

("At this point,") Sharin frowned as she glanced up at the score-board high above them. ("The point totals are the same. If our team wins once then we'll have the advantage, but if their team wins then the next duel after this one will be the hardest. No matter what happens I have to win!") She drew and tossed the card onto her disk, a shining mirror-like orb appearing on her field. "I summon Reflection Soul in attack mode." (?)

"And its effect?" Nikolai asked calmly.

"When Reflection Soul is summoned I select one face-up monster on my opponent's field and copy it." The orb cracked open and spat out a copy of Wishmaster. (1000/1200) "And just like your monster when mine is summoned I remove the top card of my deck from the game." She did so and pointed at Wishmaster. "Reflection Soul attacks Wishmaster now!"

Both magicians pointed at each other and the single orb surrounding them launched forwards, colliding exactly in the middle of the field and shattering the opposing orb. Moments later the owners of those orbs followed.

"At this time," Both Nikolai and Sharin said in unison. "The card removed by the effect of Wishmaster comes into my hand!" This brought an irritated look to the Russian Duelist's face while the female ninja smiled.

---------------------------------------

Erian blinked at the camera a couple of times before reaching out and poking the lens. "And this is what exactly?" The cameraman knocked his hand away and wiped the lens quickly with a rag.

"We're interviewing all of the occupants of this boarding house, since we find it incredible that two of the best teams so far in the circuit are living in the same place." The reporter sat back against the couch in the parlor and aimed it forward at the Traveler's face. "What can you tell us about the other members of this house? According to Masami-sama you have a bit of a feud going on with the member of this household named Rysel…" She looked at her notes. "Oh my, and it seems that this Rysel is the same Rysel which created a disturbance at the opening ceremony."

"A feud with Rysel?" Erian canted his head sideways. "I guess I don't like him because his father is responsible for killing hundreds of my species…is that considered a feud?"

"…" The reporter sat in silence for a moment before coughing sharply and switching to her next note card. "Moving on, according to Masami-sama you live here with your younger siblings. Isn't it difficult being the role model?"

"Yeah, it is pretty difficult." Erian crossed his legs and started counting things off on his fingers. "First there's Resshin's constant need to burn things, then there's Mitosha bringing strange people home in cages, and Ambience is in love with Adriel but doesn't want to tell him about it."

The reporter sat in silence, trying to take that all in and comprehend some of the things said. "…"

"Did that answer your question?"

---------------------------------------------------

An explosion roared across the field and somewhere within the swirling smoke a grunt of pain could be heard. Out of the roiling gray emerged the heavy blade-wielding Chaos Shadow Daigren Blade, followed by an exact copy of itself. The two clashed blades, and then one of them shattered.

"And that…" The smoke around Sharin's field cleared as her copy Daigren Blade landed in front of her. "Is the end of another of your monsters." On her field a continuous magic card was revealed next. "The power of Kishido Spirit means that my copies are even stronger than the originals. Therefore you cannot win."

Nikolai- 400

Sharin- 2300

"It's my turn, draw." The smoke around Nikolai was fiercely blown away by his draw, an aura of black and gold flame around his body. "Let me show why you don't want to copy my power…and why you cannot in the first place." He held the card up and the Daigen Blade on Sharin's field shattered. "I activate Chaos Suicide! All Chaos Shadows on the field are destroyed. For every one destroyed my opponent takes 500 points of damage!"

Nikolai- 400

Sharin- 1800

His field magic card slot opened and he placed a card into it, the arena around them changing into a warped cityscape. "I activate Chaos City! From my hand I also summon Tear Devil!" (800/800) The spined devil Chaos Shadow appeared on his field and hissed angrily. "By the effect of Chaos City Tear Devil gains 1000 attack points!" (1800/800) "Direct attack!" It flapped its wings once and propelled itself straight at the ninja girl.

"Reverse card open!" Sharin's set card flipped up and a shining barrier of light appeared between her and charging devil, blocking its blow and destroying it. "The power of Mirror Force defeats your monster, and it also makes this the end! With only 400 life points during the next turn it will be obvious who the winner is!"

"Will it really?" Nikolai slid a card into his disk and it appeared on his field. "Emergency Casting lets me activate a normal, ritual, equipment, or field magic card from my hand. My choice is Planar Fusion! The effect of Daigren Blade removes the monster it defeats from the game, and earlier in this duel you copied the effect of my Soul Release magic card to remove a certain other Chaos Shadow from the game…" He sneered. "Care to guess which one?"

""Wishmaster, wasn't it?" She remembered the first monster summoned by him fairly well. "Why should I be worried though?"

"Planar Fusion sends fusion material monsters from my removed from play pile back to my graveyard!" He inserted Daigren Blade and Wishmaster into his graveyard slot. "Come out now, Chaos Shadow Daigren Wish!" A loud roar echoed across Chaos City and a humanoid demon holding a black sword with a crystal orb in its hilt lowered onto his field. (1600/1400) "The effect of Chaos City powers my monster up by 1000 points!" (2600/1400) "Chaos Claymore Strike!" The Chaos Shadow bellowed a battle cry and launched forwards, lifting its blade above its head to cut through the female ninja.

"Reverse card open!" The remaining set card on Sharin's field flipped up and she smirked. "My deck doesn't just copy my opponent's strategy, it copies my own too! I activate the effect of Trap of Darkness, paying 1000 life points to remove a normal trap in my graveyard from the game and activate it!" Another glittering Mirror Force appeared in front of the Daigren Wish and when it attacked it was immediately blown apart by the backlash. "How about that, huh? Your big monster was taken down by my trap!"

"So it was…" Nikolai's graveyard slot started to glow. "Thank you." After she gasped he snapped his hand up. "Daigren Wish's monster effect is that when it is destroyed I may select one of its four effects depending on the cause! For example…" He pointed at her graveyard slot. "When a trap destroys Daigren Wish I may select a trap from the opponent's graveyard and activate it as my own!"

"Besides Trap of Darkness…" Sharin paled visibly. "The Call of the Haunted I used to return my Reflection Soul to play?"

"That's right." Nikolai caught the card as it left her graveyard and he inserted it into his duel disk. "You've lost this duel, but be thankful…at least you lost to your own copycat strategy. Revive yourself Wishmaster!" The orb magician appeared on his field, a single crystal ball floating around it. (1000/1200) "Direct attack!"

Sharin screamed as the orb launched forwards and crashed into her stomach, sending her skidding backwards a few feet.

Nikolai- 400

Sharin- 0

Amidst the roar of the crowds a cry of "Phantom Osprey" could be heard, echoing to Nikolai's ears. If he heard it though he didn't respond, shuffling his deck and walking across the bridge. As he passed Teruha though she playfully punched him in the air before continuing on her way, and for just a moment he had the wisp of a smile on his face.

-----------------------------

"Oh dear god," Griff was on his hands and knees in front of the television screen. "Thank you for making a freak powerful duelist like Nikolai be a member of our team instead of against us. Even Ichigo lost to him, and if Ichigo loses to someone you know they either have to be cheating or be the devil incarnate."

"_Shut up!"_ Ichigo tackled the Egyptian boy and sat on him. _"I didn't lose to him; I got disqualified because Erian turned into a jerk just then!"_

From in the corner coffee table in the living room that was secretly called "The Brooding Bastard Corner" by Griff and Shiro, Harrison narrowed his eyes and crossed his legs as he watched the television. ("Nikolai Corben…one of these days I look forward to finding out what your true strength is. After all, if I intend to defeat you in a duel then I'll have to get a sample of what to prepare against.")

"All noobs are to remove themselves from in front of the broadcast before I make them explode internally…please." Even before Rysel finished asking this Ichigo and Griff both did a literal barrel roll, hurling themselves out of the way of the screen before they wound up killed. Rysel didn't make threats lightly, especially when the television was involved.

--------------------------------------

"And then I told Ichigo 'Listen, my pupil," Masami stood up on the coffee table, forcing the camera to readjust to the sudden change in its subject. "A duelist must be both forceful as a pounding rain and as gentle as silk upon the skin of their lover!"

In the silence that followed the reporter hastily asked amidst her frantic scribbling of notes, "…what does that mean exactly?"

"I have no idea, but it sounded good at the time." Dropping back into his seat, the self-proclaimed genius had apparently fully recovered from the earlier mauling he had received. "And, of course, during his duel against Prizar he dueled with the ferocity of a tiger, while looking as cute as a little kitten! That, right there, was thanks to my influence!"

"That's a big fat lie!" Griff yelled from the living room.

"Excuse me a moment," Masami pulled something suspicious out of his pocket and pressed a trigger. A few moments later an explosion rang out from the living room and smoke started pouring into the parlor from the hallway. "Now where was I?"

-------------------------------

Teruha screamed and skidded backwards as her Ultimate Tyranno started flailing about wildly and hit her with its tail, its pure white eyes indicating it was blind.

Teruha- 100

Byaku- 1200

Across the field a white-eyed young man confidently smiled and held up his set card. "The trap card Blinding Flash turns your monster into an out-of-control beast that hits all other monsters on your field instead of me. Also, if you have no other monsters then it attacks you directly instead."

A low growl came from Teruha's throat, but there was nothing she could do about this situation yet. "End turn…annoying trap guy…"

-------------------------

The reporter silently stared across the parlor at who was on the other couch for a few moments…and then sweatdropped when he yawned and curled up atop the cushions. "Ummm…I asked for Ichigo Pilkington…"

The brown-furred and collared wolf on top of the couch across from her barked once, gave a little half-wag with his tail, closed his eyes, and started snoring loudly.

-----------------------------

Teruha growled in frustration and anger…before she dropped to her knees as her Ultimate Tyranno howled in rage and broke its neck by bashing its head against the arena floor, the effect of the Painful Clarity trap card bringing her life points to zero along with it.

Teruha- 0

Byakuya- 1200

"It seems," The white-eyed boy commented as he walked across the drawbridge and passed the team captain, Jinsei no Genkaku. "That you get your wish."

The silver-haired girl that walked past him nodded, unable to conceal the smile on her face. "A chance to duel Ichigo Pilkington, what an honor…that guy is said to be unbeatable by all but the absolute best…I wish to disprove that theory with all my soul."

Teruha crossed the bridge, literally dragging her heels as she realized they were going to be disqualified because of her. ("No, it's going to be my fault…")

------------------------

Up in his booth Halo had just finished speaking to someone on his cellphone. "It seems the time has come…"

"What time is that?" Alahandra asked as she skipped to her seat with tons of sugary treats in her arms.

"The time to reveal him…the time he wanted to be revealed…" The Darkness Enforcer crossed his arms across his chest and smirked mercilessly. "Be grateful, Alahandra, that you're getting the chance to see him so early…my secret weapon!"

"Quiet!" She stuffed an extra-big cookie into his mouth and looked at the television screens as a cloaked figure slowly walked past a very-surprised looking Teruha to the dueling field.

--------------------------

"_It seems that Ichigo Pilkington will be unable to come out for this duel…"_ Mediator ducked under his desk as a series of random objects were hurled at him by the protesting crowds of female fans who had wanted to see their beloved 'Ichigo-sama'. _"It's not my fault! Besides, according to this the replacement…the Vice-Captain…"_

"_Thank you very much for your hard work up to this point, good announcer."_ The cloaked form was holding a microphone to his cowl. _"Leave the rest to me. After all, a real hero introduces themselves without assistance needed!"_

-----------------------------

Mizuki jumped back in surprise as Shiro and Sanzo seemed to appear out of nowhere, sitting on the couch next to her. "Where did you two come from!?"

"I heard hero mentioned," Was the only commentary either of them gave, though the tone of the unison voice was mocking from one side and admiring from the other.

-------------------------------

"_It is said by many people that in this day and age certain things have been lost."_ The cloaked figure swept one arm out, motioning to the crowds of gathered people who had gone silent. Something in his tone commanded that kind of reaction from them. _"In a world filled with dark emotions such as hatred, jealousy, greed, and so many others, there must be at least one person to stand against these emotions by bringing happiness to the hearts of those around them."_

He turned to motion to his opponent, who still seemed a little disappointed that her opponent wasn't going to be Ichigo… _"To see such heartbreak in turn hurts my own. I cannot return the hope you had that your opponent would be the fabled Blue Osiris of Duel Academy…"_ His cloak started to fall away.

--------------------------------

"Fabled?" Mizuko, Shiro, and Sanzo all turned to look questioningly at Griff, who shrugged like it was the first he had ever heard of it either.

---------------------------------

A smile sat on the snoring Ichigo's muzzle, his ears perked up as he listened to the echo of the television's speakers while the reporter wasted her interview time with him reapplying her make-up. After all, everything was going to be alright. The cavalry had arrived just in the nick of time.

-----------------------------------

As the cloak fluttered to the ground, the lights dimmed severely. _"Across the darkness rides a single white knight, the man who wishes nothing more than to bring smiles to those oppressed or disheartened souls through the skill of his dueling."_

A white cape, emblazoned with golden ornate crosses, fluttered in the wind against the white suit created to resemble armor its owner wore. _"I am the Shining Bolt across the Sky, the Crashing Lightning upon the Ground, and the Warm Rainbow over the Sea…"_ A head of black hair contrasted sharply against the clothing around it, and yet mixed well with the dark skin it rested against.

A pair of black perked dog ears stood at perfect attention atop the head of the young man, his lips curling up to reveal his fangs which glittered like pearls, and his golden eyes shined in the dimmed lighting before suddenly the arena became as brightly lit as it was just outside. _"Chivalry is not dead, for I am here to uphold it and provide Miss Jinsei with a duel worth remembering! I am the Crusader and vice-captain of Team Halo, Kenshin Anderson!"_

_To be continued…_


	117. The Real Nice Guy's Descent Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. I do own the beauty that is Kenshin, in all his super-extra shiny goodness.

The Infinity Chronicles

Chapter 117: The Real Nice Guy's Descent (Part 2)

_As the cloak fluttered to the ground, the lights dimmed severely. "Across the darkness rides a single white knight, the man who wishes nothing more than to bring smiles to those oppressed or disheartened souls through the skill of his dueling."_

_A white cape, emblazoned with golden ornate crosses, fluttered in the wind against the white suit created to resemble armor its owner wore. "I am the Shining Bolt across the Sky, the Crashing Lightning upon the Ground, and the Warm Rainbow over the Sea…" A head of black hair contrasted sharply against the clothing around it, and yet mixed well with the dark skin it rested against._

_A pair of black perked dog ears stood at perfect attention atop the head of the young man, his lips curling up to reveal his fangs which glittered like pearls, and his golden eyes shined in the dimmed lighting before suddenly the arena became as brightly lit as it was just outside. "Chivalry is not dead, for I am here to uphold it and provide Miss Jinsei with a duel worth remembering! I am the Crusader and vice-captain of Team Halo, Kenshin Anderson!" _

The silence of the crowd instantly disappeared, a series of cheers and girly squeals coming from the multiple rows along the sides of the floating arena as the mystery vice-captain of Team Halo was revealed.

----------------------------

Shiro stared at the television screen for a moment before pointing at it and screaming. "AHHH! How did Sanzo get down there so fast…and he dyed his hair black too!"

The Hero Saint sweatdropped and poked Shiro in the side of the head. "I'm right here."

Shiro turned to look at him, and went running out of the room screaming about how there were two Sanzos and the world was doomed.

Harrison and Sanzo exchanged a look that carried one word with it, directed at the one who had just left. ("Idiot…")

------------------------------

"_To this fair maiden,"_ Kenshin held the microphone up to his lips and bowed lowly to Jinsei. _"I hope this will be sufficient compared to Ichigo Pilkington. After all, if a knight cannot please the whims of a fair maiden then he is no knight."_

The crowds that had come for Ichigo were now squealing over the sudden appearance of the hottest and most virtuous of all the current men in the professional dueling circuit. It was a surprise that had caught them off guard, and now they couldn't contain their elation.

---------------------------------

"Is…" Chizuma, who had come in to see what had caused Shiro to run up to his room screaming, sat down atop the couch-sized Eri (who was currently filling in for Ichigo) and tilted her head to the side at the picture on the screen. "…that guy glittering?"

"_Kenshin Anderson,"_ Eri seemed to be smirking slightly. _"A true duelist of amazing proportions…he was the official Kaiser of Duel Academy for my first two years there. His abilities as a duelist as close to those of his father, Deondre Anderson…one of the only men in the world able to force my father to duel at his fullest."_

"Your father?" Mizuki slid off of the wolfess, giving Chizuma the opportunity to lunge forward and hug her seat around the neck. "And just who is your father?"

"_Rikuo Amero,"_ Ichigo sang out as he padded back into the living room. _"One of the biggest pains in the ass ever to exist on this planet. I've never met a father that has such an amazing over protectiveness of a daughter that can normally kill even the most dangerous of threats without his help."_

"_Ichan!"_ Eri snarled at him, giving him a warning that he was approaching a set limit about how much he could speak concerning her father and insults.

Harrison looked like he was about to mention something concerning Rikuo, but he remembered just how smug that annoying white-haired dog could sound sometimes…and he promptly withheld his information.

"_Yes almighty princess."_ The brown-furred wolf collapsed down next to her and looked at Mizuki. _"You're up, Partner."_ He yelped as Eri growled and bit his neck in response to referring to the other girl like that.

-------------------------

"So what's it like living in such a big boarding house with so many other possible competitors? Don't things ever become tense between the members of the two teams?" The reporter leaned back against her couch cushion, trying her very hardest to seem calm and casual despite her earlier set-back with the loss of an interview with Ichigo Pilkington.

"Oh things get tense sometimes…" The girl remembered how oppressive the atmosphere had been when Harrison had arrived, and Ichigo's accidental counter to it. "Oh yeah, really tense…"

"And what about the fact that your dog was named after the current male leader in the popularity contest?" The reporter skipped ahead; as she could tell that Mizuki was trying to avoid a touchy subject.

"Oh, it's kind of an inside joke…that's all." Mizuki rubbed the back of her head nervously to try and dissuade the reporter from continuing. Coming up with excuses wasn't something she wanted to risk at the moment. Ichigo said he would handle anything like that once he was back to normal, which hopefully was going to be soon.

"…right…" The reporter frowned, looking thoroughly disappointed, but she quickly washed it over by moving on to the next subject. "Then how about you answer the most wondered question asked by all of your fans. Is there a special someone out there for Mizuki Mitsuhiro?"

Suppressing a laugh, the girl opened her mouth and replied "Eri-chan," in the cutiest and sickeningly sweetest tone possible…followed by which she slapped a hand over her mouth and turned the strangest shade of white.

"Eri…chan?" The reporter flipped her pen along the pages of her clipboard, stopping at a particular one. "Do…you mean Miss Erika Amero, a member of Team Halo…another female?"

Mizuki's right eyebrow twitched a couple of times and she stood up, lowering her hands slowly. "No, I just remembered that Eri…chan…needed to answer a question for me. Please excuse me a moment, I'll be right back." Stomping out of the parlor, she stormed into the living room and a few moments later there were sounds of panicked barking, followed by which Ichigo went skidding by the entryway to the parlor.

"Come back here, you jerk! How dare you make me say something like that!" Mizuki went running by next, arms out and an angered glare in her eyes. "Since when did you figure out you could do that anyway!?"

--------------------------------------

"Cut the crap!" Jinsei snapped her hand up and pointed at the flowing cloth of Kenshin's cape. "I came here to duel, not listen to some pretty boy try and swoon me!"

"I suppose you're right." Kenshin clicked off the microphone and pocketed it before putting on his Duel Disk and inserting his deck into place. "Shall we begin then, Miss Jinsei?"

"Duel!" They both drew their opening hands and up in the stands a chant of 'Crusader, Crusader, Crusader' started up.

Jinsei- 4000

Kenshin- 4000

("It seems that the crowd is in favor of my enemy.") Jinsei smiled ruthlessly and drew. ("It doesn't matter though, because it will make my victory all the sweeter when I take down someone as famous as The Crusader of the Professional Dueling Circuits.") "I set one monster face-down and one card face-down behind it, ending my turn." A pair of cards appeared on her field in different positions. "Come on then Crusader, show me what you've got!"

"Away from the Sunrise, draw!" Kenshin glanced at the card he had pulled off of his deck and then held it up. "I summon Blade Knight in attack mode!" A shield and sword-holding metallic knight appeared on his field. (1600/1000) "Blade Knight attacks the set monster!" His monster clanked forward and slashed the set monster card on her field in half. "The effect of Blade Knight, when it is my only monster in play, negates the flip effect of your face-down monster!"

"So it does," Jinsei motioned to her set card, which flipped up at that time. "I reveal Reverse Revenge! This trap allows me to return a flip effect monster that has been destroyed as a result of battle face-down to my field!" Her set monster shimmered back into play. "Sorry Crusader, but it's not that easy to defeat me."

"I expected no less of one that could make it to the second round of the DMWC." Kenshin inserted a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"It's my turn then, draw!" Jinsei slid a card into her disk and it appeared on her field. "I activate the quickplay magic card Shrink!" A shimmering vibration came out of the card, enveloping the Blade Knight and reducing it to half its normal size. "The effect of Shrink cuts the attack of one monster on your field in half!" (800/1000)

Her face-down monster flipped up to reveal a crouching white-robed ninja. "Rainbow Mist Shinobi's face-down special ability lets me return one card I've played this turn to my hand." Shrink slid back out of her graveyard and she added it to her hand. "And now I tribute Rainbow Mist Shinobi to summon Mistform Shinobi in attack mode!" Her weaker ninja faded and was replaced by a grey-robed ninja that stood silently on her field, a fine grey mist around its feet. (2000/700) "Battle!"

"Trap card open!" Kenshin's set card flipped up and his little Blade Knight brought its shield up in front of it. "The effect of Chivalrous Stance removes my hand from the game before equipping itself to a Knight in play, increasing its attack and defense by 500 points for every card I remove from my hand!" (2800/3000) "The effect of Blade Knight is that if I have one or fewer cards in my hand its attack increases by 400!" (3200/3000)

"It's too bad for you, actually." Jinsei's Mistform Shinobi launched forwards and slashed its kunai through the knight, blowing it apart. "Mistform Shinobi, when it battles, reverts the stats of the opposing monster back to their original amounts. In other words I played Shrink just to trick you!" She started to laugh until she noticed that Kenshin was smiling. "What are you grinning about?"

Jinsei- 4000

Kenshin- 3600

"I must apologize, Miss Jinsei," Kenshin reached into the folds of his clothing and pulled out the four cards he had removed through the effect of Chivalrous Stance. "Chivalrous Stance has one more effect. If the equipped monster happens to be destroyed as a result of battle then the cards removed from my hand by its first effect return."

"You were just lucky, that's all." She slid a card into her disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

It was Kenshin's turn. "Draw." He held up one of his hand cards, which started to glow brightly. "I activate the magic card Pot of Shining. This card looks at the top five cards of my deck."

Removing five cards from his deck, he held them up for her to see. "All monsters are discarded. Afterwards I add the remaining cards to my hand and then discard an equal number of cards." Three monsters were added to his graveyard and two cards entered his hand, followed by which he discarded two cards.

A new magic card appeared on his field, releasing a soft golden light as it activated. "I activate Chaos Draw. From my graveyard I remove one light and one dark monster to draw two cards!" He held up Dark Blade (dark) and Jack's Knight (light), followed by which he drew two cards from his deck.

A strange silence held over the field as the Crusader looked upon the two cards he had drawn. "My father's will follows me in this duel. Prepare yourself, Miss Jinsei!" He snapped up a card and his graveyard made a loud whining noise as it spat out two cards. "I remove one light and one dark monster from my graveyard to summon the strongest of them all, a monster that even after all this time still stands as a god amongst all others! Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning!"

A shining ball of light lowered onto his field and formed into the pulsing shape of his ultimate monster, one of the legendary chaos monsters, the summoned warrior lifting its sword and shield to fight. (3000/2500) "The dark monster I removed was Chaos Swordsman, which lets me either add it to my hand when removed or draw one card. I choose to draw one card!" He pulled another card off of his deck and added it to his hand.

----------------------------------

"The Envoy of the Beginning…" Harrison frowned at the monster on the screen, his expression exactly the opposite of the one coming from most of the people in the room with him. ("How did you get such a powerful monster, Crusader?")

"Wow, if I had that kind of power in my deck I wouldn't need to run around acting like a hero…" Shiro kicked his feet up, his heel banging against Ichigo's skull with a thud. "Oh, sorry."

"…." The wolf sighed, but he didn't seem angry. _"Just watch…Kenshin's about to do something scary."_

"Something scary?" Sanzo lifted his eyebrows in surprise at this. "What do you mean?"

"_His deck, after all this time, hasn't changed…just watch and you'll see what I mean in a moment."_

-----------------------

"With that my father's will comes to be! I activate Dimension Fusion!" The magic card that appeared on Kenshin's field released a powerful blast of energy that tore a hole in the sky. "At the cost of 2000 life points all removed from play monsters are special summoned to their owner's fields."

Jinsei- 4000

Kenshin- 1600

"In response I activate Ninja Art of Transformation!" Jinsei's set card flipped up and her Mistform Shinobi dissolved. "I remove my monster from the game to special summon a three level higher insect, beast, or winged beast monster! My choice is Mistform Mantis!" A giant chittering insect appeared on her field in place of where her Shinobi had disappeared. (2800/2300) "And now Dimension Fusion activates." Her Mistform Shinobi reappeared in play next to the monster it had become.

"And for my choices!" A spike-armored double-sword warrior, a card-armored warrior, Blade Knight, and a black and gold-armored warrior resembling the Black Luster Soldier appeared in play in attack mode. (1800/1500) (1900/1400) (1600/1000) (800/1400) "Black Luster Soldier, your target is the Mantis! Sword of the Beginning!"

"The effect of Mistform Mantis activates now!" Jinsei held up a card she had taken out of her graveyard. "By removing one water monster from my graveyard I can negate one attack!" A wall of mist appeared in front of the Black Luster Soldier and stopped its attack cold.

---------------------

"She stopped Kenshin's Warrior Rush!" Griff gulped loudly and pointed at the screen frantically. "What if he loses you guys!? Won't we be out of the tournament!? During the next turn she can attack his Chaos Swordsman and end the duel!"

"That's true," Sanzo laced his fingers together and leaned forward slightly. "However, I'm guessing he's holding Stand Down. What do you think, Harrison?"

The Dark Kaiser snorted at that. "Of course."

------------------------------------

"From my hand I activate the magic card Stand Down!" Kenshin's held up card released a glow and all five of his warriors dropped to their knees as they switched to defense mode. "This card switches all face-up warriors on my field to defense mode, after which I draw one card!" Pulling a card off of his deck, he slid two cards into his disk. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

Jinsei smirked and drew. "What's the matter, Crusader? Running scared now?"

"You're welcome to think that if you wish, I suppose." Kenshin nodded his head in agreement. "I suppose my retreat would be rather cowardly, but I can't back down here. After all, in the end my friends' futures are riding on this win. I cannot lose to you here, Miss Jinsei."

"Then let me show you my real power, so I can clear away your annoying monsters and that Black Luster Soldier before you get a chance to use its other powers!" The female ninja held up a magic card. "I activate Ice Shard Jutsu! If there is a water element ninja on my field I can destroy one magic or trap card in play and deal you 500 points of damage!"

One of Kenshin's set cards was pierced by a series of ice spikes that appeared out of nowhere, blowing it apart and hitting him with shards of ice.

Jinsei- 4000

Kenshin- 1100

"And now for the magic card Ice Summoning Jutsu!" She grabbed her deck out of its slot and fanned it in front of her, quickly grabbing a card and holding it up for him to see. "This card can only activate if I have a water attribute warrior in play! I select one water attribute monster from deck and special summon it to my field!" A giant blue and white dragon appeared on her field, letting out a low snarl as it coiled its snake-like body around her field. "Mistform Dragon is special summoned. For every sacrifice that monster would need to be normal summoned, I discard one card from my hand." She got rid of the other two cards in her hand. (3400/2300)

Kenshin smiled at her. "I look forward to this. It has been a long time since someone so quickly stopped my rush, much less turned the tables on me!"

"God you're insufferable! My three Mistforms will clear your three light monsters, that way you can't use any more of your Chaos cards!" Her three monsters launched forwards and blasted Jack's Knight, Black Luster Soldier, and Blade Knight all at once. "End turn."

-------------------------

"She destroyed the Envoy!" Griff nearly leapt at the screen and started shaking it. "Did you just set that other card for show!? ARGH, don't you dare lose Kenshin!"

The other members of Team Halo in the room sighed and shook their heads all at once.

----------------------------

Kenshin pulled the top card off of his deck, glanced at it, and then inserted it into his disk. "I set one card face-down. Also I summon Big Shield Guardna in defense mode." A warrior monster holding a heavy shield appeared on his field in a crouching position. (100/2600) "End turn."

"Draw!" Jinsei flipped the drawn card up. "I activate Pot of Greed, drawing two cards!" One of those two cards were thrown onto her disk, a pulsing blob of living matter appearing in play under her control. "I summon Tribe-Infecting Virus in attack mode!" (1600/1000) "This card's special ability lets me discard a card from my hand. I then declare a monster type and all monsters in play that are the same type as the one I declared are destroyed! I declare Warrior!"

A purple mist fell over the field, shattering all three of Kenshin's monsters and her Mistform Shinobi together. "And now the duel ends! Direct attack!"

-----------------------------

A twitch fell over every Team Halo member in the room. Was this the end?

-----------------------------

Jinsei's smile faltered slightly as she realized her monsters weren't moving at all. "What did you do?"

"You would have won if you had just attacked me normally, you know." Kenshin motioned to one of his now face-up set cards. "I activate the trap card Knight's Code. This continuous trap card activates when any number of warriors on my field are destroyed by a card effect. I select a number of monsters on your field equal to the number of monsters destroyed, and as long as this card remains in play those selected monsters cannot attack! You destroyed three monsters, so your three monsters cannot attack."

"You just barely got away with that one…" Jinsei cracked her neck in frustration. "I end my turn."

--------------------

"Whew…he just barely got away…" Griff slid to his knees and grabbed his chest. "Why do all you demons have to make everything so dramatic anyway?"

"_Because I'm trying to kill you in a way that won't get me in trouble, Mohistava."_ Eri sounded completely serious, and that chilled the bones of most warm-blooded people in the room. (Harrison, to be noted, didn't feel a thing.)

----------------------

"It's time to strike back with the power of a knight." Kenshin drew and held up his other card. "Chaos Draw, as you remember, lets me remove a light and dark from my graveyard to draw two cards. My choices are Blade Knight and Chaos Swordsman!" He drew two more cards, followed by another. "I'm sure you remember one of Chaos Swordman's two effects, correct?"

"How could I forget?" She asked him in irritation.

"And now to summon something new! I remove Jack's Knight and Dark Blade to summon Chaos Knight!" A trumpeting came from his field as a black and gold-armored knight atop an armored horse charged onto his field. (2500/1200) "And I equip my monster with Chaos Blade." A black and gold sword appeared in the knight's hand. "The equipped monster gains 400 attack points for every removed from play monster I have!" (4100/1200)

"That's not bad, but it won't turn the tides that easily." Jinsei sounded plenty confident of the power of her monsters.

"Perhaps so, but you underestimate the fact that even knights can be crafty sometimes." Kenshin's remaining set card flipped up and he saw the sudden panic appear on her face. "Chaos Restoration selects one monster from my graveyard that requires the removal of a light and a dark from my graveyard, and then from my hand I remove one light and one dark monster. That monster is then revived!" The two cards in his hand were revealed to be King's Knight and another Chaos Knight. "Come out now, Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning!" The mightiest of his chaos monsters reappeared in play with a flourish of light and fire. (3000/2500) "Also, because two more monsters have been removed, the power of my Chaos Knight rises once more!" (4900/1200)

-----------------

"_Get her Kenshin!"_ Ichigo leapt up and barked excitedly.

"Get her!" Griff shouted at the screen.

------------------

"Chaos Knight attacks Mistform Dragon!" Kenshin's knight roared across the field and cleaved the cold-bodied dragon in half with one slash.

Jinsei- 2500

Kenshin- 1100

"Soldier attacks Tribe-Infecting Virus!" Kenshin was emotionless as his mightiest monster cut the ninja in half easily. "The effect of Black Luster Soldier, when it destroys a monster as a result of battle, lets it attack once more!" The Soldier turned and slashed the Mantis in half next, leaving Jinsei's field bare.

Jinsei- 900

Kenshin- 1100

"Very impressive, but futile!" Jinsei removed her Mistform Dragon from the graveyard and held it up for him to see. "During a battle phase in which this monster is destroyed as a result of battle I may remove it from the game to return all other destroyed as a result of battle monsters to the field!" Her Mantis and Virus returned to play in a blast of cold mist. (2800/2300) (1600/1000)

"End turn." The Crusader didn't look very surprised. "If it had ended here I would have been disappointed."

"You'll be more than disappointed when I'm done with you!" Jinsei drew and motioned to her Tribe-Infecting Virus. "Or have you forgotten what you failed to destroy? I declare Warrior!" She discarded the drawn card and smirked as Black Luster Soldier and the Chaos Knight exploded. "It's over."

"The effect of Knight's Code activates now!" Kenshin held up his Big Shield Guardna. "While face-up on the field and a warrior on my field is destroyed by an opponent's card effect I can sacrifice it and remove a warrior from my graveyard to negate all of your attacks during this turn."

"Psh, you still just have to resist don't you?" Jinsei rolled her shoulders sadly. "Whatever, then let your last turn be one of regret and disappointment. I switch Tribe-Infecting Virus to defense mode and end turn."

"I beg to differ." The Crusader drew. "In this turn you will be defeated, milady. I activate my Pot of Greed." After drawing two cards from his deck he gave her a smile that reflected a bit of light off one of his teeth. "You've revealed to me all of your tricks that you've got in play. A ninja without their tricks is no better than an ill-equipped bandit on the road. And no bandit can defeat a knight, I'm afraid to tell you."

A magic card appeared on his field and he pulled his removed from play pile out of his coat. "I activate Dimension Burial, returning three removed from play monsters to my graveyard! My choices are Chaos Swordsman, Jack's Knight and Blade Knight!"

"What good will putting monsters back in your graveyard do you? Are you summoning another Chaos Knight, since I know that you're only allowed to run one Black Luster Soldier per deck." She looked very smug now, as this duel was practically hers. The Crusader's rush had failed twice.

"I'm sure you know the term 'Third time's the charm, don't you?" Kenshin slid his other card into his disk and it appeared on his field. "I activate The Warrior Returning Alive, bringing back the monster you just decided to remind me about when it comes to uniqueness!"

"What!?" Jinsei's eyes widened as the Envoy of the Beginning appeared on the field in a blast of light. (3000/2500)

"I remove Chaos Swordsman and Jack's Knight, but this time I'll be using the other effect of Chaos Swordsman, special summoning it to my field!" The mini-Soldier appeared on the Crusader's field alongside the larger warrior. (800/1400)

"You…you actually brought that accursed thing out again…" Jinsei couldn't believe it, even as the Black Luster Soldier launched forwards and slashed her two remaining monsters apart.

Jinsei- 700

Kenshin- 1100

"Chaos Swordsman, flashy direct attack!" Kenshin's weakest monster charged across the field and dramatically slashed its blade across the female ninja's chest, sending her skidding backwards a few steps with the impact.

Jinsei- 0

Kenshin- 1100

"It's over." The field cleared away and Kenshin turned to face the cheering crowds with his winning smile out. _"To all the ladies and gentlemen, I hope this duel makes up for our captain's absence! I promise you that during the next round he will be here on time, I swear that upon my honor!"_ Shooting his thumb out, he gave them the Nice Guy Pose to enjoy while the cameras flashed and zoomed in.

--------------------------

Ichigo sighed and sat up. _"Great, I guess we get to enjoy Kenshin's shining company now…I'm sure he'll be paying me extra special care to make sure I'm in tip-top shape too…"_

"You could always beat him in a duel to show him how much you've improved." Masami pushed his glasses up with a hand before giving Ichigo a smug little smile. "I'm sure it would be a good time as ever to unveil the Berry Decks."

"_Shhh, don't go spoiling surprises that aren't yours to spoil."_ Ichigo noticed that everyone on his team, and most of those that weren't, were looking at him strangely now. Apparently they wondered what Masami was talking about. _"It's a secret, you'll all get to see soon I imagine…especially if Team Halo winds up against Team Waterfall or Team Hydra during the next round."_

----------------------------

Halo flipped his phone closed and stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets. "And so it begins…good luck Alahandra, your team is up tommorow in the afternoon." He turned and walked out, his hands in his pockets. ("It's time to develop my anti-God forces…otherwise that smug gold-haired bastiche will have a reason to laugh in my face.") It made Halo wish that he could duel in place of his team…he'd put all six of those bratty godlings in their place.

The golden-haired girl wasn't really listening. She was too busy snacking on more sugar-laden confections she had grabbed at one point or another from the snack bars downstairs.

_To be continued…_


	118. Counter! Slayer's Irony

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles

Chapter 118: Counter! Slayer's Irony

Silence held over the many gathered members of the different businesses participating in the DMWC, whether as sponsors or otherwise, all looked rather solemn.

"And there you have it. This will be the third round of the DMWC." Halo, currently standing at the front of the small amphitheater, swept his dark gaze out at all of them. "Do any of you have a problem with this?" A series of arms rose to indicate, by silent vote, that they did. "And that problem is?"

"We were never informed that this would put the lives of the participants at risk." An anonymous voice calmly spoke out, the sentiment agreed upon by numerous other of the sponsors. "Many of these duelists are just teenagers…with families as well."

"When they entered this tournament they signed waivers indicating that any accidents which occurred could not be blamed on the DMWC committee, so your argument is null and void." Halo was emotionless on this matter, but to be truthfully honest he didn't like the next rounds bizarre circumstances either.

"But this isn't what anyone will have expected when they signed those waivers!" Another sponsor stood up, amongst with some others as their anger grew. "Who decided on this kind of insane course of action!?"

"The upper crust did, unfortunately for us." The enforcer turned away so he was no longer facing them. "If you don't want to risk the lives of your participants then just don't enter. Drop out and let those willing to go the distance through."

---------------------------------------------

The crowds were already roaring in anticipation of the next match of the DMWC. Especially considering this one would feature one of the premier and most popular teams currently competing.

The five members of Team Virtue all stood in the outcropping beside the platform arena, waiting for their round to begin. Across from them several members of their opposing team also waited.

The announcer pulled the microphone close up and practically sang into it. _"Alright ladies and gentlemen it's about time we got this round started! We'll be having Team Virtue facing off against Team Wolf!"_

Each of the team members looked back and forth amongst each other to decide who would be going first. Team Virtue was saved the answer when Harrison strode up onto the ramp. "Let me get this out of the way. Hopefully this time they'll give me a match that lasts more than two turns."

His Vergil costume flared in the wind as he reached his standing point on the platform and raised his advanced duel disk. "Come out and face me, whichever of you is brave enough. Don't make this a waste of my time."

With a calm smile on his face a tall and eerily skinny member of Team Wolf approached. He wore a bomber jacket open over a muscle shirt and had baggy pants. However, despite the somewhat ragged appearance that included his mussed blonde hair he didn't seem the crude type. "I was actually hoping to face you Kaiser-san, I would find it ironic to pit my strategy against yours."

_"Here we go! First match of Team Wolf versus Team Virtue! Shorin Morle versus Harrison Wilhelm the Third! Begin!" _Both duelists raised their duel disks and drew their opening hands simultaneously.

Shorin- 4000

Harrison- 4000

---------------------

Mizuki sat down on the bench in the bunker and yawned loudly, stretching her arms out as far as they would go. "I'm so tired…plus I slept in way too late. At least you guys got to shower."

Chizuma slid in next to her, arms wide open. "You can rest yourself against me, Mizuki-sama!"

"Or you could just use the showers provided for our team." Sanzo thumbed at the door to the bunker. "It's still connected if you want to hurry up…" He quickly stepped aside as Mizuki rushed out as fast as she could, leaving a small trail of dust in her wake.

"Awww…" Chizuma pouted and resigned to watch the screen.

Neither of them noticed that Shiro, who had been mysteriously silent the whole day, was not in the bunker with them anymore.

------------------------

Shorin drew first and immediately tossed a card down onto his disk. "I'll start this duel off with Bountiful Artemis (1600/1700) in attack mode!"

A mechanical looking creature with wide machine wings extending from its shoulders descended onto Shorin's field. Its body went down into a spike as its legs and a purple mantle fluttered off its shoulders. "I place two cards face down and pass the turn to you."

Harrison pulled a card off his deck and narrowed his eyes at Shorin's monster. "I see…how interesting. Bountiful Artemis, despite its mechanical appearance, is actually an angel sub-type. Angels against my demon slayers, is that the irony you spoke of?"

Shorin chuckled and nodded, looking quite happy with himself. "After I saw your duel I was excited that my team might get a chance to go against yours. And the dark slaying nature of your deck made me want to show them the true way to confront darkness! Not with violence, but with light! I'll counter your slayers with my angels!"

To Shorin's surprise Harrison smirked and then broke out into laughter, though it sounded less amused than cocky. "How perfect! You think that you can conquer my slayers with the power of light? You're no better than the foolish 'hero-type' who thinks that preaching to me about the virtues of a less brutal approach is best. Granting leniency to your enemies? That's pure idiocy!"

He held out his leather gloved right hand, palm open and extended towards the sky. "If you want to defeat any opponent you have to reach out with your own two fists and crush them into fine powder so that there is nothing left to oppose you! There is no victory other than total victory!"

He clenched his hand into a fist and then grabbed a card from his hand. "Let me demonstrate one of my methods for grasping that total victory! I won't even grant you the pleasure of facing my personal slayer!"

A man with long flowing white hair appeared on Harrison's field, his blue eyes glowing. He wore a long white robe with black lines running up it, especially over the neck covering. Beneath his robe was a black striped body suit. His face was terribly cold and calm. Shorin's eyes widened at the sight. "I've never seen this creature before…what is it?"

Harrison gestured to his monster and a blue aura erupted around it, a cyclone of energy soaring to the sky. "This is the Legendary Crimson Despair Harman Cartel (1800/1300)!"

Cartel extended his right hand and held it there. "If I summon Cartel and there is not a Legendary Black Lightning Leroy Schwartz on the field I may equip Cartel with Sentient Blade Ragnarok from wherever it exists!"

A heavily buckled sheath of a large broadsword fell from the sky and into Cartel's grasp. He reached for the straps as his right hand held the hilt and he unsheathed it, causing his aura to increase in power. "Ragnarok increases Cartel's attack power by one thousand!"

The Crimson Despair discarded the sheath, revealing a futuristic blade with an eye-like orb just above the hilt that was now glowing blue. "Now my Crimson Despair, attack and destroy Bountiful Artemis!"

Cartel flashed across the field swinging the sentient blade in a horizontal arc. Just before it reached Artemis it slammed into an invisible barrier and was deflected. "Not so fast Kaiser-san! The counter trap Negate Attack defends Artemis and ends your battle phase!"

Cartel did a back-flip and landed in front of Harrison. Shorin smiled and reached for his deck. "When a counter trap resolves and Artemis is in play I get to draw one card."

Harrison actually smiled, albeit only slightly, and placed a card into his duel disk. "I appreciate you not making it too easy to defeat you; I was growing worried that everyone competing in this tournament was a weakling not worthy of my time. Try and prove me wrong."

----------------------------------------

Mizuki felt all of her sleepiness wash away as the hot water from the shower faucet sprayed its contents across her. ("This is heaven…I hope I can stay in here just a little longer.") She remembered that she had the fifth round, so unless it went down to the wire she would be okay to stay in here as long as she wished.

Just past the shower curtain a shadowed form silently snuck around, quickly making the necessary preparations for its plan. ("Nearly done, and then all my wishes will come true. It will be the greatest prank ever.") After a moment the form realized there were no lights nearby, and with a great sigh it stepped into the range of the lights momentarily to reveal Shiro. "Stupid dramatic lighting…" He muttered before returning to his work.

-------------------------

Shorin drew and then a side-slot on his disk popped open. "I begin my turn by activating the field magic card Sanctuary of the Sky!"

Clouds formed at their feet and a majestic temple appeared behind Shorin. Zipping in and out of it were small spherical angels. "In this place when angels battle I do not take life point damage."

Next he pointed to his set card which flipped up and a white aura surrounded his body. "Divine Protection of Goddess increases my life points by three thousand upon activation. And when it leaves the field I'll take three thousand points of damage."

Shorin- 7000

Harrison- 4000

Another monster swooped out of his temple, this one a red-skinned angel with a hammer strapped over his shoulder and a spear in hand. "My next monster is Mars-Angel of Power (0/0)! He may not seem powerful at the moment, but when Sanctuary of the Sky is in play his attack points are increased by the amount of life points I have more than you!"

Mars' attack power swiftly rose to three thousand, surpassing even Harrison's swiftly summoned Cartel. Mars shot into the air and unhooked his hammer. "Mars (3000) now attacks the Crimson Despair! Destroy his dark creature!"

The hammer struck like a gong against a swirling black wind that covered Harrison's field. Mars struggled against it but was forced to give up. "What was that?"

"My quick-play magic card Dark Wall of Air prevents my field from being attacked during this turn. Therefore your attack was useless. Care to try again, or are you done?" Shorin smiled happily even as Harrison smirked coldly at him.

"I switch Bountiful Artemis into defense mode and then I'll place one card face down. Turn End!" Harrison sneered as his duel disk slid forward the next card for him to take.

Selecting another card from his hand he threw it down, revealing a brand new monster. It was a busty woman with yellow-blonde hair that went just short of her shoulders. She had yellow eyes and wore leather pants along with a leather crop-top, plus a jacket that didn't even go to her shoulders and yellow fingerless gloves. Clutched in her hand was a thin-bladed sword. "The Legendary Assassin Lena Northlight (1400/1900)!"

Shorin snapped his hand out and light exploded around both of Harrison's monsters. "I trigger my counter trap Proof of Guilt! This activates when you summon an effect monster and it returns all of your monsters to your hand! All this at a simple cost of a thousand life points."

Shorin-6000

Harrison-4000

As soon as Harrison's monsters vanished from the field Mars reduced its attack points to two thousand since the difference between their life points had changed. Harrison frowned and placed a card from his hand into his disk. "I end my turn with a face-down."

Shorin drew two cards, motioning to his Bountiful Artemis. "Thanks to Artemis and my counter trap I get another draw. However, that's not all there is!"

He threw down two cards and immediately his newly summoned monster began to shake. "I summon Calling Nova (1400/800) and chain its summon with my quick-play magic card Battle Hammer! This destroys one monster on my field as if in battle and lets me draw two cards!"

Another two cards left his deck as his newest monster shattered into a million pieces. "When Calling Nova is destroyed as a result of battle and goes to the cemetery I can special summon an angel with fifteen hundred or fewer attack points from my deck to my field. However, since Sanctuary of the Sky is in play I can special summon this monster!"

A centaur angel with angelic wing armor covering its body stampeded onto the field, its right arm swishing a sword through the air. The halo on its head shimmered in the light of the Sanctuary. "This is Airknight Parshath (1900/1400)!"

As soon as the monster was settled Shorin slammed his next card into his duel disk. "Let me show you true total victory through the methods of light! Deification of Light lets me special summon an angel from my hand! Its attack is halved and during the end phase it is destroyed."

A serpentine dragon soared down from the temple, its body a series of segments, white bands followed by cords of gold. Its upper body was a wide circle of that white metal surrounding the strange gold. Then its head was crowned by pale white horns and white wings stretched out from the side. "Lightning Gear-Rumbling Dragon (2900/1800)!"

Shorin held up another of his hand cards and a pulse of energy flashed across the field. "Magic Purge removes all floating effects from the field, which means Rumbling Dragon's score won't be cut in half and he won't be destroyed."

Harrison closed his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. "And now you activate Coins from Heaven, I get it. This move is getting too long for my taste."

His opponent stopped and stared at Harrison. "How…how did you know I was going to play Coins from Heaven? You couldn't have known I was holding that card!"

The Dark Kaiser shrugged, his eyes still closed. "You were burning cards from your hand so rapidly without care that you almost certainly had a hand replenishing card. And in an angel deck Coins from Heaven is the most logical choice. Now, are you going to play it or not?"

Shorin grimaced and stared at the lone card left in his hand. Then with a shake of his head he held it up into the air. "Even if you know it doesn't change anything! I play Coins from Heaven, letting each player draw until they hold six cards!"

---------------------------

Mizuki's little piece of quiet and warm heaven was suddenly interrupted as somewhere nearby there was a loud whining noise, like from a boiler or radiator letting off steam. ("What's that?") Before she could poke her head out of the curtain to investigate, the flow of nice relaxing water suddenly turned ice cold.

From his seat in a metal fold-out chair out of sight, Shiro silently closed his eyes as he envisioned the entire scene in his head. ("Step one: Mess with the alarm clock in Mizuki's room so she doesn't wake up on time. Step two: Adjust the water heater and turn Mizuki's shower icy cold. Step three: When Mizuki comes rushing out of the shower stall she'll slip on the…") He heard the screams of surprise and displeasure caused by Step Two change to terror as Mizuki found Step Three in her path. ("…film of carefully placed soap. If all goes according to plan Step Four comes into play.")

Still completely stunned, Mizuki just barely managed to wrap the towel she had rushed out of the stall with around herself before her sudden propulsion forward stopped as the film completely dissolved, leaving her with very little balance and forcing her to use all of her efforts just to keep herself from falling over.

("Step Four: Press Button.") Holding up a little detonator he had borrowed from Masami, Shiro pressed down on the plunger and a loud hiss came from up above Mizuki's head as the low-powered jet-propelled spike installed into the water pipe pierced the steel tunnel, sending a powerful shower of water down over Mizuki and soaking her towel to the bone with another dose of very cold water.

Completely in his zone, Shiro paid the sputterings of his target no mind. ("I can't lose focus here, this must be perfect! Step Five: Press Second Button!") He depressed another button on the plunger.

Mizuki, completely disoriented because she had been doused in icy cold twice in under five seconds and had nearly injured herself badly, could only cover her eyes as a very bright blast of rainbow light from somewhere above hit her. There wasn't any pain, but there was a very strong sensation of disorientation that just added to the fact that she was already dizzy and her heart wasn't quite working properly yet, so she wound up falling back while trying to clear the spots of brightness from her eyes.

("Step Six: Press last button and execute plan "Shiro becomes Mizuki's Knight in Shining Armor!") Shiro donned the last piece of his disguise and stepped out from around the corner, his face grim.

Right as the last of the dots from the blinding flash of rainbow light cleared away Mizuki found herself blinded once more as another bright flash of light went off right in her face. "What's going on!?"

An echoing laughter roared across the shower room, and a black-caped form dressed in a fine tuxedo stepped into view, his pure-white porcelain mask completely concealing his mask. "I apologize for my rather rude method of getting your attention, but it was necessary to give you reason to duel me." He reached a hand out as the golden form of the GAD fell from the ceiling to his waiting grasp, quickly attaching the device to his belt buckle just like Masami had shown him. "However I do believe the outcome was exactly as I had hoped to achieve."

"Outcome?" Blushing fiercely as she realized the only thing clothing her was a soaking-wet towel; Mizuki leapt to her feet and tied it around her tightly before continuing. "Who are you? Are you a Reflection?" A silver glint suddenly eminated from her hand, the Mirror Gate's power about to manifest itself.

"Hold on there!" The costumed offender snapped his hand up swiftly, holding up a small digital camera. "Remember that second flash? Well that would have been this little wireless internet-connected camera of mine. If you try to summon the Mirror Gate or any kind of funny business then I'll press the send button and whatever sexy pictures that were taken of you will wind up on the front page of the DMWC website by the end of the hour."

Mizuki flushed bright red, and for a moment the masked man could have sworn that she actually sprayed a small burst of steam from her nostrils. "So you're some stinking pervert stalker then!?"

"Don't be so crass." He turned on one heel and bowed dramatically. "My name is Kuroi-sama, a great man of many talents. I have come for one thing and one thing alone, truth be told." His arm lifted up to show off the Duel Disk sitting on it. "Duel me and if you win then not only will I erase the contents of this camera, but the other unfortunate side-effect will be fixed as well."

"Other unfortunate side-effect?" Just then Mizuki screamed in surprise and jumped nearly ten feet into the air as she felt something brush against her inner thigh. Landing, she spun around to find the culprit but saw nothing there. "What are you, a magician or something!?"

"I actually didn't do anything." Kuroi-sama kicked a small hand mirror across the width of the tiled shower room to her. "Take a look at your eyes, dear lady, and the truth should become evident."

Keeping one eye on her stalker at all times, Mizuki reached down and scooped up the tiny mirror, bringing it up to her face. "What's so spe…" Her jaw froze up at who was looking back at her in the mirror. It was her, but there were two huge changes. The first was her eyes, which now had slotted pupils. "…"

"You see now?" Kuroi turned to face her completely and pointed straight at her face. "Mizuki Mitsuhiro, at the moment you are a cat demon. I suppose there could be worse fates, but if you wish to be returned to normal then you will have to win this duel."

Reaching up slowly, Mizuki poked one of the black-furred cat ears on her head and paled when it twitched in response. ("How?") Was there actually technology to change a human into a demon?

From behind the mask of Kuroi, Shiro was absolutely giddy as his ultimate prank was on the verge of being completed. ("Mizuki'll get all serious, duel me, and more than likely win. Then like any good evil villain type 'Kuroi' will run off without giving her access to the GAD or clearing the camera. She'll follow, run into the traps I set up to slow her down. Then I get away and change out of this costume with the camera and GAD in hand and tell her that I managed to stop this weirdo.")

("She'll be near in tears, and there will only be one guy here to comfort her. That's right, it'll be Shiro Akugi! Not Pretty Hero Boy Sanzo or Prince of Vampires Harrison, but me! Then we go back to Masami, he pretends to figure out how to work the device, and changes Mizuki back to normal!") In his mind he imagined all of those scenes playing out with chibi substitutes of all those involved.

While on the outside Kuroi was still solemn and cold on the inside Shiro was about to break into spontaneous dancing. He'd pull off the greatest prank ever and be a hero in Mizuki's eyes…translating this to be his greatest prank ever!

Kuroi activated his Duel Disk and prepared to ask her if she was ready to duel. However instead he was let out a 'eep' of surprise and just barely managed to hurl himself out of the way as a fist came rocketing past where his head had been moments before, crashing into the wall behind him and creating a crater around where it connected with the tile.

Mizuki brought her enraged glare down at the currently kneeling Kuroi, the normal green of her eyes fading to red in a strange Christmas-like mix of colors. "You made one miscalculation, Kuroi-_sama_." She nearly spat out the last part.

("A mistake in my plan?") Shiro refused to believe that at all. He'd brewed this plan over for at least three times the normal amount of time used for his ordinary pranks. There couldn't have possibly been a flaw he could have missed. "And what's that, Miss Mitsuhiro?" He was barely able to keep his voice straight. As Shiro his reaction to the destruction she had just caused would have been to run like hell, but he refused to surrender this prank just yet.

"Demon bodies are extremely concentrated mass-wise…like steel in fact." Mizuki, her voice cold and murderous in a way that would make Eri proud, withdrew her arm and cracked her knuckles, the sound like the sounds of nails being driven into the masked man's coffin. "Their reflexes are far better than those of an ordinary human, and they are very easily prone to becoming violently angry."

Inside his head, a chibi Shiro blinked for a few moments and then pounded a fist into his palm in realization. _"Oh that's right; I didn't factor in the fact that a demon Mizuki would be an unstoppable killing machine with more than enough reason to turn me into literal paste."_ Somewhere nearby a cricket started chirping, and then a loud ding like that of an egg timer went off. _"Oh…"_ He started a cheerful laughter that quickly died down to quiet sobbing as he dropped to his knees and banged his head against the imaginary floor of his mind.

Kuroi launched to his feet and ran as fast as he possibly could, praying Mizuki had enough sense to waste time changing back into her clothing. Otherwise he wouldn't make it out of the stadium alive.

--------------------------

Since his hand had been bumped back up in size by the return of his monsters Harrison only drew a single card, whereas Shorin drew the full allowed six. "Now Shorin, you've proven impressive so far. But what are you going to do with those five monsters of yours? Show me the light?"

"That's exactly my intent! I move Bountiful Artemis back into attack mode and begin my assault!" The mechanical angel extended its hands and fired an arrow-shaped blast of light at Harrison. It pierced into his chest but he didn't even flinch.

Harrison- 2400

Mars' attack points soared upwards to thirty-six hundred and Shorin looked over to it. "Alright Mars, finish him off! Hammer of Power!"

Red energy gathered around the hammer and when it was swung down it exploded, the blast rocking the entire arena. Harrison was covered by the blast and the crowd erupted into cheering. Shorin smirked and planted his hands on his hips. "And that's the total victory you were looking for."

All of a sudden the smoke was forced away and Harrison stood his ground, his body surrounded by a glowing white barrier. Intermixed with that white barrier was a swirling dark energy. "Idiot, that's the sort of victory your type reaches for. If you wanted total victory you should have attacked me with all of your monsters to inflict maximum damage."

Harrison- 1800

Shorin-3000

Shorin looked shocked at the fact that it wasn't over, as well as the sudden change in his life points. "What did you do? I don't understand how this happened…"

Harrison motioned to his field, which now had two face-up cards on it. "When I receive damage from an attack I can activate the continuous trap card Kaiser's Will, which lets me discard one card and take control of a card of that type on your field. I simply discarded my Holy Water trap from my hand to take control of Divine Protection of Goddess."

The angel duelist bit his lip as he understood. "And since Divine Protection of Goddess left my field I took three thousand damage. And that lowered Mars' power to six hundred when it attacked."

The Kaiser nodded and then reached for his hand. "That's correct, and now I activate the effect of Kaiser's Will again. This time I'll be discarding Lena Northlight from my hand to take control of Lightning Gear-Rumbling Dragon."

Shorin's golden angel dragon flew over to Harrison's field, its coils entwining the dark duelist. "Stealing one of my strongest monsters…that's low!"

Harrison rolled his eyes. "That's the way you achieve total victory you fool. If I sat around respecting your monsters and your every move I'd lose like foolish heroes and preachers like you do. But my iron will and cold grasp are what make me the victorious avenger!"

The Team Wolf member looked back at his team-mates and then frowned, realizing he was now at a disadvantage. "I set three cards face down and end my turn."

"Not so fast! When Lena Northlight goes into the cemetery the effect that truly makes her an assassin activates. At that time I can destroy one card on your field, so I believe since it was in play at the time I'll be destroying Sanctuary of the Sky!" The field crumbled, returning them to their normal playing field.

Harrison drew again, bringing his hand up to five cards. "Total victory; let's see which of us truly achieves it first! I activate Heavy Storm from my hand to destroy all magic and trap cards on the field!"

Shorin grimaced and motioned to one of his sets. "My counter trap Magic Drain now activates! Your magic card is negated unless you discard another magic card from your hand!"

The Dark Kaiser nodded and held up a magic card, revealing it to be an equip. "I'll discard Rebellion from my hand in order to allow Heavy Storm to continue. Your cards are destroyed!"

Both of Shorin's remaining two cards were blown away by the fierce winds of the Heavy Storm. They were revealed as Divine Wrath and Draining Shield, both powerful trap cards. "Since I activate a counter trap Artemis lets me draw a card."

Harrison slammed his next card down and the familiar form of Cartel appeared. "Once again my Crimson Despair is equipped with Ragnarok, increasing his attack points by one thousand! And with the power of Rumbling Dragon I'm prepared to achieve total victory!"

Cartel drew Ragnarok, the eye lighting up blue immediately. "Crimson Despair, annihilate his Bountiful Artemis!"

With blinding speed Cartel skewered the machine angel, blasting it into tiny pieces. Shorin grimaced as he realized what was going to happen next. "Without Sanctuary of the Sky Mars has no attack points…"

Shorin- 1800

Harrison- 1800

"It's more than that! That wouldn't be total victory at all! When Ragnarok's monster destroys a monster as a result of battle you take one thousand damage!" Shorin shrieked as black lightning arched up his body, frying him and dealing heavy damage.

Shorin- 800

Harrison snapped his arm up and Rumbling Dragon opened its mouth and gathered energy into it. "With your own card I'll defeat you, that is truly total victory! Kaiser Force is a quick-play that costs one thousand life points! In exchange one of my monsters may attack all of yours this turn! Total Annihilation Holy Burst Stream!"

A massive wave of golden light speared from its mouth, slamming into one monster after the next and blowing each of them away in turn. Shorin groaned and dropped to his knees, his field a smoking ruin. "My angels…defeated by someone who fights with darkness…"

Shorin- 0

Harrison- 800

Deactivating his duel disk Harrison spun on his heel, trench coat flapping out behind him. "Don't look down on those who fight with the darkness in the palm of their hands. Those are the people who know true pain, the people who can grasp true power. No one can stand in the light that has not first been swallowed by the darkness."

Rumbling Dragon drifted down to land beside Shorin, its bright holographic border reflecting the light from the sun. Shorin picked it up and stared at Harrison's retreating back. "Next time…I won't underestimate or disrespect the darkness. Thank you Kaiser-san, you've helped me understand the nature of darkness. It's not evil…it's just not light."

_"Winner, the Dark Kaiser of Team Virtue!"_

To be continued…

Next Chapter: With the first victory of round two going to Harrison, now it's Chizuma's turn to play her hand against the members of Team Wolf. Meanwhile, now that Shiro's plan has completely backfired on him his only course of action is to run…run as fast as he possibly can.

Author's Note: Yeah, I haven't updated this story in a really long time. Right now is a bad time to start, considering how many projects, essays and presentations I've got waiting for me in the near future…however I'll be damned if I'm going to sit here any longer and let this story end like this!


	119. Passionate Rock n' Roll

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 119: Passionate Rock 'n Roll

("Things are getting a bit heated.") Halo, hands resting in the pockets of his black business pants, took solace in that his walk through the cold and rather unpleasant lower areas of the stadium would mean he would be left alone. Alahandra didn't like to come down here and she was busy watching her team anyway.

The decision by the upper crust had been terrifyingly sudden, and already many of the owners and sponsors were pondering withdrawing their teams because to be perfectly honest, the DMWC suddenly smelled far too much like a certain corporation that the dark enforcer had little love for.

Shadow Corporation had their hand in every on the black and white markets, from the most mundane to the most extraordinary. Because of this Halo knew they were involved, and he was sure that somewhere in the world there was a fat (metaphorically or otherwise) chairman of the company's board that was laughing to himself about how much profit and entertainment could be wrought from the dangerous changes to Round Three.

("Ichigo and Eri should be back to normal by tomorrow, if they haven't changed back already.") Halo personally wished that he could just call down a smiting on those members of the corporation that he knew about, but such a thing was impossible. ("Well, not impossible but the backlash for such a thing could blow up the planet. Not a preferred course of…")

"Come back here!" Came an enraged scream from somewhere down the winding and dim-lit hall, followed by a loud crash noise.

"It seems I'm not alone down here." Removing his hands from his pockets, Halo casually continued his stroll in the direction of the crashing noises. "I wonder what is going on."

"What's the matter Kuroi-sama!?" Another crash shook the walls. "I thought you wanted to duel me!" Another crash, this one the sound of steel on stone.

A black-caped male figure came running around the corner, shooting past Halo with impressive speed. "Crap, crap, crap, crap…" He muttered over and over again, just loud enough for the half-demon to hear.

Glancing over his shoulder at the retreating masked man, Halo frowned. "What was that all about?"

"Come back here!" Dressed in a pair of grey shorts and a grey t-shirt, Mizuki came skidding around the corner with a metal bench hefted atop her shoulders. Behind her swung a black-furred cat's tail and the total red coloring of her eyes told Halo that she probably couldn't even distinguish him from the person she was chasing. "NOW DIE!" Winding up the bench like a baseball player would a bat, she snapped it down at Halo's head with enough speed that most would wonder if it was a prop or something.

"Interesting…" Finger shooting out, Halo tapped the incoming bench and it flew from her hands to imprint itself into the wall. "He went that way," Thumbing over his shoulder, he stepped aside while she charged past him upon realizing he wasn't who she had thought he was.

Shrugging off the momentary desire to inquire about details concerning this situation, the dark enforcer continued on his solitary walk.

------------------------

"_And now it's time for the next duel in our line-up!"_ Moderator skidded across the announcer's box as he made his hasty return from the bathroom. _"Would Chizuma Takashi and Melody Adriae please proceed to the dueling field!"_

The bridges extended across from the bunkers and connected to the arena, the doors of both of the bunkers sliding open.

Over on Team Virtue's side Harrison walked past the skipping Chizuma as if she didn't exist, to which she responded by sticking her tongue out at his back. Across from there Shorin walked past his teammate and nodded to her silently.

Dressed in a beautiful rose-colored dancing gown Chizuma skipped onto the arena and snapped up her Duel Disk, the device clicking online. "I have been waiting patiently for my chance to prove my worth to Mizuki-sama, and that chance has arrived!"

At the other end of the arena stood a white-haired girl wearing a slightly torn and unintelligible punk rock band t-shirt. "Jeez, and I thought I was overdressing for this round. Going to the ball after your loss, Cinderella?"

"Flattery will get you everywhere, for Cinderella was a lucky girl that got her all of her wishes to come true." The doll-faced girl twirled on her toes and threw Melody a wink. "However no, I'm just so happy to finally be dueling that I decided I'd be coming out wearing the good dress that Masami-sama made for me."

Melody had lifted an eyebrow at the wink, but otherwise she seemed pretty skeptical. "You aren't going to beat me while acting like that. I suggest you snap out of it and duel me with your fullest." She snapped a hand up, the studded leather bands around her wrists shining from the lights around them. "Now let's get this on! Duel!"

Melody- 4000

Chizuma- 4000

"I'm first, draw!" Melody pulled a card from her deck, glancing at the drawn card before adding it to her hand. "I set one monster face-down and a card face-down. End turn." Two cards shimmered into play on her field. "Let's see what you've got, Cinderella."

"For Mizuki-sama's sake, I'll have to win. Draw!" Chizuma added the drawn card to her hand and gracefully tossed a card onto her disk, a Hispanic man dressed in a fine dancing costume appearing on her field. "I summon Tango Dancer in attack mode!" (1700/1000)

Melody smirked at the summoned monster. ("That's right dear, come on over and walk right into my trap.")

"The effect of Tango Dancer activates now!" Chizuma dropped another card onto her disk and a Hispanic female dancer appeared on the field, being taken in the arms of Tango Dancer. "Tango Dance Partner is special summoned!" (1400/1200)

"Two monsters huh? That's fine, I'm willing to take a bit of damage." Melody lifted a hand up and motioned for Chizuma to attack. "Let's go."

Chizuma's eyes suddenly narrowed at this invitation. ("That's fine, my hand says otherwise.") A magic card appeared on her field and her two monsters struck a dramatic intertwined pose. "I activate the magic card Tango Duet. If Tango Dancer and Tango Dance Partner are in play the attack of Tango Dancer powers up by 1000 during this turn!" (2700/1000) "Battle! Tango Dancer, attack the set monster!"

Melody watched the male dancer spin towards her monster with a smirk on her face. ("What a waste, you could have dealt me much more damage had you risked your Partner first…")

Chizuma snapped her fingers and Tango Dancer froze in mid-spin. "Tango Dance Partner's special ability allows her to sacrifice her attack during this turn to add her attack to Tango Dancer's!" (4100/1000) "Battle continues!"

"Just what the hell do you think I set, a Labyrinth Wall or something?" Melody's smile disappeared as Tango Dancer landed a spinning kick to the set monster and blew it to shreds, a powerful blast of wind sending her skidding backwards rapidly. "My monster was in defense…"

Melody- 1100

Chizuma- 4000

"The monster powered up by Tango Duet, during that turn, deals damage through the defense of the opposing monster." Chizuma smiled slightly. "Surprised?"

"A bit, but not enough to throw me off." Melody held up her destroyed monster. "You destroyed my Witch of the Black Forest, and when this card is sent from my field to the graveyard I add one monster from my deck with 1500 or less defense to my hand." Removing a card from her deck, she snapped her hand up at her set card. "Reveal Return Soul!" A bullet of light left her graveyard and hit her deck. "At the end phase of the battle phase up to three destroyed as a result of battle monsters can be shuffled from my graveyard back into my deck."

"I set one card face-down and end my turn." Chizuma nodded to Melody slightly. "So you intended to return your Witch to your deck? I wonder why…"

"You'll see in a sec." The white-haired girl drew and slid a card into her disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Future Fusion, selecting one fusion monster in my fusion deck. I then send fusion material monsters from my deck, send them to my graveyard, and in two turns the fusion monster will be fusion summoned to my field." She held up a pair of female cards. "I send Lady of Faith and Witch of the Black Forest from my deck to the graveyard to select Musician King."

"Musician King? That weak old fusion?" This was a bit of a surprise to Chizuma. "What do you expect to do with something like that in two turns? Sacrifice it for a higher level monster?"

"Apparently you don't know anything about music, which is a shame since after seeing your monsters for a moment I thought you might actually be a match for me. Oh well, your loss." Melody tossed a card onto her disk and the sky-splitting wail of a guitar echoed across the stadium as a heavily-leathered rocker with an electric guitar over his shoulder appeared on her field. "I summon Heavy Metal Jammer in attack mode!" (1600/600)

Now Chizuma was really confused. "…A Rock and Roll deck?"

"You don't gotta say it like that." Melody snapped up a magic card. "R-Riot Mosh activates when I have a Heavy Metal monster in play. I select one Heavy Metal on my field and a monster on your field with a level equal to or lower than yours. Your monster is then destroyed! Light it up, Jammer!" Her monster broke into a sudden explosion of movement, fingers moving along the strings of its guitar and shattering Tango Dancer easily. "And now for the second part of my little rock-out! Attack Tango Dance Partner!"

"Reverse card open!" Chizuma's set card flipped up and she heard the gasps of surprise from the audience, which brought a confident smile to her face. "Deux Passe makes your attack a direct attack against my life points, and one monster on my field attacks your life points directly! This duel is over!"

"Is that so?" Melody slid a card into her disk and the strumming of her monster's guitar suddenly became a low and continuous build-up. "I activate the quickplay magic card Nothing Else Matters. One Heavy Metal monster on my field, during this turn, is unable to attack. At the end phase of this turn its attack increases by 1000 points. I place one card face-down and end my turn, now that your potential killing card is in the graveyard." (2600/600)

Chizuma flushed slightly red and drew silently. ("I hope Mizuki-sama wasn't watching that…")

-----------------------

_Back at the boarding house…_

-----------------------

Griff walked by the living room and immediately stopped as he saw something he never expected to see…ever. Rysel, sitting in the kitchen, reading a newspaper quietly. "What are you doing away from the TV?"

"A wise man knows that when a woman demands something in a certain tone of voice they are to run as far as possible." The Blood Prince motioned to inside the living room. "Miss Amero is enjoying the broadcast of Miss Takashi dueling, and warned me that entering before she has left will result in major pain."

"…oh…" Griff, as of lately, had no reason to argue with that logic. Though he had to admit he was rather curious as to why Eri didn't want anyone to watch Chizuma's duel in the same room as her.

---------------------

After looking at the cards in her hand for a moment Chizuma realized just how bad this situation was. ("I was planning on my opponent trying to tear my Tango combination apart and give me the win with Deux Passe. Now though, I'm going to have to go on the defensive.")

Tango Dance Partner dropped to one knee, and a face-down monster appeared on the field next to her. "I switch my monster to defense mode and set one monster face-down. Also I place one card face-down and end my turn."

:"It looks like you're all out of tricks already, Cinderella." Melody drew. "The ball's over, now it's time for your carriage to turn back into a pumpkin!" Tossing the drawn card down, the sound of a series of drums being played at insane speed joined the constant thrumming of the Jammer's guitar as another band member, this one sitting behind a drum set, appeared in play. "I summon Heavy Metal Drummer in attack mode!" (1300/2000) "Now let's kick this pig! Rock it boys!" Her two monsters played their instruments at full force, waves of sound slamming into and shattering Chizuma's two monsters instantly.

"Reverse card open!" Chizuma's set card flipped up to reveal a picture of a single rose sitting in the middle of a spotlight. "Kiss of Fallen Rose activates when a Tango Dancer or Tango Dance Partner on my field is destroyed in battle. If the opposite Tango combo is in the graveyard then I draw two cards." Sliding two cards off of her deck, she added them to the single card in her hand worriedly.

"End turn then." Melody crossed her arms across her chest. "You'd better shape up before this fairy tale ends in tragedy."

"Draw." Chizuma added the card to her hand and held up an equipment magic card. "I activate the equipment magic card Dancer's Step! From my hand one Dance or Dancer named monster is special summoned and equipped with this card!" She flipped another card up and a female dancer wearing a flame-red dress appeared on her field. "Salsa Dancer is special summoned!" (2000/1000)

"Salsa Dancer, attack Heavy Metal Drummer now! Red-Hot Striker!" Chizuma's started a slow spin that quickly increased in speed until her monster became a whirling tornado of red.

"Reverse card open!" Melody's set card flipped up and her Heavy Metal Jammer shattered. "I activate the effect of Hero of the Day! One Heavy Metal monster on my field is sent to the graveyard and a monster on my field, during this turn, gains an attack increase to the attack of the sacrifice Heavy Metal monster!" (3900/2000) Her Drummer started an insane torrent of strikes against his instrument of choice, waves of powerful sound hitting the red tornado approaching her and shattering it.

Melody- 1100

Chizuma- 2100

"The effect of the monster equipped with Dancer's Step, when it is sent from my field to the graveyard by battle, allows me to special summon a level four or lower Dancer or Dance named monster from my deck to the field!" Removing a card from her deck Chizuma threw it down and a white jumpsuit-wearing man with an enormous black afro appeared on her field in a crouching position. "I summon Disco Dancer in defense mode!" (1000/1000) "When Disco Dancer is summoned I add one continuous magic card from my deck to my hand." She removed another card from her deck before shuffling it and returning it to its slot.

"What the heck?" Melody frowned at the newly summoned monster. "Are we busting out a disco ball now?"

"Actually yes." The card she searched for appeared on Chizuma's field. "I activate the continuous magic card Disco Ball. One Disco monster on my field is selected once per standby phase and has its attack and defense increased by 500!" (1500/1500) "I also place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Draw." Melody motioned to her field, where a blond spiky-haired man with a guitar appeared in play. "Future Fusion special summons Musician King!" (1750/1500) "And now I activate the magic card O-Overload Amp! This card can only be activated if I sacrifice a monster in play." Her newly summoned Musician King faded away. "All set cards on your field are destroyed!" A roaring wave of sound exploded from the Drummer as his constant banging sped up, shattering the two set cards on Chizuma's field. "When a magic card is activated by me Drummer gains 300 attack points for the turn. Battle! Drum Solo!"

Chizuma's Disco Dancer shuddered and exploded as the sound waves hit it, sending it and Disco Ball to the graveyard. "When Disco Ball's selected monster is destroyed in battle or by a card effect it is also destroyed and I draw one card!" Pulling a card from her deck, she grimaced at Melody. ("She's so strong…")

"I place one card face-down and end my turn." Melody smirked at Chizuma. "So far your dancing doesn't seem to hold well against the sheer awesome of my rocking. Perhaps it's time to throw in the towel?"

"Not just yet, draw!" Chizuma held up the card she had drawn from Disco Ball. "I activate the magic card Ancestral Dance." Spiritual versions of Tango Dancer and Tango Dance Partner appeared on her field, bowing to each other before fading away. "By removing two Dance or Dancer monsters from my graveyard I can draw two cards during my next standby phase. I place one card face-down and end my turn."

Melody drew and motioned to her set card. "I reveal the trap card Crazy Train. By discarding one card from my hand one random card on your field will be destroyed! My only choice is obviously the card you set earlier."

Chizuma bit her lower lip as her set card shattered. ("Now I'm defenseless…")

"The card I discarded was Repayment of Losses." Drawing one card from her deck, Melody held it up to reveal a gold C as its picture. "I activate C-Crazy Band. One monster from your graveyard is selected!" A hologram of Salsa Dancer's card appeared over Chizuma's head. "Your monster is level six, so I can add up to six levels of Heavy Metal monsters from my deck to my hand, but during this turn they cannot be summoned." A pair of cards left her deck, and after showing that they were monsters she added them to her hand. "Direct attack! Drum Solo!"

Chizuma screamed as the constant noise from the Heavy Metal grew in force until she was forced to cover her ears lest her ear-drums burst.

Melody- 1100

Chizuma- 800

"End turn." Melody glanced at her deck and the cards in her hand. ("During my next turn this duel will really reach the roaring finale. Sorry Cinderella, but I was disappointed by your lack of skill in this battle. I was truthfully expecting more from a member of a team that managed to beat Shorin.")

Chizuma dropped to her knees, listening quietly to the sloshing of blood in her ears. ("I've failed Mizuki-sama…what can I possibly do now against this girl? I hit her so hard in the beginning but it hasn't phased her at all.") She looked up at Melody and felt that cold chill run down her spine that she had felt from other duelists that were far above her in caliber. ("During my next turn I'll draw three cards total, but against this girl what can I pull out that stands a chance against her?")

This was the weakness of her deck. Tango Dancer and Tango Dance Partner, besides her few other Dancer monsters, were the only real strength her deck had. Without them she was left with very little to work with. ("I'm going to lose this duel and Mizuki-sama is going to be disappointed in me!")

It was so frustrating that at times like this she realized just how normal she was compared to duelists like Sanzo, Harrison, and Mizuki-sama. (In the background of these three stood Shiro, waiting patiently for her to think about him and his dueling prowess.)

("What can I do now?") Standing up, Chizuma placed a hand on her deck. ("I won't surrender, but how do I beat such a powerful beat?") (Meanwhile, the phantasmal Shiro face-fell because he had been excluded from the powerful duelist comment.)

"What's the matter, thinking of giving up?" Melody sighed and waved a hand dismissively. "I didn't even get to rock out for real too…whatever, hurry up and surrender so I can stop feeling like a bully."

("She's right…") Chizuma started to reach for her deck. ("I guess I'll just have to draw and see what I get.")

"_Hold it!"_ There was a flash of blue that shot past Chizuma's face and brought her out of her inner monologue.

The audience started to whisper fiercely, wondering what had happened.

And then their whispers died down as the quiet strumming of a guitar could be heard. Not chaotic and loud like the electric guitars of the Heavy Metal monsters, but calm and peaceful like that of a focused expert. _"Chizuma Takashi!"_

Chizuma's head lifted up to look at a shadowed form standing in the rafters. ("Who's that?")

Spotlights illuminated the hidden figure, revealing the costumed form of El Mariachi Verdadero. _"Where music and wishes for romancer go, I will follow. I am the bard of passion and delights, the masked hero El Mariachi Verdadero! To you I bring a reminder that while music is the language of the soul, dance is the language of the body. It is the passionate thing that lets those who feel love burning in their chest embrace those emotions!"_

("Dance is the passionate embrace of one's emotions…") Chizuma looked upon Melody's field once more, and then smiled confidently. "It's my turn, draw!" Pulling a card from her deck, she placed two fingers atop the other cards in her deck. "Also the effect of Ancestral Dance lets me draw two cards during my standby phase!" Adding two more cards to her hand, she noticed that the Mariachi had disappeared. ("Thank you for that reminder, masked musician…")

----------------------

"There he is, get him!" One of the security guards, currently running along the upper rafters of the arena, pointed at the fluttering cape he saw not too far away.

("Never forget that you are a dancer, and that your passion is just as powerful as the passions of those with spirits of fire. Show them the flames of your dancing!") El Mariachi Verdadero rushed out of sight as he heard the sound of pistols being loaded. "Time for this bandito to make a hasty retreat!"

-----------------------

A grinning green jar appeared on Chizuma's field. "I activate Pot of Greed, drawing two cards." Bringing her hand up to four, Chizuma smirked at Melody. "Let me show you my own way of rocking."

A bolt of lightning hit her field and formed into a yellow-dressed male dancer in a crouching position. "I summon Flash Dancer in defense mode!" (100/800) "When Flash Dancer is summoned I can activate one trap card from my hand." A trap appeared on her field and her monster dissolved into little bits of yellow matter that floated around her for a moment, creating a healthy golden glow. "Dancer's Vitality sacrifices a Dancer or Dance named monster on my field to increase my life points by 400 per level star of that monster. Flash Dancer was a level two."

Melody- 1100

Chizuma- 1600

"Now for Premature Burial." Chizuma's new card was a well-known and well-played card, appearing in play while a red aura lit up around her. "At the cost of 800 life points one monster in my graveyard will be revived. Return to play, Salsa Dancer!" The red-dressed female dancer from before appeared on her field in a blast of flames. "When Salsa Dancer is special summoned from my graveyard I draw two cards."

Melody grimaced as she watched Salsa Dancer launch towards her Drummer. "The effect of Heavy Metal Drummer is when he is attacked I may switch him to defense mode!" Chizuma's Salsa Dancer collided with the defense mode monster and was deflected. "You can't beat me that easily!"

"From my hand I activate the quickplay magic card Dancer's Passion!" The card that appeared on Chizuma's field released a blast of flame that hit the Drummer and blew it apart. "When a Dancer on my field can't defeat a monster on your field then at the end of the battle phase your monster is destroyed and I draw one card." Pulling a card from her deck, she grinned at Melody. "I won't give up that easily either."

"I activate Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two." Chizuma knew just what to toss. Inserting two cards into her graveyard, she then slid two cards into her disk slots. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Draw!" Melody threw a card onto her disk and another Heavy Metal Jammer appeared in play. (1600/600) "I activate K-Killer Solo! If I have only one card in play and it's a Heavy Metal monster two cards on your field are destroyed! My choices are your set cards!"

Chizuma's two face-down cards were blasted by a powerful wave of sound, shattering instantly. However her now-calm expression didn't change.

"I discard Heavy Metal Manager to search my deck for either one of the four lettered cards I've played during this duel or the card that combos them." Removing a card from her deck, Melody held that card up and four cards slid out of her graveyard. "By removing R-Riot Mosh, O-Overload Amp, C-Crazy Band, and K-Killer Solo from my graveyard I can activate the magic card Legendary ROCKstar!"

"A super combo card?" Chizuma was still smiling. "Show it to me then."

"You got it, Cinderella! The effect of Legendary ROCKstar lets me draw one card for every face-up card on your field!" Melody's Jammer exploded as she drew two cards. "All cards on my field are destroyed and from my deck comes the ultimate rocker of my deck! Emerge now, Heavy Metal Oz!" A long black-haired and lanky man appeared on her field with a wail of his guitar, the sheer force of the effect causing the entire arena to groan from the stress. (0/0)

"Zero attack…" Chizuma didn't doubt the power of this card though. "It's effect."

"For every magic card activated on my field it gains 500 attack and defense points. Also by removing five magic cards from my graveyard I can either destroy all monsters or all magic and trap cards on your field!" Melody held up Pot of Greed and Research on the Pot of Greed, drawing four cards total. "And now I remove all but Pot of Greed to blast your Salsa Dancer away! King of Rock and Roll!" Her monster plucked just one string from his guitar and Chizuma's monster exploded. (1000/1000) "This game is over! Direct attack! Facemelter!"

"This duel isn't over yet." Chizuma held up a trap card. "Or haven't you realized something? One of the cards you destroyed earlier was Gift of One's Love, removing all cards from my graveyard and giving me 100 life points per card."

Melody- 1100

Chizuma- 2700

Though Melody looked frustrated, she snapped a card from her hand up. "I activate the quickplay magic card Strumming Strike, powering up a Heavy Metal monster by 400 points!" (1900/1500)

Chizuma felt the sound waves hitting her, but for some reason there was no pain. It was as if she was suddenly beyond their reach. ("The power of my passion protects me.")

"When Oz deals you life point damage you take an additional 600 points of damage!" Melody motioned at Chizuma's life point total as it shot downwards.

Melody- 1100

Chizuma- 200

Three cards appeared face-down behind Melody's monster. "I set three cards face-down and end my turn."

"I won't lose here. This time I'm fighting for the sake beyond that of my own." Chizuma drew. "I activate the magic card Dancer's Entrance, special summoning a level seven or higher Dance or Dancer from my hand to the field if I have no cards in play! Come out now, Show Dancer!" A gold-dressed female appeared on her field, spotlights illuminating her beautiful frame. (0/2000) "When this monster is summoned for every magic and trap card on your field she gains 1000 attack points!" (3000/2000)

"Just enough to end it…" Melody watched the Show Dancer's approach with a smile on her face. "You can't expect these set cards to be bluffs, can you?"

"Show Dancer, Golden Strike!" Chizuma's monster bowed slightly and charged forwards rapidly.

"Reverse cards open!" All of Melody's set cards flipping up. "I activate the trap card Iron Man and then chain two Stage Malfunction trap cards! The effect of Stage Malfunction first requires I declare a card type, after which all of cards of that type are removed from my deck. During this turn all removed from play cards under my control have their effects negated, and at the end phase of this turn for every card I removed from my deck by this effect I must discard a card from my deck. I declare trap!" Removing a stack of cards from her deck, she put them in her back pocket. "Now I declare monster." Once again she thinned her deck, leaving her with only nine cards.

"Finally, the effect of Iron Man lets me look at the five cards of my deck. For every magic card shown one magic is considered to have been activated on my field. Also, I shuffle those cards into my deck and during the activated turn cannot manually activate magic cards anymore." Melody pulled five cards from her deck and held them up. "Five magic cards means a 2500 attack bonus for Oz!" (4400/4000) "Facemelter!" Oz threw his head back and started playing, creating a building wave of sonic force that hit Show Dancer and started forcing her back. "This duel has ended."

"Your music is powerful, but my passion is stronger!" Chizuma pointed at Heavy Metal Oz. "Strike with full force, Show Dancer!"

"What!?" Melody's eyes widened in amazement as Chizuma's monster pushed through the sonic waves and kicked her monster in the head, shattering him. "That's impossible…" The field faded away, leaving the entire arena in silence.

Melody- 1100

Chizuma- 0

Exhaling loudly, Chizuma turned and walked off towards the arena exit. ("I lost…but I won't let it get me down. I fought with my hardest and refused to surrender. My passion drove me to trying my hardest.")

"Hey Cinderella!" Melody yelled from behind her.

Chizuma stopped and glanced over her shoulder, prepared for the gloating or dismissal.

The white-haired punk rocker held up her right hand, pinky and index finger sticking out and curved slightly. "You're hardcore."

---------------------------

"Crap, crap, crap, crap…" Kuroi went charging down another hallway, another screeching noise not too far away as Mizuki removed another object from the wall to beat him senseless violently.

Meanwhile, inside the silence of the masked man's head, Chibi Shiro continued to bang his head against an unseen wall over and over again. _"This is really, really bad! How do I escape getting killed?"_

He sat down and crossed his legs and arms, bowing his head slightly as he went into deep thought. _"I must pool my mental resources and come up with the best answer to this problem."_

From right next to him a picture of Mizuki dressed in a white bikini appeared. Looking over at it, he nodded resolutely. _"Nice."_

_To be continued…_


	120. Strike of Mizuki

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles

Chapter 120: Strike of Mizuki/Sanzo vs. Endless XYZ

_Eyes opening slowly, Shiro took a deep and relaxed breath of fresh air. Standing up, he straightened out his pure white shirt and looked around at the field of flowers that seemed to stretch out into infinity. "Wow, I wonder why I'm here…"_

Then he returned to reality, mind catching up to what had happened. Mizuki, brandishing a metal pipe, had thrown the metallic impromptu weapon. That weapon was currently quivering, part of it through the wall his back was against. And that quivering piece of metal had just been an inch or two from going straight through his groin. ("We've officially reached the point where the prank isn't funny anymore.")

Letting out another enraged hiss, Mizuki turned and pulled another pipe out of the crack in the wall next to her that one could only assume she had created. At one point or another she had gotten Kuroi trapped in a dead end, and now she was blocking the only exit.

Sweat pouring down his back, Kuroi somehow managed to keep up his calm exterior. Meanwhile inside his mind Chibi Shiro was running in circles and screaming in terror about his inevitable death. "Do you really want to be a murderer, Miss Mitsuhiro?" Then he dropped to the ground as a pipe embedded itself where his neck would have been just moments before. "I see you apparently do."

_"This is terrible!"_ Chibi Shiro skidded to a stop. Looking up at the unseen ceiling, he frowned in thought at an idea that was forming. Somewhere nearby the crickets could be heard again, and then they went silent as he jumped up and down in celebration. _"Of course! All I have to do is change Mizuki back to normal with the GAD! Oh Shiro Akugi, you're a genius!"_ A thud came from nearby, catching his attention. _"I didn't even know crickets could face-fall."_

----------------------------------

Moderator coughed into his microphone, pounding a hand against his chest. _"Those spicy chili dogs just run right through me…heart burn city!"_

The entire arena went silent and Moderator flushed when he realized the microphone was on. _"Moving on! With one victory each for Team Virtue and Team Wolf it's time for the third duel. We'll now be having Sanzo Uzumaki from Team Virtue against umm…why do these duelists not list their last names? Versus Team Wolf's Zet!"_

Melody stuck her tongue out as her team mate approached the dueling field. "Don't punk out Z, or else I'll kick your ass."

The identified Z, who was dressed in a turquoise muscle shirt and grey pants, snorted. His purple hair fluttered out behind him as the wind blew across the stadium and he cracked his knuckles, looking eager. "No worries, I'll blow this guy out of the water."

The two duelists took their positions and clicked on their duel disks. Sanzo flicked those locks of hair out of his eyes and smiled calmly at his opponent. "I wish you a good duel Zet; let's make this one to remember!"

Sanzo-4000

Z-4000

Z smirked and drew five cards, his violet eyes narrowing at the sight. "Whatever, just go first and let's get this over with." ("After all, it's rare that anybody lasts past my second turn against this swift killing deck.")

Sanzo nodded once and drew, and then slid two cards into his disk. "I'll place two cards face down. Then I summon Elemental Hero Clayman (800/2000) in defense mode. That's my turn."

The purple haired teen sneered and tapped the top of his deck as he looked at his opponent. "If that's what you call a turn then you won't stand a chance against me! Let me show you…the huge killer power of my deck and my draw!"

He pulled the card free and snapped it out to the side, causing Sanzo's eyes to widen. ("What an incredibly forceful draw power! This guy must be an amazing duelist!")

Z laughed and placed one card into his cemetery slot, causing it to be sucked in. "By discarding one card from my hand Dimensional Signal lets me add one card with 'dimension' in its name from my deck or removed from play pile to my hand!"

A card ejected from his deck and he immediately slammed it into his disk. "Go continuous magic card Different Dimension Hangar! First I remove from my deck up to three level four or lower union monsters from the game!"

He cracked his knuckles as he searched through his deck and fanned the cards his was looking for. He quickly shoved them into his pocket and grabbed another card from his hand. "Before we begin with them I'm going to activate the field magic card Steel Plant!"

A massive factory now took up much of the arena space, pumping smoke into the air. "Once per turn a player may discard a machine monster from their hand to draw two cards as long as this field is active. So I'll just toss Union Supporter (0/0) from my hand to draw!"

He pulled two more cards off his deck and his eyes lit up at the sight of one. Sanzo braced himself for the eventual attack. ("He got something he was looking for. Let's find out what this guy is up to.")

"Yo Hero boy! Here I come with my swift killing strike! From my hand I normal summon X-Head Cannon (1800/1500)!" A blue spheroid machine with big arms and cannons stuck on the top floated down onto the field from the factory, its weapons training on Sanzo.

Z pointed at his hangar card and a vortex appeared in the sky above their heads. "If I normal or special summon a monster that fits the requirements of one of the removed union monsters I can special summon that monster into play! So here's Y-Dragon Head (1500/1600)!"

The red mechanical dragon floated down next to the cannon out of the vortex and then the rip in the sky fluctuated again. "And since Y-Dragon Head fits for this next monster I can summon it as well! Meet Z-Metal Tank (1500/1300)!"

Now there was a yellow tank trundling down onto the dueling platform, giving Z three machines to work with. And not just any three machines. "Impressive to summon those three in one turn."

"I'm not finished! Since Z-Metal Tank is a machine it fits the needs of my last removed from play union monster! So come on out Heavy Mech Support Platform (500/500)!" This was an aerial jet of some sort, highly advanced in appearance. It looked deadly despite its minimal stats.

Z thrust his right arm into the sky, one finger pointed upwards. "Okay! I remove from play X, Y, and Z to special summon the ultimate in all fusion monsters! The mechanical combo monstrosity that is XYZ-Dragon Cannon (2800/2600)!"

The three machines connected themselves together to form a destructive looking weapons platform with pincers and huge cannons. Sanzo grimaced and the crowd went wild. "Special summoning that monster in one turn, very impressive. And with its effect its even more dangerous."

"Apparently you're not much for machines so I'll show you the power of my other union monster! Heavy Mech Support Platform can union to any machine and boosts that machine by five hundred points!" XYZ's attack roared up to thirty-three hundred while its defense went to thirty-one hundred. Where the platform went to even Sanzo didn't know.

The purple haired duelist laughed with excitement as he snapped his three cards together so that they looked like one card. "And for each card I discard from my hand XYZ-Dragon Cannon can destroy a card on your field! So let's nuke it all shall we? Open fire!"

Missiles fired from open weapon banks on the cannon and slammed down on Sanzo's field, obliterating them one by one until nothing was left of his field. Sanzo held up one card and smirked. "When Hero Medal is destroyed I shuffle it into my deck and draw one card."

Z scowled for a second before remembering the position he was in. "It doesn't matter! You're still completely open to my assault, so XYZ attacks with Hyper Destruction!"

Another massive array of missiles launched out, exploding all around Sanzo and rocking his field. The hero duelist stood his ground, having to keep careful balance to avoid being tossed off by the force of the explosions. "Nice move…"

Sanzo-700

Z-4000

Z reached for his deck and snapped two cards off of it. "In case you thought I burned up my resources for just that, don't be mistaken. One of the cards I discarded was called XYZ Supercharger, and when it's tossed for the effect of V, W, X, Y, Z, or any monster with those in their name I get to draw two cards."

Sanzo smiled despite Z's recharge. "If you were out of options that quickly this wouldn't be a duel worth having would it?"

The purple haired duelist paused for a second…and then burst out laughing. "I like the way you think hero boy! But don't get me wrong, I'm still not going to let you last much more than my next turn through. Nobody does. I toss a card down and end."

The Hero Saint nodded and snapped his next card off his deck. "Don't worry about me Z; I'm not the type to be easily defeated! And here's the start of my reply to XYZ-Dragon Cannon! The mighty Elemental Hero Bubbleman (800/1200)!"

In a spray of bubbles the blue armored hero took the field, striking a pose. Now it was Sanzo's turn to draw. "And thanks to your clearing the field I can take advantage of Bubbleman's ability. Since he was summoned and there were no cards on the field I draw two cards!"

Sanzo pointed one of his drawn cards at his Bubbleman and the monster started to glow. "I activate the magic card Grand Hero Evolution! I select on hero on the field and then a fusion of that monster in my fusion deck. My choice of fusion is Elemental Hero Tempester (2800/2800)."

Two cards slid out of Sanzo's deck and into his hand. "Then I send my chosen Bubbleman along with the other fusion components of the selected fusion to the graveyard. So I send Bubbleman, Sparkman (1600/1400) and Featherman (1000/1000) to the grave!"

Z looked intrigued now. And Sanzo didn't seem to be slowing. "Next I can special summon all the neo versions of the monsters I sent to the grave from my fusion deck as if by the effect of Metamorphosis!"

A Bubbleman with sleeker armor, along with a Sparkman with an upgraded power suit and a Featherman with mechanical wings all moved out onto the field. "Here comes Neo Bubbleman (800/1200), Spark Soldier (2100/1400), and Feather Avenger (1000/1000)!"

Sanzo's opponent looked excited at the prospect of the triple summon. "So what do these new fusion wimps do? Can they really handle XYZ-Dragon Cannon?"

"Actually I'm intending to use fusion, just like you, only I'll do it the traditional way. Here goes Polymerization, fusing together my three neo heroes together!" All three of them merged into one, creating a brand new hero. This new hero was nearly identical to Tempester, save his body was covered by a gunmetal armor that looked somewhat organic.

"The resulting fusion monster is Elemental Hero Neo Tempester (2800/2800)! And though his attack isn't much different he's got quite the interesting special power. First I set two cards face down." A pair of cards appeared behind Neo Tempester and Z narrowed his eyes at them, certain they'd be dangerous.

"Keep your eyes on my fusion because his power is similar to your monster's. By sacrificing magic and trap cards on my field I can destroy cards on yours! So I send my two face down cards to the graveyard to destroy your set card and your XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" Neo Tempester raised his gun hand which morphed itself into huge cannon and fired a massive beam of energy that collided with both cards.

A heavy explosion rocked the field, but Z's laughter showed he wasn't worried And when the smoke cleared XYZ-Dragon Cannon was still in play, though its attack points now read as twenty-eight hundred. "Don't you know anything about union monsters? Heavy Mech Support Platform took the hit for my dragon cannon, protecting it!"

Sanzo nodded and snapped a card off his deck. "One of the two cards I sacrificed was Repayment of Losses, so I draw a card. But for the second…its why destroying your cannon wasn't as important. The card I sacrificed was called Tempest Vortex!"

Z's eyes widened in horror as Tempester suddenly appeared directly in front of him, cannon aimed at his face. "What…what the hell?"

"When Tempest Vortex goes from my field to the cemetery all damage to my field for the turn is reduced to zero. However, when sent to the grave by the effect of Tempester my monster can attack you directly! And since Neo Tempester counts as Tempester…direct attack!" Z screamed as the powerful beam of light engulfed his body, consuming him and hiding him from the view of the audience.

Sanzo-700

Z-1200

-----------------------------

Mizuki was running out of pieces of wall to hurl at the masked man, but considering how much of the wall behind him was damaged, cracked, and otherwise broken he wasn't exactly on the verge of escaping anytime soon.

Shielding himself from a spray of cement pieces, Kuroi suddenly stiffened and pointed at the area behind the dark-haired demoness in surprise. "Look out!"

Glancing behind her, Mizuki's rage momentarily subsided and she stared dumbfoundedly at the bushy-mustached janitor that was currently trying not to cry as he realized he was going to have clean up the mess she had made of the wall. "I'm sorry!" Realizing just what she had done, she quickly turned to face him fully, hands out in an attempt to comfort him.

("Now's my chance…though I'm kind of surprised there was actually something there.") Kuroi grabbed the GAD currently clipped to his belt-buckle, getting ready to quickly change the settings.

One of Mizuki's black-furred cat ears perked slightly and she let out a low growl of feral rage, spinning and hurling a piece of cement with the force of a well-trained baseball pitcher. A loud crunch noise accompanied its landing, and the masked man fell over onto his side, clutching between his legs and rolling around on the ground in a full circle over and over again.

The Chibi Shiro was shedding a huge amount of tears now. _"The pain…the impossible pain…" _He shivered visibly as something dawned on him, thanks to the fact he was separate from the emotions currently being experienced by his outer self. _"Wait a second, that cracking noise sounded just a bit too loud to be healthy. In fact there isn't as much pain as there should be…"_ A pale shade of comic white fell over his face. _"I…think she…overdid it…"_

-----------------------------------------

When the attack ended Sanzo's monster returned to his field and Z wavered on his feet. "Damn…that was a hell of an attack."

Sanzo looked up at the giant factory and then glanced at his most recently drawn card. "I think I'll take advantage of your field card now by discarding this machine from my hand to draw two cards."

Z blanched as Sanzo discarded a card. "But since when does an Elemental Hero Deck run machines?"

"It doesn't really run machines, but my Friendog (800/1200) just happens to be one, so I get the draw." Sanzo pulled two more cards off his deck and then fanned out the four cards.

"I'll set three cards face down. Next I sacrifice one of them to activate the effect of Neo Tempester to nuke a card on your field! Farewell XYZ-Dragon Cannon!" This time the blast did blow away XYZ-Dragon Cannon, leaving Z with only his useless continuous magic card and his field card.

"Finally I end my turn by activating the continuous magic card Mirage of Nightmare." Z drew swiftly and Sanzo reached for his deck.

"During your standby phase Mirage of Nightmare lets me draw until I'm holding four cards in my hand." Z sneered and held up his drawn card.

"I toss out W-Wing Catapult (1300/1500) to activate the effect of Steel Plant to draw two new cards!" He drew two more cards and then burst out laughing.

Z laughed darkly as he held up his next card. "I activate Metal Reconstruction! Regardless of summoning cost one fusion machine from my cemetery is now special summoned to the field! So here's XYZ-Dragon Cannon again!"

Sanzo whistled, impressed at the sight. "Bypassing the limitation of XYZ-Dragon Cannon so easily and summoning it a second time. You're no average duelist."

"Never was a truer word spoken hero boy! I'll toss one card from my hand to take out Neo Tempester and another card to take out that middle set card!" The missiles pounded into the cards, blasting away most of Sanzo's field and leaving him with just one face down card.

Z's smirk faded as he realized that wasn't right. "Wait a second…where did your Mirage of Nightmare go? I didn't target it at all!"

"You're right, but you did target my set Emergency Provisions, which I chained to the strike. I sacrifice Mirage of Nightmare to gain a thousand life points, so now it's in the cemetery." Z scowled as he realized he had aimed poorly.

Sanzo-1700

Z-1200

"It doesn't matter. One of the two cards I discarded was called XYZ Battery Recharge and when I ditch it for the cost of XYZ-Dragon Cannon I can draw until I'm holding five cards. Sadly it prevents me from activating my monster's effect again this turn." He pulled five free cards off his deck, totally undoing his hand burning.

"Here's the strike! Hyper Destruction direct!" Sanzo snapped out his left arm and a shield appeared around it. The beam of plasma from the cannon's open batteries hit the shield and was sucked in.

Sanzo-4500

Z-1200

"The trap card Draining Shield negates your attack and adds your XYZ's attack points to my life points. Looks like your strike backfired." Z smirked and slammed one of his five drawn cards into his duel disk.

"That's what you think! When one of my attacks is negated I can activate Renewed Efforts to power up one my monster by one thousand and let it attack again! One more time, Hyper Destruction!" With its attack points boosted up XYZ let its attack rip again, this time hitting Sanzo dead on. The blast nearly hurled him off the platform, but just like Z he managed to hold his ground.

Sanzo-700

Z-1200

Z smirked and slipped one of his other cards into his duel disks. "I admit that I'm impressive you survived my second turn, it's a rare duelist that can do that. But only two duelists have ever survived my third turn so you'd better win now or it's over!"

Sanzo brushed those strands of hair out of his eyes and snapped a card off his deck for his draw. "Well let's see how well that goes shall we? I activate Fusion Deposit, sending one random fusion monster from my fusion deck to the cemetery!"

Team Wolf's duelist gasped in surprise when Sanzo fanned out his fusion deck, revealing a huge number of cards. With his eyes closed Sanzo grabbed one card and then folded the fusion deck back up, tucking it back into his outfit. "The monster discarded is Flame Wingman (2100/1800)."

His opponent didn't bother to question the move; he had seen enough of Sanzo's style in the previous turn to understand that he'd soon see. "Now from my hand I activate Miracle Fusion! I remove Flame Wingman and Sparkman in my cemetery from the game in order to fusion summon Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman (2500/2300)!"

A glowing hero who looked almost like a machine floated down, his mechanical angelic wings snapped out to each side. "Shining Flare Wingman's first effect is that for each hero in my cemetery he gains three hundred attack points!"

Seven reflections of the seven heroes in Sanzo's graveyard briefly flashed over his head and Shining Flare Wingman's attack points shot up. "And with seven heroes in the grave his attack becomes forty-six hundred, greater than even your XYZ-Dragon Cannon!"

"Shining Flare Wingman, attack and destroy XYZ-Dragon Cannon! Shining Shooter!" The wingman flew up into the air and then came crashing down with his glowing body into the dragon cannon. The cannon exploded, forcing Z to hold up an arm to keep his face clear of the smoke.

Sanzo-700

Z-400

Shining Flare Wingman floated down in front of Z and began to glow extremely brightly, the power of it burning his skin. "You now take the attack of your destroyed monster as damage to your life points!"

Z grimaced and thrust his hand out to the side. His set trap flipped up so quickly it pushed away the smoke that was surrounding it. "Damage Paralyzer prevents me from taking one instance of effect damage! And then we both draw one card!"

They both drew at the same time, putting them at four cards in hand a piece. Sanzo smiled warmly and flicked his hair away. "You're an incredible opponent Z. Let's find out if I can outlast this third turn. Four cards face down and end!"

The Team Wolf duelist drew and looked over Sanzo's field, feeling slightly unnerved. ("This guy is really good. He's already anticipated that I'll be able to summon XYZ-Dragon Cannon again this turn so he's set up a huge array of targets. That means he thinks I'll have to burn some cards to summon him, and that won't leave me enough to finish every possible target.")

"Sorry to burst your bubble guy, but I'm not going to be thrown off that easily! I activate the effect of Steel Plant, tossing out V-Tiger Jet (1600/1400) to draw two cards!" He grinned at what he saw and then pointed at his continuous magic card.

"Since that card is of no use to me anymore I'll send it along with my Steel Plant to the graveyard for my own Emergency Provisions card!" The field returned to normal and Z's life points went up.

Sanzo-700

Z-2400

"The point of all that you might ask? First I play Dimensional Burial, sending the three removed X, Y, and Z cards to my cemetery. And then since my field is empty and I've got those three in the grave I can play XYZ-Dragon Cannon Signal! This special summons my supreme monster to the field!" Both duelists smirked at the same time as the hybrid monster once again took the field.

"And now I bet you think I can't take out every card on your field. Well you couldn't be more wrong, but first I activate the equip magic card Metal Enhancement Armor, which boosts the equipped machine's attack by five hundred!" His XYZ-Dragon Cannon's parts churned as it powered up to thirty-three hundred.

"Also, once per turn my armor can negate the cost of one machine on the field. Which means I can still trash two cards on your field. So I'll discard my two cards to destroy the farthest out magic or trap cards you've got!" Two individual missiles shot out, skewering and blowing apart the two cards. Plumes of smoke rose into the sky from those spots.

"The cards I discarded were Repayment of Losses and XYZ-Supercharger so I draw three cards total. And I'm going to discard all three to blow away your last three cards!" Once again Sanzo's field was rocked with heavy explosions, his two set cards and his Shining Flare Wingman blown into nothingness by Z's powerful monster.

"I discarded amongst those cards the final XYZ-Supercharger, so I draw two more cards! And now…now for the kill, direct attack with Hyper Destruction!" He blinked as nothing happened.

Sanzo smirked and a card popped out of his cemetery. "You destroyed Hero Sense, and during the turn it goes to the cemetery you can't attack. So I'm safe."

Z seemed absolutely flabbergasted. "You…actually survived my third turn?"

"It seems to be the case doesn't it? Does that mean your turn is over?" Z paused for a second and then shook his head to clear it of the shock.

"I'm not quite finished yet, so I'll just set this one card and then I end. For certain the fourth turn is the last!" He nodded resolutely even as Sanzo happily drew.

"During the standby phase of the turn after Hero Sense went to the graveyard I get to draw one card for every three heroes in my cemetery. Since I've got eight that means I draw two cards." Z gulped as his opponent drew twice. To actually face another opponent who could survive the third turn…

"I play Graceful Charity…and I'll discard these two." He slid two cards, a monster and a magic card, into the graveyard.

"And now, since it went to the cemetery, I activate the effect of Elemental Hero Necro Darkman. Once during the game I can summon one hero from my hand without tribute. So I summon Elemental Hero Edgeman (2600/1800)!" A golden hero with blades attached to his arms did a flip out onto the field and struck a pose, ready to fight against the machine.

"I activate Hope of Fifth, shuffling five Elemental Heroes from my cemetery back into my deck in order to draw two cards." He held up Bubbleman, Sparkman, Featherman, and Clayman and shuffled them back in. He added Shining Flare Wingman back to his fusion deck and then snapped two cards off his deck.

A side slot opened on his disk and he resolutely placed his next card into it. "Go field magic card, Skyscraper!"

Once again the field changed, this time turning into a bustling metropolis of giant lit up buildings. Edgeman flexed his muscles as if inspired by the city he was meant to protect. "In this place when one of my heroes attacks a monster with more attack strength it gains attack points. So Edgeman (3600) is going to take out XYZ-Dragon Cannon! Power Edge Attack!"

With the blades on its arm Edgeman cleaved right through the machine, detonating it. Z twitched, furious at the sight. "You've destroyed my monster way more times than anyone else ever has…I'll give you that."

Sanzo-700

Z-2100

"Try a bit more than that, I activate Hero's Risk Strike! One monster on my field can now attack a second time with half attack points! If the attack succeeds I draw one card, if not I take five hundred damage!" Z groaned as this time it was he who was slashed by the blades that Edgeman used.

Sanzo-700

Z-800

Sanzo pulled another card off his deck and then smiled, sliding both of his cards into his duel disk. "I guess its time for your fourth turn, isn't it Z?"

-------------------------

Kuroi felt himself getting hefted upwards, now looking directly into those blood-red eyes that were piercing into him. "Listen…" He squeaked out weakly. "Mizuki…calm…down…"

Her other hand balled into a fist and she cocked it back, aiming at his face. "Just die."

As much as he wished that he could say something witty or at least stupidly funny right now, nothing was coming to mind. If that punch connected his head was going to come off. ("Then again, considering that last hit, maybe I'd just be better off dead. I can't even feel where that cement block struck, but it's warm and wet down there so I think something broke.") Then time sped up again as Mizuki punched…and her fist stopped short of his face. ("A miracle?")

-------------------------

Ichigo blinked at the hole in the counter in front of him, and wondered for the life of him where that momentary flash of blinding rage had come from. ("Maybe Mizuki? Man, I can't feel enough pity for whatever got her that riled up.")

"Hey Ichigo, is the steak for the victory dinner tenderized yet?" Teruha called from the living room, currently watching Sanzo's duel along with the members of the household that didn't have other things to do.

The half demon paled and yanked his hand free from the hole in the counter. "Oh, it's tenderized alright…just let me scrape it off my knuckles."

-----------------------------

Eyes wide and sweat beaded on her forehead, Mizuki's eyes slowly faded from red back to their normal green. "Where am I?" Everything flowed back to her and she realized her fist was still inches from breaking Kuroi's face in half. "I should just finish the job, you know. I don't know how you did this to me, but how stupid could you be?"

"Apparently pretty dumb," Kuroi muttered to himself, though she heard it easily.

"I'll say." Throwing her arms out to her sides in an exaggerated movement, she shook the masked man up slightly without showing any strain to her arm at all. "So, Kuroi, how exactly did you do it anyway?"

"I don't feel any reason to tell you." Even though he was still being held off his feet, the masked man had enough of his dignity left to not disclose his methods.

Mizuki looked disappointed for a moment. "I see." Dropping him she turned and kicked the wall next to her, sending a thick crack going along the stone where her leg connected. "Is that your final answer?"

"So anyway, as I was about to say, this is the GAD." Kuroi held up the gold-colored remote in an almost game-show style presentation. "Would you like me to show you how to operate it?"

The Janitor sighed loudly and trudged off to go get his mop. It was going to be a long day.

"That would be…" The idea of learning how to operate such an amazing piece of technology definitely appealed, something suddenly sank into Mizuki's brain. Now that her wits were about her and she was actually listening to his voice…

Kuroi gulped as he noticed that Mizuki's newly added tail was no longer moving at all, it was just hovering perfectly still. Between that and the dark shadow that had fallen over her eyes he felt like death was rapidly approaching. ("I think I might be better off changing her off while I've still got access to the GAD!") His hand started inching towards the numerous different buttons, and the ones that Masami had indicated controlled what he wanted to change.

"Shiro…" Mizuki's eyes flashed red momentarily, and he stiffened as she cocked back her fist again. "You perverted, idiotic, annoying jerk. What would possess you to do something like this?" Her voice was wavering somewhere between accepting (if just because Shiro seemed to do milder but similar stuff to this on a regular basis) and like she was planning on inflicting divine punishment on his head.

"Cause the opportunity was there." Shiro responded in his own voice, before face-palming at his knee-jerk answer and slapping a hand over his mouth. "I…I mean…ummm…"

"Wrong answer!" Her fist was already just a few inches from hitting him…then there was a momentary flash of movement and the blur of black that the costumed Shiro was became a missile that, like in a cartoon, left an outline of itself in the wall.

Her second angry reaction faded, and Mizuki immediately paled. In her mind an image of a Chibi version of herself hitting Chibi Shiro and knocking him flat on his back appeared, followed by which a giant green circle appeared around the scene as if signaling this was correct.

Then another scene occurred, this one where a Chibi version of her current self hit Chibi Shiro…and he exploded, leaving a gravestone with the words 'Ouch' on it where he had been standing. A giant red X appeared over the scene accompanied by a buzzer, indicating this was bad.

Time sped up and another crash, this one farther off, reached her flinching ears. It happened again, and again, and again, and with each successive time Mizuki flinched just a little more. "…" She started to approach the hole in the wall, and stopped to flinch as the crashing picked up again.

---------------------------

Z growled and pointed at this set card. "During the end phase of the turn that a fusion machine is destroyed I can activate Fusion Deconstruction, which returns the destroyed monster to my fusion deck and special summons from my cemetery the fusion material monsters!"

X, Y, and Z all appeared on his field. He smirked and drew, putting him at two cards in his hand. "It's not much at all…but this is what I've got. Amazingly…you've managed to survive my fourth turn. X, Y, and Z combine!"

For the fourth time in the duel XYZ-Dragon Cannon was summoned, and even the audience was growing bored of the monster. Sanzo however appeared excited. "You're incredible, that's for sure!"

"Try this as incredible! I discard the two cards in my hand to destroy your two faced own cards! And then…Hyper Destruction!" Missiles flew from the machine monster and plowed into the set cards. Then they hammered into Edgeman and blasted Sanzo's entire field into nothingness.

Sanzo-500

Z-800

Z was practically panting from the frustration of not being able to end it on the fourth turn. "You're truly incredible, forcing me into this number of turns against my deck which is designed for swift victories! I haven't enjoyed a duel this much in ages!"

Sanzo grinned and held up a card. "You're amazing as well Z, and I'm having a lot of fun. Oh…and you might remember the Hero Medal I shuffled into my deck earlier."

The two duelists laughed together as Sanzo returned it to his deck and drew again. "End turn."

The Hero Saint drew and smirked at the sight. "Let's try this once again! I activate Embrace of Hero, letting me special summon one Elemental Hero from my hand to the field! My choice, my only option: the monster I drew from Hero Medal!"

A blast of light erupted on his field, forming into the dramatic white muscular form of the majestic key monster of Sanzo's deck. "Elemental Hero Neos (2500/2000), lend me your strength! In defense of this city, explode your power to its maximum!"

Z gritted his teeth and back up until his feet hit the edge of the platform. "Damn…not again…"

Neos jumped into the air, his attack power shooting up to thirty-five hundred. Sanzo punched forwards directly at XYZ-Dragon Cannon. "Full power strike! Lance of Neos!"

The space hero flew straight down and using the extended lance from his elbow cleaved directly through the cannon. For a few seconds after Neos landed nothing happened…and then XYZ split into two equal halves. "Alright!"

The two separate halves exploded at the same time and Z groaned at the sight of his monster once again being destroyed. "I…I don't even know if my deck can revive XYZ again. Maybe…but top-decking? Can I…"

Sanzo-500

Z-100

Sanzo smiled at Z, his teeth glinting in the light and his silver hair drifting steadily in the wind. "Never feel down and out. There's always a possibility hidden in your deck, you just have to reach for it. If you quit, you can never find out if you have what it takes! If you never walk down a path you'll never discover where it leads."

Harrison scowled from their bunker. "Only an idealistic fool like Sanzo would actually encourage the enemy."

Briefly Sanzo brushed aside his bangs, which immediately fell back into place. "Turn end."

Z stood to his full height and glanced back at his team members, all of whom nodded at him. Then he looked back at Sanzo who was also nodding. "Heh, a tough guy like me giving up? That's a damned impossibility! Draw!"

He drew…and then sighed. "It looks like I can't give you the grand play that I was hoping for hero boy. I just have to settle for this method…"

He thrust the card into the air and met eyes with Sanzo. "Even if it's a method that's too low for somebody who made me go all out and could defeat my XYZ so many times….it's the only method I've got!"

Finally he lowered the card, showing Sanzo what it was. "Poison of the Old Man…deals you eight hundred points of damage."

Sanzo was still smiling even as his life points depleted. "Don't worry about the method, you won, that's an incredible thing. And I had an amazing duel because of you Z, so thank you for that."

Sanzo- 0

Z-100

Another point lit up on the board under Team Wolf's roster, putting the score two to one in their favor. Harrison looked up at the board and scowled. "Wonderful, and now the fate of our team in this round rests solely on the shoulders of the stupidest member of our team."

As if on cue a loud crash came from the side of the stands and a black missile exploded through the stone wall, flying right past Sanzo's face and striking the announcer's booth with the force of a ballistic.

Everyone in the stadium (excluding Harrison, again) had their eyes bugged of their heads as they stared at the smoking destruction that had replaced where Moderator had been sitting. Then they all sweat-dropped as Moderator's head poked up from under his desk. _"I had a flashback of the War of 1812 for a second there."_

Inside the bunker Harrison rubbed the bridge of his nose with a thumb and forefinger. ("I have a feeling like this is the signal of the beginning of my aggravation reaching new levels. I don't know why, but this is probably true.")

_To be continued…_

_Normally there would be a preview of the next episode, but instead a question…how much of Shiro is actually still recognizable or not turned to a fine liquid puree? Please state your answers in the form of an appropriate container for his remains._

_Next chapter: Sweet Delicious Irony (Part 1)_


	121. Sweet Delicious Irony Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 121: Sweet Delicious Irony (Part 1)

_As if on cue a loud crash came from the side of the stands and a black missile exploded through the stone wall, flying right past Sanzo's face and striking the announcer's booth with the force of a ballistic. _

("What exactly happened, I wonder…") Sanzo glanced up at the announcer's booth and then back at the hole in the wall the offending object had come from. His eyes widened slightly as he could have sworn he saw someone's head, but just as quickly as he saw it that image was gone. ("There's more to this than meets the eye, that's for sure.")

A low groan came from the announcer's booth, eliciting a startled yelp from Moderator as he ducked under the table again. "_I think there's someone up here."_ His statement was accompanied by a strange humming noise that his microphone was picking up and amplifying through the speakers across the stands. _"AHHH! It's a bomb!"_

Panic erupted in the stands at this declaration, as the audience made a run for the exits. It turned into a literal mob as they started trampling over one another to get away.

Down in the arena Sanzo frowned up at the announcer's booth. ("I don't feel uneasy, so it's probably not a bomb.")

"**_Attention duelists,"_** The bunkers moved towards the arena and extended their bridges. **_"Please depart the arena immediately."_**

Z gulped and dashed across the walkway before it even fully finished extending, heading for the opening door to the bunker. "Later Hero Boy, good luck!"

"You too…" The Hero Duelist strolled across the bridge slowly, his arms crossed and a disbelieving look on his face. ("I can't believe that. There must be more to it than this.")

--------------------------

"This is pretty bad," Teruha muttered as she watched the events unfolding on the television. "Eri-sempai, what should we do?"

"You actually expect me to know?" The demoness snorted and waved a hand dismissively at the notion. "Let the bomb go off if that's what it is. It's not our problem."

"So," Masami, dressed in his casual mad scientist attire, poked his head into the living room. "What's all the noise about?" Before Eri could respond he froze when he heard the noise coming out of the television and stumbled in, grabbing the remote and turning up the volume all the way.

"Damn it, what are you doing!?" Throwing her hands over her ears protectively, Eri glared murderously at him. "Do you want to risk making me deaf when the bomb goes off?"

"…" Green bangs falling in front of his face, Masami twitched a couple of times at that noise. "It's not a bomb, but it might as well be considering what's going to happen." He started to run towards the front door…there was still time to do something about this.

----------------------------

Shiro stumbled to his feet and slapped his hands on the sides of his skull to stop his eyes from rattling. "Wow, I'm not dead…" As his vision came into focus he checked himself for injuries and found that most of him was unscratched. "It's a miracle!" Throwing his arms up above him, he started laughing crazily. "I am invincible!"

At his feet the humming and twisted hunk of golden metal that had been the GAD started to spit rainbow sparks, but Shiro was so elated with his survival that he didn't notice.

"Shiro Akugi, the king of all pranksters, cannot be touched!" His maniacal laughter continued until it was drowned out as what was left of the GAD released a blinding flash of rainbow light that completely engulfed the empty arena.

-------------------------------

"He had that coming," Eri and Teruha muttered at the same time.

Masami made a noise of frustration from somewhere deep in his throat. Spinning around, he stomped off with a face red enough that it looked like he was about to start breathing fire. (Considering this was Masami that was a possibility.)

"Where are you going and what are you planning on doing?" Teruha asked this gently because she knew Masami when he was mad. This was beyond mad.

"I'm going to go develop a laser to cut that idiot in half." There seemed to be little compromise in the self-proclaimed genius' voice.

"But didn't he just die in a horrible explosion?" Eri asked with just a bit too much amusement in her voice considering the situation.

Huffing a couple of times before he turned around to look at her, Masami seemed slightly more composed as he responded. "Just what do you think exploded? The GAD isn't a nuclear bomb or some such nonsense. However that explosion indicates that the power core of it overloaded and gave up."

"Wait…" Teruha and Eri both glared at his back. "Why did Shiro have the GAD, Masami!?"

"Bah, I can't be bothered answering all of these questions when there is important Shiro-killing laser building to be done!" He stomped off before they could question him more. Right before he stepped out of sight a ringing came from his pocket. Pulling a cell phone out of his pants and flipping it open, he brought it up to his face. "This had better be important! Oh…I see…rip my intestines out of my body if I don't…hmmm, you drive a hard bargain. Very well, I'm off!" Clicking the phone closed he sailed towards the front door. "I shall return!"

"Do we follow him and try to weasel the answer out?" Eri cracked her knuckles loudly.

"Don't bother." Teruha sighed loudly and collapsed on a couch, watching the television transmission flicker off. "Now I kind of wonder what the GAD exploding could do to someone caught in the blast though."

"Well if it's anything like what it does when it zaps someone I can only imagine that whoever was caught in it would wind up pretty messed up." The demoness smirked coldly as she imagined. "I wonder what kind of hideous freak of nature that idiot turned into."

-----------------------

His hand flexed, the bones cracking loudly as they adjusted. ("That was painful.") He remembered reacting more on reflex than on thought in that situation. ("However if I hadn't of done that there would be a murder on our hands right now.") He took in the view of Tokyo from his vantage point standing atop the ridge of the DMWC stadium.

From behind him a shadowed form faded into existence, its body flowing unnaturally against the sunlight, as if somehow physically resisting being blown away by the brightness. _"The time approaches. Soon enough your skills will be pushed to their limit."_

"I know that," He shoved his hand into the pocket of his jeans. "Do you think I can win against that kind of power though? You said it yourself, the last time you saw him duel was before he got much stronger. What if my dueling skills aren't up to par with his?"

"_They will be,"_ the phantasmal being replied. _"Do you trust your skills and my judgment?"_

"I do, father." His brown hair and brown eyes coming into the view, the teen turned and walked off towards the door he had used to get up here. ("Wait for me, my Limit. Against you I will reach my maximum.") Pulling a couple of cards out of his pocket, he spread them slightly to look at the close to identical images on them. "Peace…Shade…can we really win?"

-------------------------

("I need to stop getting knocked unconscious...") Groaning, Shiro tried to clear the blinding white stars from his eyes, succeeding only in changing everything from blinding white to pitch black. ("What was with the firework show at my feet anyway?")

A loud knock that sounded like it had happened on wood came from nearby. "Are you awake, Madam Akugi? You've been sleeping in for much longer than normal."

This brought Shiro to nearly full attention immediately. ("I'm home!") He leapt up, tripped over something, and fell back down. ("I'm in my mother's room!") Still seeing stars, he attempted to stand up again but this time did so slowly, the feeling of silk on his skin telling him he must have been lying in a bed. ("I'm in my mother's bed!")

He rolled off the bed, white sheets hanging off him like some kind of robe, and wandered in the direction the knocking had come from. ("I must be home…but why is there a guy calling my mom Madam Akugi? And more importantly where is this? I don't remember my mom ever having a butler.") Pulling the door open, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and yawned loudly.

An exasperated sigh escaped the lips of a familiar green-haired young man wearing a black and white butler's uniform. "You aren't dressed yet, Madam? And last night you said yourself that the company coming today was extremely important. Now hurry up and prepare yourself." Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the butler turned and trooped down the hall.

"…?" You could nearly see the question mark appear over Shiro's head in response to this. "Wait, wha…" His hand went to his throat, and he stomped back into the room. ("Mirror, mirror, mirror…")

Stopping in front of a vanity mirror located in a corner of the room, he was greeted by the sight of an absolutely stunning green-haired female cat demon wearing nothing but a bed-sheet wrapped around her body lazily. "…!" Once again, you could almost see the exclamation point appear over the girl's head.

-----------------------------

_A few minutes later…_

-----------------------------

Currently sitting cross-legged on his bed with the bed-sheet wrapped around himself tightly, Shiro lifted his head up and angled both of his now much slimmer hands and arms so they were level to each other. "Bad thing, I'm a girl." His right arm lowered rapidly; falling towards the back of the wooden chair he had initially planned on using to break the window of the room open for a quick escape.

"Good thing, I can find the GAD and change back to normal easy." His left arm dropped towards the modest dress he had taken out of the closet after stopping himself from breaking the window.

"Bad thing, I don't know the location of the GAD and should find it as soon as possible." Once again the right arm dropped, though only slightly.

"Good thing, boobage." His left arm dropped with incredible speed towards the dress, stopping just a few inches from it.

"Bad thing, if I don't find the GAD I'm trapped this way forever…I think." That brought the index finger of his right hand to the point it nearly touched the back of the chair.

"Good thing...at least I'm cute." Sighing loudly, Shiro grabbed the dress.

--------------------------------------------------

("How do girls walk in these things?") Nearly stumbling and face-planting again, Shiro barely managed to regain his balance as he made his way down the stairs. "Hey, Butler Guy, are you here?"

"Right here, madam." The green-haired butler said from off to Shiro's side, surprising him and nearly sending him careening down the stairs. "Be careful of that last step, it is indeed a doozy." Adjusting his glasses he walked the rest of the way down and towards a pair of doors. "Your guest is this way, Madam Akugi."

Right eye twitching at both the 'Madam' part and the fact that his heart nearly leapt out of his chest, Shiro followed while trying to see if Cat Demons came equipped with laser beam eyes with which to smite creepy butlers.

Stopping front of the double doors, the butler stepped aside and motioned to them. "As per instructed by Madam I directed your guest to in here. Now, if you will excuse me I must be off to prepare lunch." Turning, he walked down another hallway out of sight.

"Here goes nothing…" Reaching out, Shiro grasped the handles of the door and pulled them apart…

"Shiro Akugi, how I have waited for this day." Standing inside the parlor was Harrison, dressed in a white suit that made him look kind of like a preacher but not quite. "There will be no more avoiding this, now I have you right where I want you."

Slamming the doors closed, Shiro turned and pressed his back against it sharply. ("No no no no no no no no…how'd he know it was me so quickly!? More importantly, why is he here in the first place!?")

Harrison blinked as the doors opened to show a determined-looking Shiro, and then slammed shut again. This repeated for several times, and each time the cat demon kept that determined look on her face. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Trying to reset this encounter!" Shiro slammed the doors shut again and pulled them open to find him still there. "This is not supposed to be happening! Disappear and be replaced with another image already!" The doors slammed shut once more and when they opened Harrison was standing ready to place his hands on them to hold them apart.

"There is no escaping, you know." He smiled coldly, chills of fear running up Shiro's spine at that familiar icy tone in his voice. "I know what this is all about, and it pleases me to no end to know I've finally caught you."

"You do?" Shiro squeaked out, horrid images of there being cameras everywhere and taking pictures of him right now. "I can explain this, really I can Harrison! There's no need to involve Mizuki or my family or…" Mind reeling with the horrible aftermath of something like this becoming public knowledge (since he just knew that Harrison hated him that much), he didn't even realize that the Dark Kaiser had been leaning in closer the whole time.

---------------------

The butler, currently standing in the kitchen and making a salad (his Madam's favorite midday meal) suddenly felt an air that was so oppressively silent that even the quiet chopping of his knife seemed excessively loud.

Then a female scream erupted from near the parlor, followed by the sound of rapidly footfalls to the nearby bathroom. There were a couple of louder thuds, like someone falling over, and then a door slammed shut. Past that the sounds were the rather violent heaving of the contents of one's stomach into the toilet. "Oh my, it must be that time of the month."

---------------------

Harrison blinked at the afterimage of Shiro for a few moments. "Shiro? Beloved?" Breathing onto his hand and then sniffing, he canted his head to the side worriedly. "Perhaps I should have taken the offered breathmint from the parlor…"

---------------------

After vomiting for what felt to be the twentieth time into the porcelain throne, Shiro finally felt not quite as ill. Collapsing with his back against the wall of the small room, he panted for some much needed cleansing air. ("What happened? I saw a bright flash of light and…") An image of what had happened flashed in his mind and left him a twitching mess on the floor. "He…ki…ki…" Covering his mouth again, Shiro found out that his stomach wasn't quite empty yet.

--------------------

_Thirty minutes later…_

--------------------

The door to the bathroom creaked open and Shiro edged out, looking around warily with a very pale pallor to his cheeks. ("This has officially become 'break down a window and escape' time.")

"Is everything alright, my beloved?" Harrison asked from behind him.

Stiffening for a moment like he had been shot, Shiro tried to get his brain and heart to start running again after both being scared to death in very different ways. Then he skipped forward and held the can of hair spray he had taken out of the bathroom behind his back tightly, the lighter in the other dainty limb clenched so tight it was on the verge of breaking. "Just…just keep away from me." He twitched momentarily before adding something onto that. "And don't call me beloved ever again or else, so help me, you will burn."

This brought a confused chuckle from Harrison's lips, and he rubbed his forehead and bangs at once, looking astonished. "Why wouldn't I call you beloved? Are we not destined to be married for we have shared the same bed?"

Ten full seconds passed before Shiro started making a sputtering noise that sounded a little like a car that was on the verge of exploding…and then he ran down the hall with his hands on top of his head to cover his ears screaming, "Lalalalalalalalala…I can't hear you!" Skidding to a stop in front of the heavy double doors that had better lead outside, he threw them open and then threw himself through the breach in a frantic attempt to escape.

Except that he crashed into someone and, despite his current demonic status, was sent stumbling backwards. Rubbing the top of his head gingerly, he looked up at the roadblock and let out a gasp of relief. "Oh thank god! Sanzo, keep that creep away from me!"

"I understand." Dressed in a fine silver-colored suit, the Hero Duelist threw Shiro a wink and stepped inside the house, turning to face the now-slowly approaching Harrison. "Stop right there, I cannot let this travesty of nature continue."

"That's freakin' right, you tell him!" Leaping to his feet, Shiro hopped up and down so that he could only be seen behind Sanzo in between the up and down intervals of the jump.

A murderous aura hung in the air between the Dark Kaiser and Hero Duelist, lightning clashing between their glares. Finally Harrison broke the silence. "You oppose the union of myself and my beloved?"

Shiro's head shot up behind Sanzo's shoulder. "Your damn right he does!"

"That is correct; I cannot allow you to touch Shiro!" Sanzo dramatically pointed at Harrison and then thumbed at his own chest. "For she is my beloved!"

"Ya…" Shiro's third jump turned into a flop as he face-planted in midair before coming up with a horrified look on his face. "What!?" He twitched as Sanzo extended his arms out and swept Shiro into an embrace. "GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

"En guarde, you cad!" Harrison produced a fencing rapier from apparently out of nowhere and struck a fencing stance.

"Do not worry, my darling," Releasing Shiro from his embrace, Sanzo pulled a rapier out of nowhere (apparently) and leapt forward to clash blades with the Dark Kaiser. "En guarde!"

"You…you two enjoy yourselves…" Standing now and stumbling, Shiro barely made it into the parlor before collapsing to his knees and kicking the doors closed. Flicking the lock, he rested his back against the cold wood and tried to center himself. ("This is just a bad dream, that's all. There's nothing more to this than that…there is no battle going on right now for my hand in marriage by Sanzo and Harrison because logic dictates that is crazy and insane and absolutely impossible.")

"I see that the jackanapes are fighting amongst themselves outside," Even though originally all the chairs in the room had been simple wooden ones, there was a swivel chair in the parlor now and it turned to reveal Nikolai dressed in a scarlet bathrobe and drinking from a generic-brand soda. "Such fools do not understand that there is no possible way they could ever win you from me, my only and precious daughter."

Shiro's head, already spinning slightly, made a loud cracking noise as for a moment he forget how to hold it upright and it tried to facefall without him. "Wha?"

"Exactly!" Leaping to his feet, Nikolai stomped up to the parlor doors and threw them open. "Neither of you have what it takes to earn my precious Shiro's hand in marriage! Get out of my mansion, brutes!"

"I object!" A crisp German-accented voice called out as Krieger came running in through the front door, dressed in a fur-frilled leather jacket and a pair of cool-looking sunglasses.

"Krieger, my rival from Germany and all-around Nice Guy, that always does his hardest to foil my plans with classic action-hero style roughness and charm!?" Harrison seemed to throw in from out of nowhere, leaving a very bizarre awkward silence in its wake.

"That's correct!" Krieger snapped his hand up and pointed right into Harrison's now-sweaty face. "I will not allow a villain such as you to steal the heart of a young and fair maiden like Shiro Akugi."

"You tell 'em Krieger!" Shiro yelled from in the parlor.

"Therefore I will heroically stand against you and, like any true Nice Guy, win her heart with my incredible actiony moves and cool smile!" He gave a thumbs-up and a bright flash of light from one of his teeth, while in the background a small earthquake shook the foundation of the house as Shiro face-fell with the force of a cannon.

"Hold on!" A loud whinnying pierced the air and a horse burst in through the front door, slamming its hooves down on the carpet and revealing its rider to be Ichigo dressed in a simple white shirt and brown pair of pants with overalls.

"Ichigo the stable boy who has had a crush in his heart for Shiro ever since she saved his life those many years ago by picking him up off the streets and nursed him back to health!?" Nikolai, Sanzo, Harrison and Krieger all shouted at once, somehow managing to sound truly surprised despite how long-winded that sentence was.

Leaping off the back of horse, Ichigo landed in front of Shiro and kneeled in front of him. "Miss Shiro, I can't hold it in anymore. I must tell you my true feelings about you! I love you, Shiro Akugi!"

"This cannot get any worse; fate cannot possibly make this worse." Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose and kept his eyes closed, not even truly listening to what was being said anymore. His sanity couldn't take it.

"LOL!" A man dressed in a crimson tuxedo with a crimson top-hat and crimson ballroom mask leapt from the chandelier hanging high above them down, landing amidst the other five and standing up with a swirl of his crimson cape.

"The masked hero that always shows up in the nick of time to save Shiro's life when it's in danger, l337 H4xX0R!?" (Leet Haxxor, aka LH) Ichigo, Nikolai, Sanzo, Harrison, and Krieger all gasped out at once.

"Damn you Fate!!!" Shiro shook a clenched fist at the sky with all the force that could only come from someone that was at their limit.

"1 H4v3 4LW4yz T0LD Y0u TH 1 W0uLd PH0r3V3r 83 ur 51D3, h4v3 1 N0T, L4DY 5H1r0?" (I have always told you that I would forever be at your side, have I not, Lady Shiro?) LH pulled his hat off, revealing his purple hair as he bowed to Shiro. "D0 n0t W0RrY, 1 W1Ll Run TH3z3 V1LL41Nz 0fF!" (Do not worry, I will run these villains off!)

"It seems all of our interests are directed towards the same prize," Nikolai commented, a dangerous standoff beginning between them all. "Let us settle this like gentlemen, shall we? A duel at dawn!"

A collective nod came from the other five.

Shiro wondered if it was possible to kill oneself cleanly with a shoe.

_To be continued…_

_And so the battle royale between the forever loyal Ichigo the Stable Boy, shiny-smiled Krieger the Action Hero, Shiro's father Nikolai, her two lovers Sanzo and Harrison, and the mysterious Leet Haxxor prepare to do battle at dawn to determine the fate of the fair southern belle. Will true love prevail!? I can't take the suspense!_

_Next Chapter: Sweet Delicious Irony (Part 2) _


	122. Sweet Delicious Irony Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 122: Sweet Delicious Irony (Part 2)

They sat atop a hill overlooking a wide grassy field where the six competitors stood in silence, facing each other in a six-sided ring position. Shiro was still wearing the modest southern belle dress and cradling his poor throbbing skull with his hands as he tried to adjust to the absolute and terrifying pressure this entire situation was putting on him.

Activating their Duel Disks, the six challengers drew their opening hands all at once. "Duel!"

Harrison- 4000

Leet Haxxor- 4000

Ichigo- 4000

Nikolai- 4000

Sanzo- 4000

Krieger- 4000

"In the name of my darling Shiro's love, I will take the first move!" Harrison grabbed the top card of his deck and pulled it free, adding it to his hand. "I summon Legendary Demon Slayer Dante in attack mode!" A red trenchcoat-wearing white-haired man appeared on his field. (1500/1200)

"When this monster is summoned I add one equipment magic card from my deck to my hand. My choice is Merciless, which I equip to Dante!" A heavy sword appeared on the Demon Slayer's back. "The equipped monster gains 1500 attack points. I set one card face-down and end my turn." A face-down card shimmered into existence behind Dante.

(To preserve the sanity of our writer, we'll be forgoing full-force leet speak) "All of you seem to think that dear Shiro is yours to control. I seem to have no choice but to crush you all to quash such foolish ideas. Draw." Leet Haxxor drew from his deck and slid three cards into his disk, a trio of set cards appearing face-down in play. "I set three cards face-down and end my turn."

"Thanks to Miss Shiro I returned from the edge of death. I can't fail her here! It's my turn!" Ichigo drew forcefully, his face determined. Flipping the drawn card up, he prepared to activate it.

"Reverse cards open." Two of Leet Haxxor's set cards flipped up. "Gift of the Generous and Mosquito Treasure. During this turn," Mosquito Treasure faded off the field as its effect activated. "When a Mosquito monster goes from an opponent's hand to the graveyard I draw two cards. Now for the effect of Gift of the Generous, my opponent gains one card from my hand. In this case three of you get all three of the cards in my hand." He lifted a hand up to point at Harrison. "You would be first, Count Wilhelm."

The Dark Kaiser walked up to Leet Haxxor and frowned at the cards that were revealed. "They're all the same." Grabbing one, he read its text to himself. ("Mosquito Swarm…When this card is added to the hand of a player other than the owner that player takes 500 points of damage for every card in their hand and this card goes to the graveyard. Also, the amount of damage they take is added to the life points of this card's original owner.") His eyes widened right before a bloody red aura lit up around him and he bit back a scream of pain as the card faded out of his grasp.

Harrison- 1500

Leet Haxxor- 7500

Ichigo- 4000

Nikolai- 4000

Sanzo- 4000

Krieger- 4000

"My other two choices are the dear sweetheart Stable Boy and the loving father!" The other two Mosquito Swarm cards appeared in hologram form above Ichigo and Nikolai's heads, sending them both into screaming fits of pain as the monster cards drained their life points and gave them to Leet Haxxor.

Harrison- 1500

Leet Haxxor- 14000

Ichigo- 500

Nikolai- 1000

Sanzo- 4000

Krieger- 4000

"With that effect done the effect of Mosquito Treasure activates." Drawing six cards, the man bowed slightly to the currently badly bleeding Ichigo. "Please, continue your turn."

---------------

From up on the hill Shiro peered down, and thanks to the enhanced visual abilities of a Cat Demon he could make out the fact that Harrison, Ichigo and Nikolai all looked rather hurt physically. "What's the matter with them?"

"It should be obvious, considering what this is." The butler adjusted his glasses and yawned loudly, seemingly uncaring about what was happening below. "This is a duel to the death after all. If their life points hit zero then they die. Rather simplistic, no?"

Shiro closed his eyes tight and hugger his knees to his chest. ("This is just an illusion, or a delusion, or something like that. It is not as bad as they are making it seem.") It was just like a Darkness Game, and as of yet no one had ever died in those. Sure there was a Penalty Game, and that sucked major, but nobody was dying.

-----------------------

"From my hand," Ichigo's drawn card appeared on his field. "I activate the magic card Graceful Charity, drawing three cards from my deck and discarding two." Doing so he glanced over at Leet Haxxor, and then at Harrison. ("Those two already have one face-down card with which they might use to counter me. However, I can't back down…I still have my trump card after all.")

Another magic card appeared on his field. "I activate the magic card Pot of Shining, looking at the top five cards of my deck and discarding any monsters to the graveyard." He did so, leaving him with four cards. "Now the remaining cards are added to my hand, and for every card I get I have to discard one." Doing so, he now only had five cards in his hand. ("Still not here?")

A grinning green jar appeared on his field. "I activate Pot of Greed, drawing two cards from my deck." Pulling two cards free, the jar exploded and then reformed in a glass container. "Research on the Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards if used during the same turn as Pot of Greed."

"And now this card, my ace summoner! Super Mecha Launcher!" The card that appeared on Ichigo's field released a bright green glow and he removed his deck from its slot. "From my deck one machine is selected and special summoned at the cost of one card from my hand for every sacrifice needed to normal summon that monster! Come out now Infinity Chaser!" A dark blue comet fell from the sky and crashed onto his field, forming into a sentient suit of dark blue power armor. (2000/1000) "It's a level seven, so I discard two."

Just as the cards entered his graveyard a bright glow came from the slot. "Repayment of Losses was both of those cards, so I draw twice!" Pulling two more cards free, he threw one onto his disk and a metallic humanoid appeared on his field in a crouching position. "Infinity Traveler Reverse Runner is summoned in defense mode!" (300/1200)

"The effect of Reverse Runner lets me discard one card from my hand to return a card used this turn to my control." Discarding a trap he had no use for, Ichigo held up Pot of Shining. "Once more, go Pot of Shining!" After showing all five of the cards to be non-monsters, he discarded them all to the graveyard. "Now I make my move! Chaser and Reverse Runner, Contact Fusion!"

The two monster shimmered brightly and faded away. "Instead of returning to my deck as per normal these monsters are removed from the game and I roll one die." A white die appeared in his hand and he flicked it across the field, watching it land on a six. "From my deck six cards are removed." Two cards appeared face-down on his field. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"All of you have the wrong impressions concerning my daughter…" Nikolai placed a hand on top of his deck. "She won't be leaving! Draw!" A continuous magic card appeared on his field and a crackling hole appeared in the sky. "I activate the continuous magic card Split Dimension. While this card is in play any monster that goes to my graveyard is removed from play. Also I play Pot of Shining." Five cards left his deck and one faded away. "Now I add these remaining four to my hand and discard four." He quickly did so, one of the four cards dissolving. "I place two cards and one monster face-down on my field and end my turn."

"I must do my hardest to win Madam Akugi's love! As a hero I will do this by removing those who would try to molest her from existence!" Sanzo drew and slammed a card onto his disk, a blue-armored superhero appearing in play in a flash of bubbles. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode!" (800/1200) "When Bubbleman is summoned and I have no other cards in play I can draw two cards."

Adding two cards to his hand he grabbed a different two and held them up. "I equip Bubbleman with Bubble Shooter and Neo Bubble Armor!" A heavy bazooka-like weapon appeared over the superhero's shoulder, and then his armor upgraded to a much heavier version of itself. (1600/1200) "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Any Action Hero knows that the best way to impress the girl is to be cool, and there isn't anyone better at being cool than me!" Drawing, Krieger held up a magic card. "I activate the continuous magic card Aurora Borealis."

Up in the sky above his field a series of beautiful lights appeared. "While this card remains in play whenever a water attribute monster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle I draw one card. Also I place two cards face-down and end my turn."

--------------------------

Shiro sighed loudly and crossed his legs, honestly finding it more amusing to drape the tip of his tail over his shoulder rather than watch the duel. ("I can already tell I've gone crazy. None of this real.")

"I do declare," A familiar but far more refined that normal voice said from the side of the hill, rapidly getting closer. "They've already started the duel."

"Huh, spectators?" Shiro's mild apathy about this quickly changed to a heart-pounding fear as Eri and Teruha, both dressed in modest southern belle-style dresses like his, walked up the hill. ("What are they doing here!?")

Curtseying to both the butler and Shiro, Teruha set down a blanket across the grass before settling down alongside the dark-haired demoness. "Good morning, Lady Akugi. So, who are you rooting for?" Her voice was dripping with a southern accent so thick Shiro had a bit of trouble understanding what she said.

"Umm…the one that wins?" Shiro honestly didn't care, since this was just a figment of his imagination.

"I'm personally rooting for that handsome Ichigo," Eri leaned forward a little. "He's so good with the horses."

"…is that innuendo or something?" Shiro muttered quietly to himself before realizing that Harrison had just drawn. ("Well, you sick fruity bastiche, let's see you handle five skilled opponents at once.")

-----------------------------------

Harrison narrowed his eyes and snapped up a magic card. "I will crush you first, weakling. I activate the magic card Armament Dealer!" A card from his hand was discarded and he searched his deck. "I add one equipment magic card to my hand and activate the magic card Erosion Vein." Merciless melted away. "By destroying one face-up magic or trap card on my field I can draw two cards. And now to equip Dante with this, Agni and Rudra!"

A pair of swords, one blue and one red, fell from the sky and was caught by the Legendary Demon Hunter. (2000/1200) "Disappear from mine and Shiro's sight, you who cannot even protect yourself properly!"

He snapped his hand up and motioned at Ichigo. "Dante, direct attack!" The white-haired Demon Hunter leapt into the air and hurtled himself towards Ichigo brutally, swords releasing blasts of wind and fire. "When a monster equipped with Agni and Rudra attacks you cannot activate magic or trap cards in response! Die!"

Ichigo screamed in pain as Dante passed through him, an X-shaped slash of fire and wind burning against his chest with the full power of the Dark Kaiser behind.

Harrison- 1500

Leet Haxxor- 14000

Ichigo- 1000

Nikolai- 1000

Sanzo- 4000

Krieger- 4000

Silence held over the field for a moment, before the kneeling Ichigo stood up and brushed himself off casually. "For Shiro's sake I can't fall that easily, Count Wilhelm." All around him giant white temple-like buildings rose into the sky. "From my hand the field magic card The Afterlife activates when my life points would become zero, setting them to 1000 and preventing all further damage to me while it remains in play."

"Is that so…" Harrison sneered coldly and held up a magic card. "Mystical Space Typhoon will eliminate that annoyance, and I promise you that I have a card in my control that will let Dante utterly destroy you!"

"Reverse card open." One of the half demon's face-down cards flipped up and Harrison's Mystical Space Typhoon shattered. "Irrigation System negates a card effect that would destroy a field magic card in play and destroys that card."

"You're more annoying that I had perceived, Stable Boy." The Dark Kaiser slid a card into his disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Prepare yourself!" Leet Haxxor drew. "My charity has decided that you deserve a gift, Count Wilhelm. From my hand I activate the magic card Bloody Summon."

Harrison frowned as Dante exploded, leaving a glob of red liquid floating on his field. "And this does?"

"I sacrifice a monster on your field to summon a high level monster from my hand to your field." Leet Haxxor flipped a card he was holding in his other hand to reveal a monster card with a picture of a giant crimson centipede. "Blood God is special summoned to your field." The creature represented on the picture appeared on Harrison's field with a loud hissing noise. (3000/1000)

"You would give me a 3000 attack point monster?" The Dark Kaiser found this hard to believe. "Truly, you can't be this kind?"

"Nonsense," The masked hero bowed slightly. "Blood God is your new pet. However like all pets he has finicky tastes, and in this case if you have no cards in your graveyard with Blood in their title then he will take his frustrations out on you, self-destructing and dealing you its attack in damage. Good bye, Count Wilhelm."

--------------------

"Yes!" Shiro cheered, ignoring the staring looks she was getting. "Take that fruity freak out right now, go creepy leet-speak guy!"

--------------------

Harrison's expression suddenly changed, turning savagely dark as the Blood God lowered its head down to his level…and he reached out to stroke its carapace. "Thank you for your gift, mysterious fool."

"It seems you do have a blood card in your graveyard…" Leet Haxxor smiled cryptically. "The card discarded for Armament Dealer?"

"That's right, Devil Blood Star." Harrison looked all the more appropriately evil now that the Blood God was surrounding him with its body protectively. "Your plan backfired badly."

---------------------

Shiro slid to his knees, ears drooped and blushing brightly. "Heh…just got a bit over-excited there…" Looking away shyly, he inwardly berated himself for that outburst. Even if this was all his in head, it wasn't cool to freak out like that.

----------------------

"Such a shame then." Leet Haxxor held up a new magic card. "Blood Note lets me summon a number of Blood Tokens to my field equal to the number of four level stars on one monster on your field. Blood God is a level eight." A pair of bloody humanoids appeared on his field. (0/0)x2

The two tokens melted into the ground, and the remaining liquid formed into a humanoid statue of a regal man, dripping bits of blood to the grass. "I summon Blood Emperor in attack mode." (2400/2300) "When this monster is summoned on Blood monster in play on my opponent's field returns to me."

Harrison grimaced as the Blood God hissed and slid back to its original owner's field. "So my pet is being reclaimed by its true owner?"

"Something like that, I would suppose." Leet Haxxor pointed at Harrison. "Blood God, direct attack! Bloody Mist!" A spray of crimson gas left the creature's jaws.

"Reverse card open, Kaiser's Commandment!" Harrison's set card flipped up and the mist swirled around him in a tornado-like shape. "This trap card costs half of my life points, but it lets me negate all battle damage to myself this turn. As an added bonus, I may redirect your monster's attack to another monster in play." He snapped his hand up…and aimed at Bubbleman. "Let's see what the shining do-gooder's got up his sleeve, shall we? Blood Mist!"

Sanzo watched the mist coil around Bubbleman before it dissipated and took Bubble Shooter with it. (800/1200) "When Bubbleman would be destroyed in battle Bubble Shooter is destroyed instead and the damage to me is zero. Also," Bubbleman's upgraded armor released a blue glow. "When the monster equipped with Neo Bubble Armor battles with a monster after damage calculation the opposing monster is destroyed! Disappear, foul beast of evil!"

Leet Haxxor watched his Blood God shattered with indifference. "Excellent job, Milord Uzumaki…however your violent counter will be your undoing." His face-down card flipped up. "Poison Blood activates when a Blood monster on my field is destroyed by one of your card effects. That monster's attack is dealt to you in damage."

"What!?" Sanzo threw his arms up in front of him just before a red spear exploded out of the trap card and pierced his stomach, leaving him covering his mouth to stop himself from coughing up a similar liquid up.

Harrison- 750

Leet Haxxor- 14000

Ichigo- 1000

Nikolai- 1000

Sanzo- 1000

Krieger- 4000

------------------------------

"Oh my, they are certainly going at it hard." Eri leaned forward in her seat excitedly. "I wonder which one will die first."

"There's that dying thing again." Shiro leaned over while he spoke. "When you lose a Darkness Game you don't die, you just get a really bad Penalty Game. Nobody down there is really…"

"Shhh," Teruha spoke up. "That mysterious hero, Leet Haxxor, is still not done yet."

--------------------------------

"Out of all of you I know the true power of the simplest-seeming enemy," Leet Haxxor glanced over at Ichigo, who was currently looking like a ghost because of the immunity effect of The Afterlife. ("However I cannot harm him as long as his field card remains in play. Therefore my target is obvious.") He lifted a hand up to motion at Krieger. "Blood Emperor, direct attack! Bloody Command!" The mouth of the statue opened and spat out a rain of bloody arrows at the Action Hero.

"Not so fast, Top-hat Man!" Krieger motioned to a set card, which flipped up to reveal a human frozen in a spiky prison of ice. "Seal of Ice is a continuous trap card that will lock your monster down!"

"Indeed, that would be the case if not for one thing." Leet Haxxor's Blood Emperor started to shake, red energy emitting from it. "From my hand I activate Blood Surprise. When a Blood monster on my field is selected as the target of an opponent's trap, magic or monster effect I may activate this card. The Blood monster is destroyed and all players take half its original attack in damage."

"What!?" Sanzo, Nikolai and Harrison all gasped at once before the bloody statue exploded, sending a spray of red arrows into the sky. Moments later they could be seen falling rapidly, about to crash down on the entire battlefield.

-----------------------

"No freakin' way…" Shiro leaned forward a little in his seat, unable to believe it. ("He was whittling their life points down for this, and he attacked the guy most likely to use a trap on his Blood Emperor…what is that guy?")

-------------------------

"Reverse card open!" One of Sanzo's set cards flipped up and he was surrounded by a pulse of blue light. "Elemental Charge increases my life points by 1000 for every Elemental Hero in play!"

"Reverse card open!" One of Nikolai's set cards flipped. "Emergency Provisions lets me sacrifice magic and trap cards in play to gain life points. My choice is Split Dimension!" The continuous card faded away and he was surrounded by a blue aura as well.

"From my hand I discard Guardian Angel to negate the damage to zero!" Sliding the card into his graveyard, Harrison glanced up at the hill. "Guardian Angel, though the picture is that of a blond-haired agent of heaven…" He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "In my mind's eye I can only see that angel protecting me to have beautiful green hair…thank you for protecting me, my love!" He announced this with great conviction.

"DIE!" Shiro shouted from the considerable distance between them.

Then the arrows came crashing in play, dissipating against a holy barrier created around Harrison and passing through Ichigo as if he was made of mist. The other duelists were not quite so lucky.

Harrison- 750

Leet Haxxor- 12800

Ichigo- 1000

Nikolai- 800

Sanzo- 800

Krieger- 2800

"I am indeed impressed that all of you emerged from this without dying…" A pair of face-down cards appeared on Leet Haxxor's field. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Then that means its back to me!" Ichigo drew. "During my standby phase The Afterlife removes itself from the game!" The temples around him faded away and his ghostly body became solid again. "Also, during my standby phase the effect of my Chaser fusion monster activates. One random removed from the game card enters my hand." A card shimmered into existence amongst the other two cards he was holding.

"And now I summon Infinity Traveler Forward Runner in defense mode!" A metallic humanoid appeared on his field in a crouching position. (500/400) "When Forward Runner is summoned I can declare any number from zero to five! I declare five." He drew five cards from his deck. "My next five draw phases will now be skipped."

Another magic card appeared on his field. "I activate the magic card Time Twins! If Forward Runner or Reverse Runner is in play then I can special summon their opposite from my hand to the field!" Reverse Runner appeared on his field alongside its twin. (300/1200) "The effect of Time Twins negates the effect of the special summoned monster. Instead a new pair of effects is activated. First all floating effects disappear!" A white flash swept across the field. "That means that my Chaser fusion will no longer summon itself in five turns, but my next five draw phases will not be skipped."

"However," His lips curled upwards and a red aura lit up around him. "The second effect is the real threat. At the cost of half my life points I can add one card from my deck to my hand, but during this turn I cannot set or activate that card." Removing his deck from its slot, he fanned the cards out in front of him and made his choice. After replacing his deck he held up the card. "My choice is the magic card Berry A La Mode."

Harrison- 750

Leet Haxxor- 12800

Ichigo- 500

Nikolai- 800

Sanzo- 800

Krieger- 2800

("Berry A La Mode?") This question went throughout the minds of all the spectators and competitors.

("I can't use it yet, but during the next turn I'll activate the real power behind my deck.") Ichigo held up another magic card. "I activate the quickplay magic card Quick Summon, normal summoning a monster from my hand to the field! Star Shadow Penguin!" (500/500) A penguin made of dark blue crystal appeared on his field sitting atop its card. "Once per turn I can discard a monster from my hand to activate normal magic card in my graveyard, after which that magic card is removed from the game!"

A card slid into his graveyard and a different card left his graveyard. Holding it up he grinned. "The magic card Monster Returned special summons one removed from play monster to my field. Chaser, it's all yours!" A comet of dark blue hit his field and formed into the suit of powered armor from before. (2000/1000) "The effect of Chaser activates now, letting me send one face-up card on my field back to my hand." Star Shadow Penguin dissolved off the field and he added it to his hand. "If it was a monster during this turn Chaser gains 300 attack points." (2300/1000) "Chaser, attack Harrison's life points directly! Let's return the favor for before!"

The Dark Kaiser sneered and his set card flipped up. "Darkness Roiling activates in a way similar to your precious The Afterlife, except it is a continuous trap card." Chaser's aerial dive passed through him like he wasn't even there.

Harrison- 1000

Leet Haxxor- 12800

Ichigo- 500

Nikolai- 800

Sanzo- 800

Krieger- 2800

"I place one card face-down and end my turn." (2000/1000) Ichigo grinned up at Shiro and gave her a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, Miss Shiro, I'm going to win! Count on it!"

--------------

Shiro waved half-heartedly, trying to restrict the angry twitching of his face to a minimum. ("You're the last person I want any support from. For all I know this situation is your fault, _Ranma!_") This last part broke his semi-calm composure and for a moment he seemed on the verge of hurling a shoe at the half demon's head.

---------------

"Draw!" Nikolai snapped a hand card up and it started glowing. "I activate the magic card Chaotic Counter Strike! From my removed from play pile one light and one dark monster will be sent to my graveyard." Inserting a pair of cards into his graveyard, he pointed at Infinity Chaser. "One monster in play will be destroyed!"

Ichigo gulped right before his monster shattered, leaving him with only the time twins as protection.

"And now Chaos Draw!" Nikolai held up the cards he had returned to his graveyard. "By removing a light and a dark monster from my graveyard I can draw two cards. I remove Chaos Shadows Tear Devil and Shine Striker to draw twice." Flipping one of the drawn cards over, he revealed a familiar magic card. "Planar Fusion sends fusion material monsters from my removed from play pile to my graveyard to special summon a fusion monster! Come out now, Chaos Shadow Shining Teardrop!" A crying golden angel appeared on his field. (0/0) "For every monster in play I gain 500 life points."

Harrison- 1000

Leet Haxxor- 12800

Ichigo- 500

Nikolai- 3300

Sanzo- 800

Krieger- 2800

"Also I summon Chaos Shadow Psycho Brute!" A steel-masked gorilla-humanoid appeared on his field and pounded its chest with its enormous fists. (1900/1500) "Battle! Destroy Leet Haxxor!"

The masked hero barely flinched as a huge fist blind-sided him, sending him skidding sideways.

Harrison- 1000

Leet Haxxor- 10900

Ichigo- 500

Nikolai- 3300

Sanzo- 800

Krieger- 2800

"I place one card face-down and end my turn." Nikolai looked up at Shiro and nodded to her. "Don't worry, my darling daughter, I won't these jackals take you."  
-----------------------

"Golly gee, thanks pops," Shiro muttered indignantly. ("This is so stupid…")

-----------------------

"It's my turn, draw!" Sanzo drew and held up a magic card. "Treasure of the Hero lets me draw two cards and then discard one if there is an Elemental Hero in play." Pulling two cards from his deck, he quickly slid a monster into his graveyard. "And now I activate the magic card Heroic Spirits. From my graveyard one Elemental Hero monster will be exchanged with a different monster from my hand. I discard Friendog to add the Burst Lady I discarded to my hand." Switching the cards out, he held up a new one. "King of the Swamp can be discarded to let me add one Polymerization from my deck to my hand."

Searching his deck swiftly for the card of choice, he held it up and Bubbleman leapt into the air above him. "Bubbleman and Burst Lady fuse together to summon Steam Healer!" The second monster appeared and then disappeared with Bubbleman, creating a hover-jet equipped superhero. (1800/1000) "Heroic Spirits activates now. During the turn it is activated if an Elemental Hero fusion monster is fusion summoned then that monster is equipped with this card and gains double its normal strength!" Steam Healer bellowed as its power skyrocketed. (3600/1000)

"Steam Healer, attack Krieger!" Sanzo's monster slid sideways towards the Action Hero.

Grinning so widely that a glint of blinding light came from one of his teeth, Krieger's remaining set card flipped up and a series of sharpened icicles shot out of it, piercing the fusion monster and shattering it. "The trap card I activated is called Bloody Icicles." His trap, now dripping with red liquid, dissolved. "One attacking monster is removed from the game."

"I place two cards face-down and end my turn." Sanzo nodded to Krieger. "It is your move, Action Hero."

"Draw!" Krieger held up a magic card, which appeared on his field alongside Aurora Borealis. "The continuous magic card Iceberg Guard allows me to remove a water attribute monster from my graveyard to negate one direct attack. I set two cards face-down and summon Hibernation Guardian in defense mode. End turn." A block of ice with a pair of piercing blue eyes appeared on his field. (0/2200)

Harrison glanced down at his deck and then at the single card in his hand. ("If I cannot win then my darling Shiro will fall into the hands of these cretins.") When he drew his Darkness Roiling card disappeared.

Revealing Pot of Greed, he drew two more cards to bring his hand up to three. ("I must win!") After looking at his hand he realized what had to be done. "I set one monster face-down and two cards face-down. Alright, Leet Haxxor, the turn is now yours." He looked up at Shiro, who stuck her tongue out at him angrily. ("I will win my beloved.")

"I HATE YOU!" Shiro shouted down at him, not caring anymore about trying to appear sane.

Leet Haxxor motioned to his set cards. "Reveal Fountain of Eternity and Vampire Spirits." The first named card released a soft green glow. "For every on your field you each gain 500 life points." Vampire Spirits countered that with an angry red pulse. "Whatever life gain card Vampire Spirits chains to switches it life gain to me. Therefore for every card in play I gain 500 life points."

"What!?" Krieger, Sanzo, Nikolai, Ichigo, and Harrison all exclaimed at once, only able to watch helplessly as the golden energy that would have healed them went directly to the masked hero.

Harrison- 1000

Leet Haxxor- 20400

Ichigo- 500

Nikolai- 3300

Sanzo- 800

Krieger- 2800

"And now for my turn, draw." Leet Haxxor looked at the cards in his hand and smiled calmly. "I see that this duel is about to end for at least one of us. I wonder who it will be." Holding the card up, he barely flinched as its glow burned his skin with red flames. "Treasure of Pain lets me draw one card from my deck by taking 1500 points of damage. I choose to take 9000 points to draw six cards."

Harrison- 1000

Leet Haxxor- 11400

Ichigo- 500

Nikolai- 3300

Sanzo- 800

Krieger- 2800

"And now," Leet Haxxor smiled and held up magic card. "Bloody Christmas activates. All other players take one random card from my hand and add it to their own." The five remaining cards in his hand disappeared, a hologram of each appearing over the heads of the other five duelists.

"First Count Wilhelm, you are a lucky one to get the magic card Poison Chain Letter. This card, if it goes from my hand to yours, deals you 500 points of damage and sends itself to my graveyard. Also during your next turn you take an additional 1000 points of damage that cannot be avoided or negated. In other words if you cannot gain life points by your next turn this duel is over for you."

"Ahhh, and now for the good-natured Stable Boy. You get one of my personal favorite monsters, the Ebola Virus Strain magic card. When this card enters the hand of a duelist other than its original owner that duelist has all monsters in their hand destroyed and that card sends itself to my graveyard."

"And who could forget the proud father?" The card that appeared over Nikolai's head was a monster. "Blood Punisher, when it enters the hand of someone that has no blood cards in their graveyard, deals that duelist 500 points of damage for every monster on their field and then randomly destroys half of those monsters rounded up. Also it sends itself to my graveyard after this effect completes."

"The proud and heroic Count Uzumaki's gift is the trap card Choking Quicksand. When this trap card enters the hand of a duelist other than the original owner it randomly destroys one face-down card on that duelist's field, deals them 500 points of damage, and then sends itself to my graveyard."

"And who could forget the Action Hero Krieger Reinhardt? I know I couldn't. Your gift is the trap card Blood Thunder, which if it enters the hand of someone other than the original owner deals that duelist 700 points of damage for every face-up card on their field and then sends itself to my graveyard."

All at once the effects happened, a series of explosions and pained screams and grunts coming from the other five duelists as their cards, life points, and strategies were obliterated.

Harrison- 500

Leet Haxxor- 11400

Ichigo- 500

Nikolai- 1800

Sanzo- 300

Krieger- 700

"If the effect of Bloody Christmas gave all cards in my hand then I draw a number of cards equal to the number of cards on my opponent's field." H

e motioned to Krieger. "The duelist with the most total cards in play is you, Krieger." Drawing six cards, he smiled at the pained looks on the faces of most of his opponents. "Truly, this duel must be difficult for you all. However, if you wish to get to Shiro then it is a necessity to defeat me."

--------------------

Shiro couldn't believe this. ("What's with the leet-speak creepy guy? He's got Harrison and Sanzo on the ropes, and if Ichigo and Nikolai are as strong as they're said to be…") This was insane. How powerful was this guy?

--------------------

"And now to start mopping up the remnants of sad duelists." Leet Haxxor started to reach for one of the cards in his hand.

"Hold it," One of Ichigo's set cards flipped up. "Reveal Overexertion! This trap card can only be activated when my opponent draws four or more cards during one phase. They are allowed to set one magic or trap card face-down and then their turn ends."

Leet Haxxor slid a card into his disk. "I place one card face-down and end my turn, as per your card effect."

"It's my turn, draw!" Ichigo smiled and motioned to his other set card. "All your life point gain has been for nothing, Leet Haxxor! Reveal Life Equalizer! If the difference between our life points is 8000 or more then your life points and mine become 3000!"

Harrison- 500

Leet Haxxor- 3000

Ichigo- 3000

Nikolai- 1800

Sanzo- 300

Krieger- 700

("This is it.") Ichigo looked at the two cards in his hand. ("It's risky to use this card as things are, because there are still five opponents. The secondary downside of this card will benefit all of them, however…") He looked up at Shiro. "I activate the continuous magic card Escape Dimension. All other cards on my field are place under this card until this card leaves play, at which point they return." His two monsters shimmered out of existence.

"And now for the real power, Berry A La Mode!" The remaining card in the half demon's hand dissolved, and his body became surrounded by a pulsing clear wind. "At the cost of 1000 life points all cards on my field, in my hand, in my graveyard and removed from play pile…they're all returned to my deck." Escape Dimension disappeared and his two Infinity Travelers appeared in play as he completed this effect.

"I remove my deck from the game…and bring one of them into play…" The wind turned white, removing Ichigo from view. "Amongst the potentials…there is only option against multiple opponents! I choose my Berry Deck!"

The wind died down to reveal that Ichigo had changed with his irises and hair now blood-red. "Bloodberry Version…"

_To be continued…_

_It seems that the duel for Madam Shiro's hand continues with great intensity. Which of the six competitors will come out top?_

_Next Chapter: Sweet Delicious Irony (Part 3)_


	123. Sweet Delicious Irony Part 3

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX. Also, to my female readers, please don't murder me in my sleep.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 123: Sweet Delicious Irony (Part 3)

"_I remove my deck from the game…and bring one of them into play…" The wind turned white, removing Ichigo from view. "Amongst the potentials…there is only option against multiple opponents! I choose my Berry Deck!"_

_The wind died down to reveal that Ichigo had changed with his irises and hair now blood-red. "Bloodberry Version…"_

------------------

"What kind of bizarre card did he play?" Shiro leaned forward a little farther, eyes widening at the red aura of energy around Ichigo's body. ("I can't forget that this guy was like a freaking foghorn in the ear when he released his power before. If he's going full power against Harrison and Sanzo…") While seeing Harrison get plastered would be the greatest thing ever, Sanzo probably didn't deserve getting smitten off the face of the planet. "Hey Butler Guy, what's the deal with that red aura?"

"I can't say for sure, Madam Akugi." The butler pushed his glasses up his nose with a hand. "However I will say this much…this duel is about to get rather tragic."

-------------------

"The effect of Berry A La Mode lets me switch my deck with one of the Berry Decks. In this case I have chosen the Bloodberry deck." Ichigo placed his hand on top of his deck. "The final of my magic card's two effects first lets me draw five cards." Pulling five cards off of his deck, he motioned to the five other duelists. "My opponent draws three cards, so go right ahead and refresh your hands."

All of the other five duelists drew swiftly, their attention completely on Ichigo's field.

"And now to summon Crimson Gorilla." A howling blood-colored ape appeared on Ichigo's field, roaring loudly and pounding its chest with its fists. (2000/0)

"I would advise you not to forget that we have facedown cards, weakling." Harrison motioned to his set cards. "An unwise attack could result in you losing your monster."

"Trust me, Count Wilhelm, I have already measured the abilities of all of you." A new magic card appeared on Ichigo's field and exploded. His Crimson Gorilla roared and punched the ground, sending shockwaves through the earth. "The effect of Almighty Force can only be activated if I have a Crimson monster in play. All face-down magic and trap cards on the opponent's field are removed until the end of the turn!" Tears appeared in the ground and sucked all of the set cards in play out of sight, leaving only monsters and continuous cards.

Sanzo paled as he realized what this meant. ("So, I've lost then?")

"Crimson Gorilla," Ichigo held up a card and his monster's fists were replaced by heavy red marble gauntlets. "Becomes equipped with Bloodstone Basher, increasing its attack and negating the effect of any monster it destroys in battle." (2300/0)

"And now I activate the magic card Enraged Charging! During this turn one Crimson monster on my field gains 500 attack points, and when it destroys a monster as a result of battle the controller of that monster takes 800 points of damage." (2800/0) Ichigo's eyes started to glow with an unholy red light. "Crimson Gorilla, Hell Crusher! Attack Lord Nikolai's set monster card now!"

The Russian narrowed his eyes as the monster punched his set card and shattered it, negating the flip effect monster without him having a chance to use it. "While 800 points of damage will hurt…"

"From my hand," Ichigo held up a card and his Gorilla pounded its chest before punching Nikolai in the mouth, silencing him. "I activate the quickplay magic card Ultra Violence. When a Crimson monster on my field destroys a monster on your field I can activate this card and deal you the original attack of my monster in damage to your life points."

Though Sanzo abhorred these brutal actions, he felt a small amount of guilty relief at the fact that he was safe now. ("During my next turn, I will get my set cards back…")

"Crimson Gorilla's special ability activates now!" Ichigo glanced at Krieger, eyes still burning with that red light. "When Crimson Gorilla destroys a monster as a result of battle it may attack once more! Destroy Krieger's Hibernation Guardian! Hell Crusher!"

Krieger gasped in surprise and fear as the Gorilla rushed across the field and punched his monster in half.

"Count Wilhelm's monster, Hell Crusher!" Ichigo felt a blast of wind pass by his face as his monster rushed in and pounded the Dark Kaiser's set monster into bits. "Attack Count Uzumaki directly." Another rush of wind went past him and Sanzo's scream of pain as he was crushed into the ground reached his ears. "I guess that ends my turn."

Harrison- 0

Leet Haxxor- 3000

Ichigo- 2000

Nikolai- 0

Sanzo- 0

Krieger- 0

After a moment of stunned silence, the impact of all of the Crimson Gorilla's attacks occurred and all but Leet Haxxor and Ichigo were hurled backwards or into the ground, immediately going still.

"Hah, take that you big jerk!" Shiro leapt to his feet, nearly tripping over his own tail before pointing down at the fallen Harrison with glee on his face. "I don't believe I'd finally get to see the day that you got taken down, especially that hard!"

Taking a sip of his tea, the butler glanced up at Shiro quietly. "Milady, I know you are in grief but please give a moment of silence."

"How come?" Still grinning, Shiro pointed down at the battlefield. "Yeah, it stinks that Krieger and Nikolai got taken down, but seeing Sanzo and Harrison lose made it all worthwhile."

"It is rude to point at the dead." Sipping from his teacup again, the butler glanced up at the Cat Demon, who seemed to be stuck in her current stupid grin. "Are you surprised by this? I told you that this was a duel to the death."

Hand slowly lowering to his side, Shiro craned his head to glare down at the green-haired attendant darkly. "How many times do I have to tell you that a Darkness Game isn't instant death? After all, it was that Ichigo guy that did it. He seems like a fairly nice guy, so I doubt its going to be anything harsh."

Eri and Teruha both looked at each other worriedly, the same thought passing through their heads. ("The poor dear must be delusional…")

"Say what you will," Standing up, the butler brushed his vest off before adjusting to a new sitting position. "Considering your two lovers and your father just died in one ferocious assault I have no will to try and argue with you. After all, seeing such a horrid sight must have you in a hellish grief only a female could experience."

"What the hell did you just say!?" Shiro's hands shot out and grabbed the edges of his vest, forcing him to his feet. "What does being a girl have to do with this!? I'm telling you that they're…"

"My apologies, Miss Shiro," Ichigo, his body still wreathed in that blood-red energy, turned his head to look up at her. "I don't expect you to forgive me, or for a delicate lady such as yourself to even understand why we would place our lives on the line for your sake. However, that's that…there is no going back from this point now. I will be sure to give all four of them proper burials when this duel is over with."

"If you survive, which up to this point I'm not so sure about." Leet Haxxor glanced at the Crimson Gorilla. "While your monster is indeed impressive, against a duelist such as myself it cannot compare to even a single card in my hand. And while your two Infinity Travelers in play will provide a suitable defense for one turn, that means nothing here. One turn will only give you one draw."

"We're not done talking!" Shiro shouted down at them.

"Yes, unfortunately you are done talking." Glasses falling down the bridge of his nose, the butler's scarlet eyes looked right into the slowly tinting red ones of his Madam without fear. "This is a battle between men. Do not interfere with what you, a woman, cannot possibly understand."

"There you go again…" Shiro pulled him in a little closer. "Tell them to stop, this duel is over!"

"Unfortunately, mysterious hero," Ichigo pulled a card out of his deck. "This duel is over for you. While I cannot defeat you with my cards during this turn, I have in fact defeated four opponents in this one turn. Therefore I activate this field magic card from my deck, the multiplayer card Temple of Ares!" A giant red-stone temple rose into the air behind him, four copper torches set on pillars in front of it. "For every opponent I have defeated this card gains one counter." All four of the torches lit up with a blood-red flame.

"Four counters…the maximum." Leet Haxxor, from behind his mask, narrowed his eyes at the temple. "What does such a hefty requirement give you in repayment?"

"The full power of Ares!" Ichigo's hand snapped up and the four flames shot into the sky, forming into a vaguely humanoid form that brought a flaming axe crashing down onto the mysterious hero's field. "God of War!"

Leet Haxxor- 1500

Ichigo- 2000

The smoke caused by such an incredible strike faded to reveal Leet Haxxor, despite his power, stumbling slightly. "Impressive…Ichigo-kun…"

"War of God, once per turn, allows me to destroy all cards on your field and in your hand." Ichigo motioned to their life point scores. "For every card destroyed you take 300 points of damage. End turn."

Leet Haxxor glanced at the earth beneath him as his set card returned from the capturing power of Almighty Force. ("Therefore during his turn he will clear away everything from me. Also, with his Crimson Gorilla in play, I will unable to merely protect myself with set cards.") He drew and flipped the card up. "Pot of Greed." Drawing two cards, he held up Research on the Pot of Greed. "And once again."

Drawing two more cards, he held up a card and the two Infinity Travelers on Ichigo's field disappeared in a blast of blood. "I activate the magic card Blood Terrorize, destroying all defense mode monsters on your field and using them as sacrifices for this." The blood that had come from Ichigo's field formed into a much more slender version of the bulky Blood God. "Blood Goddess is sacrifice summoned." (3000/1000)

"Blood Goddess, attack Crimson Gorilla now!" Leet Haxxor's newly summoned monster slithered forward and wrapped its body around the howling ape, shattering it easily.

Leet Haxxor- 1500

Ichigo- 1300

"I discard one card from my hand to activate Blood Goddess' effect." The mysterious hero's body became surrounded by a crimson mist emitted from his monster. "When Blood Goddess destroys a monster as a result of battle her controller may discard a card from their hand to gain either the attack of the monster destroyed and draw one card, or draw two cards. I select the first effect." Pulling a card from his deck, Leet Haxxor held it up and it appeared on his field. "I activate the continuous magic card Diving Blessings of the Goddess, gaining 3000 life points. When this card is removed from my field I lose 3000 life points. End turn."

Leet Haxxor- 6800

Ichigo- 1300

Ichigo drew from his deck and a glowing red mote of light appeared over his head. ("In five turns the power of my Bloodberry deck will fade away and I'll be forced to return to my Infinity Traveler deck. By then though this duel will be over.") "God of War!" The four torches released their fire, which formed into the form of Ares which slammed its axe into Rysel's field and obliterated everything. "Take your damage!"

"With pleasure, but I'm not quite beaten yet." Leet Haxxor held up his set card. "The trap card Return to Sender lets me send one card in play to its owner's hand, and that card has its effects negated for this turn. My choice is Divine Blessings of the Goddess, preventing it from draining my life points."

Leet Haxxor- 5900

Ichigo- 1300

"I see…" Ichigo slapped a card onto his disk and a red-armored warrior holding two swords appeared on his field. "I summon Crimson Marauder in attack mode." (1800/1000) "Direct attack!"

Leet Haxxor barely flinched from the strike. "Ineffective, as I will gain back more life points next turn…or perhaps I'll draw a card to purge your power from this world?"

"Temple of Ares one counter effect is that when you take damage from a Crimson monster that damage is increased by 1000!" Ichigo motioned to the second torch, which flared up.

Leet Haxxor- 3100

Ichigo- 1300

"The effect of Crimson Marauder is that when it attacks directly it may attack one more time at the end of my battle phase!" Ichigo's monster turned on its heel and slashed its sword across the mysterious hero's chest once more before returning to his field. "End turn."

Leet Haxxor- 300

Ichigo- 1300

"Impressive indeed…" Leet Haxxor grasped the top card of his deck. "However, now I cannot play anymore. In this moment, you will die Ichigo-kun."

"Stop it already!" Shiro hurled a rock down onto the field between them, trying to hide the tears that were developing in his eyes. ("Dead…dead…") "No more! Stop fighting over something so absolutely retarded! I'm not worth dying over, and neither is your pride! There's nothing riding on this duel except your lives now, so stop it!"

"Draw." Leet Haxxor drew. "This duel will end now. From my hand I activate the magic card Deity of Eternal Bleeding. From my graveyard Blood God and Blood Goddess are removed from the game to summon Blood Deity from my deck to the field!" A howling blood-red dragon appeared on his field, flapping its wings strongly enough to create red hurricanes around itself. (3000/2000) "Battle, Strike of Eternal Bleeding!"

Ichigo barely flinched, the winds from the monster not touching him in the slightest as his monster was destroyed. "I'm unimpressed, or have you forgotten that despite the fact that my life points will be indeed low that during the next turn God of War will end this duel."

Leet Haxxor- 300

Ichigo- 100

It had sunken in now, and Shiro dropped to his knees with a distant look in his eyes. ("They're not listening to me anymore…they were never listening to me. No matter what I did, no matter what I would have said, I couldn't have avoided this…my efforts were hopeless…I was powerless this whole time…")

Leet Haxxor smiled coldly. "Ichigo-kun, despite this surprising turn of events, I must apologize. Your defeat was not to be this simple." His monster snarled and a blast of bloody light exploded out of the duelist's graveyard slot. "When Blood Deity destroys an opponent's monster as a result of battle I may select one card from my graveyard and transfer it to your hand."

"What!?" Ichigo's face grew pale as Mosquito Swarm appeared in his hand. "That means…"

"It's over…" Shiro couldn't look away, despite how much he wanted to.

"The effect of Mosquito Swarm is that for every card in your hand you lose 500 life points and I gain that much. Of course, you have only one card in hand…but that's more than enough." Leet Haxxor closed his eyes from behind his mask and his body was surrounded by a green glow momentarily as he felt Ichigo's power be completely drained. "Die knowing that was my absolute best, my Blood Deity. It is one of my strongest monsters, and its power has never yet come out until now."

Ichigo stumbled slightly, trying to form words as the red coloring faded from his hair and eyes…and then he fell, face pressing into the grass. High above the gathering clouds which stole away the sun brought down a sorrowful rain, drenching the field in both moisture and a grey coloring that added to the emotions of both the only survivor of the battle and of those watching.

Leet Haxxor- 300

Ichigo- 0

Everything faded away slowly to Shiro, becoming a blur of grey and water as the rain mixed with his barely held back tears. He was thankful for the rain, because it allowed him to hide the fact that right now he truly realized just how painful it was to be completely helpless, to be unable to change anything no matter how hard you tried.

Most of all though, he realized how absolutely stupid he had been. ("Forgive me, Mizuki…it looks like my ultimate prank was perfect…too perfect except for that one flaw.")

_To be continued…_


	124. Chance for Redemption Part 1

Disclaimer: No I do not Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 124: Chance for Redemption (Part 1)

Halo frowned as he walked into his private viewing booth and found the arena abandoned. After looking down at the empty stands, he pulled a coin out of his pocket and flipped it into the air, catching it and placing it on top of his other hand. "Heads says Vengeance Threat, Tails says it's the fault of either Alahandra or her mortals." Removing his hand, he groaned at what the coin told him. "I would have preferred the Vengeance."

--------------------

The dark enforcer pushed the doors leading to the locker room for Team Virtue open, and actually couldn't stop himself from being surprised at what he saw. "I suppose I can give them points for making me come up with new reasons to hate them."

A whole half of the spacious locker room was covered by a strange pulsing wall of prismatic light. From its location it was hiding all views of the shower area. Nearby the sound of uproarious female laughter could be heard, and this made Halo instantly worried.

Stepping over to the row of lockers where he had heard the laughter, the enforcer carefully poked his head around the corner to see what was going on.

Chizuma and Mizuki fell over each other laughing at something they were watching, the former still dressed in her dancing dress and the latter still wearing nothing but a grey pair of shorts and shirt. The open locker in front of them was projecting a faint glow which the enforcer could only assume was from a television screen of some kind.

Halo stealthily walked past that row and frowned at what he saw in the next row. There were dozens of humming metal boxes, and sitting at the center of it was Masami, his hands moving so fast across a pair of keyboards they were blurs. It was a rather eerie scene since his eyes couldn't be seen, just the reflections of the screens off his glasses, and multiple flashes of strange images and programs the enforcer had zero wish to know about.

("Apparently there is more going on here than I know…") Off to Halo's side was a single red cord that went into a power socket in the wall, with a tag on it marked DO NOT TOUCH. "You must be joking." Reaching out, he grabbed the cord and tugged it free with full expectations of some asinine trap to come out and attempt to blow him up/hit him with a pie/something else that only a completely impossible fool like Morioka would try.

The humming ended abruptly as the stacks of boxes shut down all at once, and the wall of prismatic light disappeared. "And once again I find myself amazed. You truly are bizarre to obviously mark an important power cord like that, Morioka." Halo dropped the cord to the ground and walked over to the unmoving Masami. "Say something."

There was response from the self-proclaimed genius except to give off little wisps of smoke from his ears and fall over stiffly, arms still typing despite the lack of solid surface under them.

"I hate unpredictable mortals." Halo pulled out his cellphone. He had calls to make and information to collect on what he had missed while he had taken his little walk.

-----------------------------

"Hey…" Mizuki coughed out, finding it difficult to talk clearly after having been laughing for so long. "What…happened to…the…" Her attempt to sit up failed as the images of the video she and Chizuma had been watching came back in her mind's eye, leaving her a giggling wreck on the floor. "..P…p…power…"

"I don't know…" Chizuma crawled over to the end of the row of lockers and poked her head out to see what the problem was. The first thing she saw was a pair of black leather shoes. Lifting her head up, she gulped at the narrowed dark eyes of Halo that bore down on her. "Mizuki-sama…I think we're in trouble."

"You have no idea just how much," Stuffing his cell phone back into his pocket, the dark enforcer walked past her with his hands resting in the pockets of his jacket. "Stand up and clean yourselves off, I intend to berate the lot of you for causing a bomb scare. Then you'll tell me just what all this is and what you intended to do, followed by which I will decide just how bad your punishments will be. The worst will be that I'll have no choice but to disqualify those of you involved from the tournament."

"Ooooo, what're you watching?" Alahandra propped the slightly pale Mizuki up and reached into the open locker to press the play button on the screen in there. With a click their faces were lit up by the blue glow emitting from it.

Right eye twitching in amazement of the goddess incarnate's ability to appear out of the blue and undermine his authority, Halo coughed sharply and waited for her to notice he was starting to become angry.

After a minute passed the only thing that happened was that Alahandra leaned a little forward to the edge of her seat on the bench. She was completely engrossed into whatever was on the screen.

("That tears it…") The dark enforcer lifted one hand up, a small ball of thrumming dark energy in his palm. ("This will get your attention.") On the other plus side, perhaps Mizuki's life would fall into danger.

The doors to the locker room were thrown open and Sanzo rushed in, breathless. "Where's…where's Shiro!? They're calling for him on the dueling field!"

"Hush, I'm enjoying this beautiful drama…" Alahandra eeped as something clicked in her brain. "Whoops, that's right! We need Shiro or else we'll be disqualified!" Leaping out of her seat, she shook Mizuki frantically. "Where's Shiro!?"

"Over by the showers, but I don't…" Mizuki was already talking to thin air as the half demon rushed to the shower stalls area.

"…Ummm…" Alahandra tilted her head to the side at the curled-up and whimpering Cat Demon in the middle of the area. Before she could ask the most obvious questions whatever had clicked before clicked once more. "No time to worry about that stuff!"

Throwing the limp person over her shoulder, she rushed past Halo (Who had one eyebrow lifted at what Alahandra had with her) and stopped next to the still smoldering Masami. "Costume!"

When she got no response she got ready to make her dash without it. Turning, she yelped as a covered set of clothing on a hanger dropped down in front of her. "Oh….thank you Masami-sama!" Throwing the clothes over her other shoulder, she blew past everyone so fast that there was a dust trail in what should have been an otherwise clean tile floor.

Sanzo, now that he had his breath back, stood up fully and blinked as Mizuki, dressed in a rather bulky sweater and wearing a big red baseball cap on her head, walked past him whistling innocently. If he had bothered to look behind him he would have noticed that the back of her sweater was moving, as if something was pushing against it in a steady rhythm.

----------------------------

"_Well ladies and gentlemen, despite the bomb scare we've given Team Virtue plenty of time to provide us with its next duelist, but since no one has come forth it seems we have no choice but to declare Team Wolf the…"_ Moderator, sitting amidst the rubble of his announcer's stand, stopped talking as he saw the bunker for Team Virtue extending to the floating arena. _"Looks like I spoke too soon folks, here comes Shiro Akugi!"_

The bridge connected to the arena and the bunker's door opened, Alahandra rushing out with someone over her shoulder. "Sorry we're late!" Depositing the person in the arena, she stopped a moment to pose in front of the cameras that were on her, throwing them a playful wink before rushing back to the bunker. "Good luck!"

"_Shiro Akugi of Team Virtue versus Forest Steiner of Team Wolf; Begin!"_ Moderator flicked his microphone off and exhaled loudly, dropping back into his seat.

Forest- 4000

Shiro- 4000

Standing on Team Wolf's side of the arena stood a young man dressed in a dusty brown cloak, his hair matted to his head by sweat. Smiling, he drew his opening hand and spoke with a voice like that of someone who had experienced many things in their life. "If you are as powerful as your other team members then I truly look forward to this duel."

Across from him a low chuckle came from the crumpled form on the floor as it stood up. "As powerful?" One hand shooting out, Shiro thumbed at his chest and smirked confidently, one fang bared without realizing it. "I taught those two everything they know about dueling! In fact you could say that I'm a master in the great art of dueling!"

A confused gasp came from the members of the audience, Forest, and Moderator. The opponent apparently had been changed, as this wasn't Shiro Akugi. This was a green-haired girl dressed in a beautiful green version of the kung-fu uniform originally introduced by Ichigo Pilkington, the silver dragon inlays replaced by gold. She also was dressed with the odd and, just like before, bizarrely out-of-place but cute cat ear band on the head and fake tail.

--------------------

"I am faced by a conundrum," Harrison commented quietly, lacing his fingers and leaning forward slightly as he watched the screen in the bunker. "The idiot is nowhere to be found, and where he should be stands a female idiot that is saying something he would say. Also, she appears to be a demon. There is no obvious answer to why, but I still wish to call her an idiot just like I would with Akugi. Very puzzling."

Mizuki stopped herself from gulping; instead waving a hand dismissively at whatever notions Harrison might have been coming up with. "Don't be silly Harrison, there's no connection between them. We couldn't find Shiro so this is his replacement."

"I see," The Dark Kaiser shot her a sideways glance with his cold blue eyes. "What's her name then?"

Stiffening, Mizuki pounded her brain for a name…any name. "Ummm…it's…well…she's…Mary-Ann?"

"Mary-Ann?" Harrison lifted his brow. "Interesting…is she any good?"

"She's plenty good!" Mentally wincing at how quickly and sharply she had unconsciously replied, Mizuki tried to laugh her nervousness off. "Her dueling prowess is incredible, I saw her duel not too long ago and she beat someone who shouldn't have been beatable!" It wasn't a lie, after all. She hadn't expected Shiro to defeat Masami when they had first arrived here.

"Is that so?" Returning his eyes to the screen, Harrison didn't look completely convinced. "Very well then, let's see how she does."

----------------------

"_It seems that Shiro Akugi is unable to duel, and as such one of the replacements for Team Virtue has come out."_ Moderator shuffled some papers on his ruined desk around in an attempt to locate this new duelist's entry papers. _"Hold on a moment…"_

"_Allow me!"_ Alahandra grabbed the microphone from out of his hand, now sitting in the chair next to his. _"This is Mary-Ann Twilight, the third of our replacements. She is a late entry but I assure you that she is an acceptable replacement for this duel! So enjoy everybody!"_ Returning the microphone to a completely surprised Moderator, she skipped out of the booth swiftly.

--------------------------

"Mary-Ann Twilight, eh?" Forest shrugged his shoulders at the innocent mistake. "Fair enough, then let's do this Mary-Ann!"

Forest- 4000

Mary Ann- 4000

"Mary-Ann?" Shiro looked down, realized he couldn't clearly his feet, and got a bizarrely goofy grin on his face. "Heh, boobage…"

"…?" Forest cleaned his ears out with two fingers. "What was that?"

"Oh!" Clearing his throat, Shiro snapped his disk up and drew five cards. "I said…ummm…uubage! Its slang from my country, it means 'let's have a good duel!"

"Aren't you Japanese though?" Forest asked, fairly certain that isn't what was said.

("Damn your ability to see the obvious!") Shiro tried his best to laugh cutely in an attempt to play the mistake off. "Silly me, I meant my region of Japan."

"What region is that? I've been all over Japan and I don't remember ever hearing slang like that…"

"It's…the region…of…" Shiro muttered something vague and looked away nervously, cat ears folding against his head.

"Eh?" Forest took a step forward and cupped a hand to his ear. "I'm sorry, you muttered that last part. Where?"

"_Excuse me,"_ Moderator called curtly from the speakers. _"The duel? Remember, with the cards and the explosions and the drawing and all that?"_

------------------------

Mizuki let out a silent sigh of relief. ("Thank you God.") She noticed Harrison was looking at her strangely again and quickly pushed her cap a little harder onto her head. "Just having a little trouble breathing…I must be coming down with something." Coughing into her hand fakely, she scooted away from him. "I'd better make sure you don't come down with it."

------------------------

"Right, sorry!" Forest grabbed the top card of his deck. "I'm first, draw!" Flipping the card up into his hand, he smirked at what had been pulled. ("Excellent.") "From my hand I activate the magic card Gambit of Knowledge."

The card that appeared on his field revealed a wizard sitting in a chair surrounded by hundreds of stacked books, while outside his window was a raging fire that seemed like it was on the verge of destroying everything. "When this card activates I select any number of cards from my hand and remove them from the game."

Pulling four cards out of his grasp, he slid them into his back pocket. "This card then remains in play on my field for three turns. At the end of those three turns I may send this card from my field to the graveyard to return the removed cards to my hand, followed by which I draw a card from my deck for every card I return."

("In three turns I'm sure I can find a way to get that card off the field.") Shiro fanned his hand cards out in front of him and smiled at what he saw. ("This duel is already in the bag.")

"From my hand," Forest slid the last card he was holding into his disk and it appeared on his field. "I activate the magic card Terraforming, searching my deck for a field magic card and adding it to my hand." Pulling his deck free, he fanned it out in front of him and smiled at the card he selected. ("It's time to show off my ultimate strategy.") Returning his deck to its slot, his hand snapped up and motioned to Gambit of Knowledge. "To activate this card I must sacrifice a magic or trap card in play!"

-------------------------

"What!?" Mizuki couldn't believe it, and was so surprised that when the cat ears under her cap flicked she barely managed to keep the hat from getting flung away. "Why would he remove all of those cards from his hand only to get rid of the only way to get them back?"

"Perhaps the cards only work in the removed from play pile?" Sanzo walked in, stopped a moment to shoot a confused look at how heavily dressed Mizuki was, and then shrugged it off as his imagination before sitting down and kicking his feet up.

"I do not believe that to be the case." Harrison unlaced his fingers.

------------------------------

Shiro gulped fearfully as a giant temple made of green wood rose up into the air behind Forest. "What is that thing?"

"The Temple of Fertile Creation." Forest's relaxed look made it difficult for Shiro to continue to be afraid of the card. "Mary-Ann, do you believe that nature plays an important role in our lives?" He continued on without allowing an answer, leaving the question as rhetoric. "Without the trees, nature, and all those other things in this world then our lives would be forfeit. As such we cannot clutter their very existence with our trash, with things unnecessary. That is my deck, the power of the Fertile Creation deck! I don't need such unnecessary things in my hand or on my field!"

"What are you talking about?" Shiro was still a bit taken aback by the Temple, so this whole nature talk was kind of lost on him. Not to say it wouldn't be lost on him anyway.

"It's simple to show you what I mean. Temple of Fertile Creation's effect activates!" Fanning his deck out again, Forest grasped a card and held it up. "If it is the only card on my field and I have no cards in my hand I may once per turn special summon a monster from my deck to the field. Emerge now, Ray of Creation!"

The top of the temple released a green blast of light that slammed down onto his field and formed into a towering metal-feathered draconic form that Shiro had seen from another duelist once before. "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LVL 8 is special summoned!" (3000/1800)

"Wait a second!" Shiro protested, pointing up at the monster. "Horus the Black Flame Dragon LVL 8 is a nomi-monster! You can't just toss it out like that; its effect says you have to summon it through the effect of Horus LVL 6! Come on now, even I know that!"

"That's true," Forest looked up at his summoned monster and smiled slightly. "Normally that would be important, but to the Temple of Fertile Creation such things are unimportant. For, you see, my temple can summon a monster regardless of its summoning requirements!" Gasps came from some members of the audience, especially those who knew just how dangerous this effect was.

----------------------------

"That's…that's…" Sanzo was leaning forward in his seat, eyes trembling and hands clenched into fists.

"It's good that this Mary-Ann isn't like a certain idiot." Harrison frowned. "Otherwise he'd say something absolutely idiotic right now and…"

-------------------------

"How about that, Mary-Ann?" Forest grinned happily. "With this deck I can summon any monster, bringing out some of the strongest weapons in this game without worry of costs!"

Shiro paled up at the sight of the menacing dragon and drew. "Yeah, that's just spiffy for you huh…" His eyes widened at the cards in his hand. ("This isn't my Action Warrior deck.") Then it dawned on him and he groaned. ("This is the deck I had planned to use against Mizuki.")

Forest blinked at the worried look on the girl's face. "Come now, is just one of my deck's special summonses that scary?" His cheerful look faded a little as he noticed that Shiro suddenly looked angry.

"Not a chance! First I'll deal with that Temple though, with this!" Shiro slammed a card into his disk and a card appeared on his field. "The quickplay magic card Mystical Space Typhoon!" A wind started to pick around him, blowing his hair everywhere. "This'll take out your precious summoning power!"

"Not quite," Forest snapped his fingers and the wind died down.

"What!?" Shiro jumped in surprise as his magic card shattered. "How!?"

"The special effect of Horus the Black Flame Dragon LVL 8 is that while it is face-up in play I can choose to negate any magic card's activation I wish." Forest smiled at his opponent and shrugged his shoulders innocently. "I would have thought that was why you were so upset that Horus had been summoned to my field, but I guess you didn't know."

Blushing fiercely, Shiro glared up at Horus for making a fool out of him. ("I knew its effect, why did I try to do that?")

------------------

"Not exactly the most confidence-building start," Harrison crossed his legs. "However even I will admit I didn't see this temple coming. Perhaps this Mary-Ann has some kind of strategy in the works as well?"

("Why did you make such a dumb mistake, Shiro?") Mizuki winced and covered her mouth with a hand in pain. ("Stupid fangs, I can't even chew my lip without practically stabbing myself.")

The door that led to the exit from the bunker opened and Chizuma stumbled in, looking just as out of breath as Sanzo had looked earlier. "Mizuki-sama…there's…the video…" She held up a small laser disc, and started wheezing. It had been a long run to the bunker from the showers and in dancing shoes no less.

("It's official.") Harrison stood up and snatched the disc out of Chizuma's hand with remarkable speed. "Something is going on and you are trying to keep me in the dark about it." Popping the disc into the small video played installed underneath one of the monitors, he crossed his arms across his chest and waited patiently for whatever was on this thing to start.

Sanzo looked mildly interested as well, since he could tell that Mizuki had been hiding something from him.

The only thing Mizuki could do was sit on her tail in an attempt to keep it from going out of control in response to the cold sweat dripping down her back. ("This is not going to end well.")

-------------------------

"I summon Yellow Catgirl in defense mode." Shiro slapped a monster onto his disk and a blond-haired girl dressed in a yellow bikini with yellow cat ears and a cat tail appeared on his field in a crouching position. (1200/1700)

Forest flushed at the sexy monster. "Certainly an interesting choice of monsters you run, Mary-Ann."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Shiro motioned to his monster, which released a yellow glow. "Once per turn I can pay 500 life points to draw one card and then return a card from my hand to the top of my deck." Yanking a card free, he nimbly slid it into his hand and replaced it with a different card. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn." A pair of cards shimmered face-down on his field.

Forest- 4000

Mary Ann-3500

"It's my turn, draw!" Forest slid the card back on top of his deck right after drawing it, pressing the auto-shuffle button on his disk. "The cost of Temple of Fertile Creation is that during my standby phase I shuffle one card from my hand back into my deck. Horus, attack Yellow Catgirl now!"

"Reverse card open!" Shiro motioned to one of his set cards, which flipped up to reveal the picture of a shadowed female form, outlined in a bright purple set of clothing similar to his current monster's, standing in the middle of a glowing pink heart. "Sexy Force activates when you attack! For every Catgirl in play I can send one monster on your field back to your deck!" Horus turned into a bullet of light that launched back into its card.

"Impressive." Forest prepared to shuffle the card into his deck. "However futile, as during my next main phase I'll just summon it again."

"I don't think so!" Shiro's other card flipped up. "Reveal Mismarked Package! This trap activates when cards are returned from the field or graveyard to a location. If that location is the deck it becomes the graveyard and if it's the hand it becomes the deck!"

Forest smiled as the Horus card turned into a bullet of light like before, shooting into his graveyard slot. "That's quite a powerful combination that leaves me without my magic negation. However…" He pointed up at the temple, the top point of it releasing a ray of green light that hit his field. "Ray of Creation!"

"Heh, so what?" Shiro knew that was going to happen. "It's not like you can summon anything that can hurt me right now."

"Is that so?" A giant metal dragon with an ancient cannon for a head appeared on his field. "This is my Relic Catapult Dragon. (1500/1200) When this monster is summoned I can destroy all monsters on your field. For every monster destroyed you lose 1000 life points!" The creature brought its head to bear on Shiro's Catgirl, releasing a single cannonball that crashed into the monster and shattered it.

Forest- 4000

Mary Ann-2500

"End turn." Forest smiled at Shiro pleasantly. "Sorry Mary-Ann, but as things are going so far you might have trouble defeating me if it took more than half your hand to clear just one of my monsters. However, good luck regardless."

"I'm not beaten yet." Shiro grabbed the top card of his deck, snarling in anger. "I'm not submitting to you! Draw!"

---------------------

Pressing the stop button on the player, Harrison clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white. "What…exactly…is this?" He snarled this out through clenched teeth, finding it difficult not to break the screen with that same fist.

"It's just…a joke?" Mizuki prodded with this question, on the verge of making a break for it if need be.

"This!" Spinning his glare on her while pointing at the frozen image on the screen (That of just moments after his kissing 'Mary-Ann') the Dark Kaiser didn't look like he found the joke funny. "Is not a joke! How did you fake this? Holograms?"

"Yeah, it was Masami's stuff and S…Mary-Ann had it coming!" Mizuki protested, having to stop herself from removing her hat to prove that fact.

"What about the fact that her name was Shiro, was that just to disgust me?" Harrison's glare fell on Chizuma. "Or was this some bizarre fantasy of yours, maybe? I'm no fool, I know what Yaoi is!"

"Harrison, calm down," Standing up, Sanzo pointed at the screen. "It's not like they have any intention of mass-producing this, and besides, it's not like it was actually Shiro or anything? It was just a name, after all. Or maybe you're just afraid of female contact, even if it's just the idea?" He leaned in a little and threw the Dark Kaiser a teasing smile, trying his hardest to diffuse what could be a murderous situation.

Chizuma leaned in towards Mizuki, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Mizuki-sama, the problem is after where you and I kept rewinding the video."

"Really?" Brushing her hair back with a hand, Mizuki hopped to her feet and walked past the two boys, pressing the play button. "Excuse me guys."

_To be continued…_

_And so, with the fate of Team Virtue resting on his shoulders, Shiro tries to overcome an opponent capable of summoning any monster he wishes. However the memories of the 'counter-prank' haunt him and because of it he continues to make mistake after aggressive mistake in an attempt to prove he is not helpless._

_Next Chapter: Chance for Redemption (Part 2)_


	125. Chance for Redemption Part 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 125: Chance for Redemption (Part 2)/Return of a Familiar Face

_Harrison- 0_

_Leet Haxxor- 3000_

_Ichigo- 2000_

_Nikolai- 0_

_Sanzo- 0_

_Krieger- 0_

The four members of Team Virtue stared at the screen, absolutely silent. Their minds as duelists were working on trying to calculate just how much damage that single combination of cards had caused, while another part was completely astonished that so many had been defeated so fast.

"This is impossible," Harrison punched the wall off to his side, eyes narrowed in silent rage. "I was defeated by some dirty half-breed! That isn't how it would have gone in real life at all! In fact, I would have won easily!"

"I want to agree but after watching that duel…" Sanzo wasn't so sure anymore. He couldn't forget the sheer power of the disguised Rysel at all. ("I have yet to see him duel like that, but if he is really that powerful then…") It was frightening that they were so completely out of their league while here.

Mizuki was astonished for a different reason. ("Shiro experienced that? He watched those four get killed in the end!?") Now it was sinking in…why he was making so many mistakes in his attempt to prove he wasn't helpless. ("Shiro…") She turned to face the screen that was showing the duel at the arena. "You have to win!"

--------------------------------

Forest- 4000

Mary Ann-2500

Shiro flipped the card he had drawn over and then held it up over his head. "I summon Green Catgirl in attack mode!" A green blast of light exploded onto his field and formed into a scantily-dressed female monster that meowed cutely at Forest. (1200/1000) "Also, I equip her with Neko Claws, powering her up by 600 points!" The girl's claws became much more pronounced now. (1800/1000) "Attack Relic Catapult Dragon now! Neko Claw Slash!" The female monster bounced across the field and dragged her claws through Forest's monster, causing it to explode.

Forest- 3700

Mary Ann-2500

"When a monster equipped with Neko Claws destroys one of your monsters as a result of battle the effect of my equipment magic card activates!" Shiro drew two cards from his deck and looked at them both. "I draw twice and then return a card from my hand to the top of my deck." Selecting one of his hand cards he slid it into his deck slot. "End turn."

"Then it's my turn!" Forest drew and immediately placed the card back on top of his deck, pressing the auto-shuffle button. "I draw and shuffle the card back into my deck. Then I activate the effect of Temple of Fertile Creation! Come out now, Silent Swordsman LV7!" A ray of light shot from the top of the temple and formed into a trenchcoated warrior holding a heavy sword over one shoulder. (2800/1000) "While this monster is in play all magic cards are meaningless!"

Shiro snarled while his Green Catgirl's powered-up claws shrank back to their normal size. (1200/1000)

"Sword of Silence Level Seven!" Forest's monster launched across the field and slashed the Catgirl to pieces which immediately exploded after being created.

Forest- 3700

Mary Ann- 900

"When Green Catgirl is destroyed as a result of battle and sent to the graveyard her effect activates and I draw a card! Neko Claws has a similar effect too!" He drew two cards from his deck and then a third. "I summon Purple Catgirl in defense mode!" (400/1600) A purple-furred catgirl appeared on his field in a crouching position. "When this monster is summoned I draw two cards from my deck and then shuffle two cards from my hand back into my deck." He did so and then slid the remaining cards into his magic and trap zone. "I set four cards facedown and end my turn."

"It's my turn!" Forest drew and shuffled the card back into his deck. "Sword of Silence Level Seven!" His monster roared across the field and hefted its sword up above its head to strike.

"Reverse cards open!" Two of Shiro's set cards flipped up and the Silent Swordsman disappeared. "Sexy Force and Mismarked Package again, sorry."

"Hmph, not bad." Forest pulled a card out of his deck and threw it down, another familiar machine appearing on his field. "I special summon another Relic Catapult Dragon, meaning you lose!" (1500/1200)

"Not yet I don't! Reverse card open!" Another of Shiro's set cards flipped up and the field was cleared in an explosion of water. "Torrential Tribute lets me destroy all monsters in play when one is summoned; therefore when your Relic Dragon's effect goes off I won't have any monsters to destroy."

"End turn." Forest smiled at how fast-paced this duel had suddenly become. ("She's really fired up, Mary-Ann…")

"Draw!" Shiro threw the drawn card down and a new monster appeared on his field, this one a catgirl with red fur. "Red Catgirl's attack increases by 300 points for every magic and trap card on your field!" (1300/1000) "Direct attack!" His monster mewed cutely and leapt across the expanse, slashing Forest with her claws. "End turn."

Forest- 2400

Mary Ann- 900

"Draw and shuffle!" Forest did so and then removed a card from his deck. "Come out now, Relic Catapult Dragon!" (1500/1200) Another creaky old metal dragon appeared on his field and howled loudly. "Activate your effect and let's end this duel!"

"Reverse card open, Cute Guard!" Shiro's remaining set card flipped up and the eyes of his Catgirl suddenly started shining cutely. "When this trap is activated the monster it targets becomes unable to attack or destroy all Catgirls in play during this turn, meaning your monster's effect has been wasted."

"So it was, end turn." Forest couldn't slow down now. He felt like he was being pulled into a rushing river.

"Draw!" Shiro slid the card into his disk and the claws of his monster grew longer. "Neko Claws powers up my monster by 600! Attack!" (1900/1000) His monster hissed and leapt forward, cutting lines through the body of the Catapult Dragon before it exploded.

Forest- 2000

Mary Ann- 900

"I activate the effect of Neko Claws, drawing two cards and then returning one to my deck." Shiro did so and slid the drawn card into his disk. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Draw!" Forest shuffled the card back into his deck and then removed a card from the middle. "I special summon Ancient Gear Golem!" A hulking machine made of rusted old gears appeared on his field, its visible internal parts turning faster and faster. (3000/3000) "Attack Red Catgirl now! Ultimate Pound!"

"Reverse card open in response to the summon, Waboku!" Shiro's facedown card flipped up and a glowing barrier appeared across his field. "This card makes all battle damage to me and my monsters zero until the end of the turn, too bad for you!"

"End turn."

"Draw!" Shiro pulled a card from his deck and then inserted it into his disk. "I activate Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and then discarding two." He did so, and then his graveyard started glowing. "One of the cards I discarded was Super Cute Kids Show, letting me add three Cute Neko from my deck to my hand." A trio of cards slid out of his deck and he added them to his hand. "Then I activate Reload, shuffling these three back into my deck and drawing three cards!" After drawing those three cards he slid two into his graveyard. "I activate the magic card Neko Cuteness Beam by discarding a monster from my hand. During this turn the attack of one monster on your field can become zero! My choice is obvious!" The Ancient Gear Golem groaned and started shuddering. (0/3000) "Attack now!" His monster leapt forward and slashed through the machine, her claws passing through Forest as well. "When the Neko Claws equipped monster destroys a monster as a result of battle I draw two cards and return one to my deck!" He did so and then slid a card into his disk. "I set one card facedown and end my turn."

Forest- 100

Mary Ann- 900

"Draw!" Forest shuffled the card into his deck. "This duel will be over now!"

"Yup," Shiro's facedown card flipped up. "In response to you going to your main phase I activate Dust Tornado." A blast of dust and wind hit the Temple of Fertile Creation and it exploded. "One magic or trap card in play is destroyed."

Forest had gone silent, unable to believe it. ("That…")

"Since you're clear, let me do the honors!" Shiro drew and pointed at him. "Direct attack!" His monster leapt across the field and slashed him with her claws.

Forest- 0

Mary Ann- 900

Stumbling backwards, Forest fell to his back with his breathing ragged in his ears. "What a woman…" He felt completely exhausted, like he had just gotten dragged into a race where he could barely keep up with the other player.

---------------------

"Four and a half minutes…." Sanzo had barely kept up with the speed of that duel, but the timer on the screen told him everything he needed to know. "That duel ended…in four and a half minutes."

Harrison was staring at the screen for a different reason entirely. It was because of the asinine way that Mary Ann was currently bragging and celebrating her victory. "…" Something clicked in his head and his eyes disappeared behind the glare of his glasses in a very Masami-like way. "That is Shiro, isn't it?"

Mizuki and Chizuma both stiffened up visibly. "Welllll…."

The door to the bunker slid open and Shiro came flying in, throwing a punch at Harrison's head. "I'm going to kill you all over again, you sick freak!"

The demon hunter sidestepped the punch on reflex and countered with his own, sending the victor of the duel crashing into the metal wall. "It was Shiro…" He continued to mutter this over and over again before falling face-first to the ground unmoving.

Sanzo frowned at the now two unconscious members of their team. "I really wish someone would give an explanation as to what is going on right now. I'm starting to wonder whether I'm dreaming or not."

"Don't worry about that for the time being." Mizuki frowned as her name appeared on the screen. "It looks like I'm up now! Wish me luck, you guys!"

Sanzo waved his hand absent-mindedly towards her, appearing to be a bit out of it as he seriously pondered whether this was just an incredibly long-running dream or not. "Good luck."

"Do your best, Mizuki-sama!" Chizuma was currently in the process of pulling Shiro's body over to Harrison's. "Don't worry about me; I'll be watching your duel intently!"

Mizuki walked out of the duel bunker wondering whether it was a good idea to leave those two unconscious around Chizuma. She couldn't imagine what kind of bizarre positions the dancer girl could leave them in.

------------------------------------------

"_An amazing recovery by Team Virtue!"_ Mediator leapt up his seat and snapped his fingers, while over his booth a banner with the words "Go Winning Team!" fell down and it started raining confetti over his head. _"That means we get another great team leader duel! The ultimate virtuous idol of Team Virtue; Mizuki Mitsuhiro! Her opponent will be the leader of Team Wolf, the young man known as Asuma!"_

The audience erupted into another series of cheering, their excitement at its peak after watching such an amazing duel between Mary-Ann and Forest.

---------------------------------------------

Outside the arena though, a trio wandered the streets of Tokyo feeling completely lost.

"Big bro, why don't we just ask for direction!?" A girl dressed in pure black whined.

"Yeah, we've been following your instincts for hours now!" Another girl, this one dressed in pure white, added.

The young boy they were talking to stopped in his tracks, and then turned to face them, the sunglasses over his eyes reflecting the sun off their lenses brightly. "Ladies, what's my motto?"

Both girls turned to look at each other, frowning. "You keep changing it, big bro."

"It's that if you want to get anything done you have to endure the trials that come with them!" He pushed up his glasses with a thumb and grinned winningly. "Trust me ladies, I know where I'm going. We're just taking the scenic route, and once we get there I'll even buy you both ice cream." He turned and continued on his way towards the arena…well, he was pretty sure it was this direction anyway.

Meanwhile they both sighed and trudged after him.

--------------------------------------

The duel bunker door opened and Mizuki stepped out, dressed in the conservative clothes she had been wearing to hide her newly added parts. This brought a dead silence over the audience, especially the male members with their "Go Mizuki-chan" banners and signs out.

From the other end of the arena came a young man with a head colored the same as a patch of freshly moistened moss, a deep dark green. His earth-toned school uniform identified him as a member of North School, which meant that he was here representing his school as a duelist. "So you're the most popular girl duelist?" He glanced up and down her body and shrugged his shoulders. "Meh."

"I'm not here to banter with you," Mizuki's duel disk activated. "I'm here to beat you." She had to end this duel fast or else risk the discovery of the fact she was a demon right now. ("I can't even imagine how Erika would react…") The only thing that kept the demoness from killing her was the fact that she felt stronger than Mizuki significantly. If she realized that had changed there was no telling what would happen.

"_I guess you're both ready to go then!"_ Mediator's booth was completely clean somehow, not a bit of confetti in sight. _"Begin the duel then!"_

"Duel!" Both Mizuki and Asuma yelled at the same time before drawing their opening hands.

Mizuki- 4000

Asuma- 4000

"I'm first, draw!" Pulling the top card off of her deck, Mizuki held up a card and threw it down onto her disk. "I summon Rune Owl in defense mode!" A runic-feathered bird slowly lowered into play and landed in front of her. "When this monster I draw one card, and then an additional card if I have no other cards in play!" She pulled two cards from her deck and held up one of them, showing a magic card with a picture of the Rune Owl sitting atop the staff of a magician that was wearing robes covered in runic symbols. "Then I activate the magic card Sage of Rune! By discarding five Rune-named cards from my deck I can special summon a level five Rune spellcaster!"

Her deck popped out of its slot and she proceeded to discard five cards from it. "I discard five Rune-named cards from my deck and afterwards special summon Rune Necromancer in attack mode!" A blast of black fire engulfed her field and formed into a black-robed spellcaster. On top of his staff was a skull with a runic symbol etched into it. (0/0) "With this monster's special ability I can sacrifice it and an appropriate number of monsters in play to normal summon a monster from my graveyard!"

"The special effect of Rune Falcon lets me special summon it if I discard three cards from my deck!" Sliding the top three cards of her deck into her graveyard, Mizuki threw down another card and a second runed bird appeared on her field in a blast of feathers and light. (1700/1100)

The Rune Necromancer slammed the end of his staff into the ground three times, all three of Mizuki's monsters then disappearing. In their place was a towering rune-scaled dragon, its jaws open and roaring. (2900/2100) "My special summon is Rune Dragon!"

A trio of cards appeared facedown on her field next. "I set three cards facedown and end my turn."

Asuma yawned and drew, looking his hand over casually. "Sorry, but against my Card Deck you are going to lose. I can promise you that much, I've got the advantage since every single one of my cards produce advantage no matter what you do to them."

"A…Card Deck?" Mizuki tilted her head to the side and tried to figure out what this guy was talking about. "Aren't all decks Card Decks?"

"You'll see right now what I'm talking about." He grabbed a card from his hand and slapped it down onto a monster zone.

_To be continued…_


	126. Card Advantage

The Infinity Chronicles; Saviors in Tokyo Arc

Chapter 126: Card Advantage

"I summon Card Trooper." The monster that appeared on Asuma's field was a little red, blue and yellow robot that looked like it had come from a 1950s science fiction movie. (400/400)

"Card….Trooper?" Mizuki stared at the machine, finding the unveiling moment a little awkward. "Isn't it kind of, well, small?"

Tsking with a finger, Asuma grasped the top of his deck. "Card Trooper can, once per turn, send up to three cards from my deck to my graveyard. For every card discarded it gains 500 attack points until the end phase of the turn." Inserting three cards into his graveyard, a blue aura appeared around his monster as its power increased. (1900/400)

"I'm not quite following how that is…" Mizuki saw the next card he held up and stopped herself. "An equipment magic card?"

"Card Laser equips to a monster with Card in its title." A heavy shoulder-mounted laser with the same toy-like appearance of the Trooper appeared in play. "I activate a second one." Now there was a pair of lasers riding on the rounded shoulders of the little machine. (1900/400)

"Its attack hasn't changed though." Mizuki felt a little ominous about this situation though. It felt like she was missing something important.

"Card Trooper, attack Rune Dragon now!" Asuma's monster made a whining noise as its shoulder lasers started to power up. "When a monster equipped with Card Laser attacks I discard the top card of my deck. When it battles with an opponent's monster the equipped monster gains 800 attack points!" He inserted two cards from his deck into his graveyard and the power of his machine shot upwards. (3500/400)

Mizuki's eyes widened and almost on instinct she found her hand coming up. "Reverse card open, Rune of Destruction!" One of her three set cards flipped up to reveal a picture of a flaming red rune. "Your attacking monster is destroyed!" Her trap released a blast of power at the same time that the lasers of the Trooper fired, the two blasts colliding and then both cards exploding.

"At this moment, the effect of a card sent to my graveyard by Card Laser's effect activates now." Asuma held up another monster, this one a skeletal titan version of Card Trooper. "Card Supporter, when sent from my deck to my graveyard, can be removed to let me draw one card." He pulled a card from his deck before sliding his two equipment cards and his monster into his graveyard.

"I've still got the advantage though!" Mizuki smirked at the fact that not only had her dragon survived but her opponent was wide open for a loss next turn.

"At this time the effect of Card Laser and Card Trooper activates. When these cards are destroyed and go to my graveyard I draw one card, equally three total." He pulled three cards from his deck and added them to his hand. "In a battle of advantage I cannot lose, or were you not listening earlier? Oh well, I'll just set two cards facedown and end my turn there." A pair of cards shimmered into existence on his field while he smirked calmly at the angered expression on his opponent's face. "What's the matter, upset?"

Mizuki bit back a snarl and drew. ("I need to finish this quickly. A demon's temper is way too much for someone not used to controlling it.") "I summon Rune Spellsword!" A man dressed in a rune-covered leathers and holding a sword at his side appeared on her field. (1400/1400) "As long as I have a Rune monster in play along with it, Rune Dragon can attack! Rune Dragon, direct attack!" Her monster roared and started to move towards the defenseless Asuma.

"Reverse card open." One of Asuma's set cards flipped up to reveal a picture of a single card sticking into a target by its edge. "Card Shot can only activate by removing a Card Trooper in my graveyard from the game. By sending the top three cards of my deck to my graveyard I can destroy one card in play and draw a card." After inserting three cards from his deck into his graveyard, he drew a card while his trap fired a beam of light which hit the Rune Dragon and blew it apart. "At this time the effect of another Card Supporter activates." He slid the removed monster into his back pocket and drew a card.

This time Mizuki couldn't stop herself from snarling ferally. "Rune Spellsword, direct attack!" Her other monster lifted his sword and charged at full speed towards his target.

"Reverse card open!" Asuma's other set card flipped up and the charging Spellsword skidded to a halt, turned, and dashed through Mizuki, his sword flashing through her momentarily before he returned to her field.

Mizuki- 2600

Asuma- 4000

Mizuki, having brought her arms to protect herself when attacked by her own monster, lowered them and glared at her Spellsword angrily. "What are you doing!?"

"Even monsters fall for greed." Asuma held up his trap card. "Card Bribe allows me to select an attacking monster on your field. If it's your only monster then it attacks you directly instead of me. If it still remains in play at the end of the turn then I discard a card from my hand."

("He's making a complete fool out of me!") A new set card appeared on Mizuki's field. "I set one card facedown, end turn."

"I discard." Asuma held up his discarded card with a grin. "I toss out Card Bomb. When this card is discarded from my hand to the graveyard by the effect of a card with Card in its title then any cards affected by the effect of the used card is destroyed."

--------------------

Back at the boarding house, Ichigo, Griff, and Erian all stared at the screen, their faces screwed up tight. Then they all turned to look at Adriel at the same time and started to open their mouths.

"In other words, Rune Spellsword is blown away." The half dragon demon sighed as all three of their mouths closed at once and they returned to watching the screen.

---------------------

Mizuki braced herself while her monster exploded violently. "Damn it!"

"My, that's not very lady-like." Asuma drew and slapped a card down onto his field. "I summon Card Mortar." A hunch-backed toy machine appeared in play. (500/500) "Once per turn I can send three cards from my deck to my graveyard to destroy a magic or trap card in play, and afterwards increase this monster's attack power by 1000 points until the end of the turn." He did so, pointing at her center card. "Fire!" Her new monster fired a burning orb from its back that hit the set card and shattered it. (1500/500)

Another snarl came from Mizuki. She looked almost murderous now. ("This is so annoying…")

"And then," A magic card appeared on Asuma's field and his Card Mortar's attack points dropped back to 500. "The magic card Card Reset does just what it says, resetting the stats of my Mortar and allowing me to use it another time." He discarded another three cards and another of her cards was blasted. (1500/500)

("I've still got Rune of Defense.") Mizuki's remaining trap card would negate all attacks against her this turn when the enemy attacked. All she had to do was wait for him to use up more of his cards to set up a finishing blow.

"Card Mortar, direct attack!" His monster aimed the launched the orbs had come from straight at her.

"What!?" Mizuki heard the sound of its launcher firing and snapped her hand out to point at her set card. "Reverse card open! Rune of Defense guards against your attack!" A barrier of light appeared in front of her, blocking the blazing orb before it could harm her.

"Nice save, but still not enough." A pair of cards appeared behind Asuma's Card Mortar as its attack returned to 500. "End turn."

"Draw!" Mizuki was about to ask him what he meant, until his set cards flipped up. "Gift of Greed? Doesn't that let me draw two cards?"

"Yup." Asuma motioned to his other trap card. "Before you ask, let me explain with my other trap. Card Shift can only activate when we both have the same number of cards in our hand. We both discard our hands; taking 500 damage per card discarded, and then afterwards we draw a card from our deck for every card on our opponent's field."

Mizuki paled and drew two cards, followed by which she slid them all into the graveyard. Above her she could clearly hear her life points tick down rapidly along with Asuma's.

Mizuki- 600

Asuma- 2000

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Asuma crossed his arms across his chest. "Draw your card for my Card Mortar and let's see what it is. Oh, and before I forget…" His graveyard slot started to glow. "The effect of the Card Draw Counter trap I just discarded will activate in response to a card draw effect during the turn it hits my graveyard. If the drawn card is a monster you take its level times 100 in damage and it is discarded. If it's a magic card you take a straight 500 and it is discarded. If it's a trap then you discard it, plain and simple."

"So no matter what I draw…" Mizuki felt her emotions twisting now, somewhere between enraged and fearful. ("No matter what I draw I'm going to lose now. I've got no hidden secrets to guard myself with that are in my deck right now. I intended to end this duel fast, and because of my haste I'm about to lose…")

It didn't really matter though. It wasn't like their getting home rode on this tournament alone. After all, she was sure Ichigo and the others would help them find a way home regardless of what happened here. If that wasn't the problem though, then why did she feel so angry?

-----------------------

"Hold it right there, intruders!" The guards brought their handguns to aim at the three that broken in without tickets. "Now bring your hands up where we can see them!"

"I guess this means we made it, Bro." Shade noticed that Pro was trembling slightly, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses. "Something the matter?"

"We're here, and if we're here that means I've reached my goal, but…" Pro snapped a hand up to point at the closest guard. "What round is it in the Team Virtue versus Team Who-Cares duel!?"

"I don't see any point in telling you, since we're about to eject you off the premises!" The guard, handgun still pointing, approached slowly with his weapon at Pro's chest. "Now come on kid, we're taking you out of here before you cause even more problems." His hand reached out and grabbed Pro's wrist, but when he pulled there wasn't the slightest response. "Come on…"

After a few moments the boy's other hand came up and back-handed the guard in the face, sending him flying across the hallway and headfirst into the wall with enough force to crack the surrounding infrastructure. "Who are you calling a problem!?"

"That's not what he said, Bro." Both Shade and Shine tried to sooth him by rubbing his back, but he was steaming now.

"HYO!?" One of the other guards ran over to check the man that had just rediscovered how humans could fly. "Are you okay!?"

"Open fire!" One of the other guards yelled. "We're only using rubber bullets anyway! Let's handle this like professionals!"

Pro was already running at them, a vein bulging out of his forehead. "Who are you calling not professional!?" Then he went crashing into them, his arms swinging and sending them guards flying everywhere.

"That's not what they said at all, Bro." Both Shade and Shine sighed loudly and followed, knowing it was useless now. Their boss was going on a rampage now.

---------------------

It's because she hated this situation. She wasn't herself right now; she was the creation of one of Shiro's freakish pranks. Between that and the fact she was making such a bad showing, it made her want to curl up and die inside. ("I wanted to enter this tournament as a duelist; instead my pride as such has already been destroyed.") This duel had been over before it had ever begun.

"Hurry up and draw already, I'm getting bored just standing here." Asuma yawned loudly, not bothered in the slightest. "This duel will be the end of your team, so I guess you can cherish it as much as you need to…but for the sake of the audience let's not take too long, okay?"

"I…" Hands shaking, Mizuki started to place her hand on top of her deck. "I surren…"

"SUPER!" Up in the stands a random wall exploded into bits of rubble, a steaming Pro lowering his fist and dashing to the edge of the railing without even noticing the twitching bodies of the guards that had been in his way when he had punched the wall. "Oh, there she is! HAHAHA, I made it! I knew it, that today's me couldn't possibly miss the round!"

No one was speaking; instead they all just stared at Pro. The cameras had him in frame, and even the Moderator didn't have anything to say in response to this.

Pro was looking down at the arena though, and his eyes were wide behind his shades. "Hey, what's going on here!? Why does she look so sad!?" His head dropped into shadow and his shoulders started trembling. "That just won't do at all. No chance, no chance, no chance…NO CHANCE!"

His arms shot up towards the ceiling, while a giant banner with the words "Fight Mizuki-chan!" unfurled over the gaping hole in the wall behind him. A few explosions of glitter and colored smoke erupted to both sides of him, while bright circles of light resembling spotlights fell over both him and the banner.

"Don't you dare give up!" Pro pointed down at the arena, directly at the now wide-eyed and twitching Mizuki. "If you give up then I'll never forgive you, Mizuki-chan! Do you hear me!? I, Pro Pilkington, will not just never forgive you but I'll even tear up my Mizuki Fan Club President Card right in front of your cute but heartbroken face!" He threw his head back and bellowed out something that could either have been interpreted as a battlecry or someone trying to stop themselves from crying.

----------------

Everyone at the boarding house stared at the screen in completely and utter astonishment. Finally Griff broke the silence by daring to ask "That is Pro, right? I mean, the Pro that's Ichigo's adopted brother, seventh savior, etc….right? I'm not just having a seizure, am I?"

"What did I tell you about making a mockery of the Pilkington name, Pro!?" Ichigo grabbed the television and shook it repeatedly, shaking the room and threatening to make certain paintings fall off the walls.

---------------

Down on the arena floor, Mizuki continued to stare up at the insane American that was currently singing some kind of horribly off-key tribute to her…at least she thought that was it. Even though she understood English fluently the fact he was talking so fast and with such a strange accept made it hard to translate clearly.

"_One, two, one, two, oh yeah!"_ Pro struck a rather silly bow-legged pose with his hands formed into an X shape. _"Not worth giving up, not worth losing, not on my team and not with my teammates!"_ From behind him Shade and Shine held up a pair of flags, one of them the American and the other the Japanese, crossing them in a shape similar to his hands. And behind all three of them fountains of multi-colored sparks shot out of the ground from an unknown source.

----------------

Halo steeped his hands together, facing Alahandra and trying to reign in his anger before he accidentally killed all life on the planet. "You did what now?"

"I recruited Pro as my third filler." The gold-haired girl grinned, as behind her dark-haired counterpart were numerous images of what Pro was doing on numerous screens all across Halo's private viewing room. "You said you didn't care who it was, right?"

"You're right, I did." A click came from his side as Halo pressed the button to activate the voice recorder in his chair. "Note to self: Assassinate Pro and hire new Alahandra Handlers."

-----------------

"_With all that said…"_ Pro, Shine and Shade all shot their hands up towards another banner, this one falling down and hanging down above their heads with the words "Fight, Mizuki-chan!" written on it.

Mizuki wasn't sure how to react to all this, since she had stopped trying to understand what Pro was saying about two minutes ago. And then her stunned and unable to continue process of thought was knocked out it, the cause being a rainbow blast of light that fell over her. ("Wait, I've felt this feeling…")

After a few passing seconds of tingling she felt under her hat, and her anger faded into joy. There was no ears there, just hair. She was back to normal. ("But how!?") Her head tilted up to look at where the beam had come from.

Masami waved at her, sweat dripping from his forehead while he felt Harrison's and the now male Shiro's glares burning into the back of his skull from out of sight. ("I didn't think I could repair the GAD in such a short amount of time, but after Harrison's…") He wasn't even sure they had been threats. Just veiled emotions that made him imagine himself being tortured to death. ("It's amazing the motivation you find when you are faced with your own demise by an angry female cat demon and a demon hunter with no sense of humor.")

"_A rainbow beacon of hope! Oh yeah!"_ Pro pointed at the banner again. _"Now take that as your signal, and fight like a real hero! Go Mizuki-chan!"_

Mizuki had followed the last part of that at least, and smiling up at Pro in thanks for the emotional support she brought her attention back to the still-bored looking Asuma. "You must live a pretty exciting life."

"Nope, I'm just used to you crazy people causing a ruckus around Tokyo." Shrugging his shoulders, he smiled calmly. "So, how about you draw and let's end this?"

Throwing her cap to the wind vents at both sides of her, Mizuki let her hair blow behind her for a moment before smiling with a look that said she was back. "I'll show you my duelist's pride! Draw!" She pulled the top card off of her deck and brought it up to look at it.

"At this time the effect of Card Draw Counter activates!" The trap slid out of Asuma's graveyard and he held the card up for her to see. "Let's have a look at what it is."

"In response, I activate the quickplay magic card Rune of Hope!" Mizuki's revealed card had a white rune with a glowing blue-white background. "From my graveyard I can activate the magic card Rune Hybrid!" A card slid out of her graveyard, and she held it up. "Sorry, that means that your trap effect has nothing to work on."

Asuma grimaced and slid his trap into his back pocket. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean a thing. Or have you forgotten you're a mere 600 life points from defeat?"

"What does that matter if it's my turn?" Mizuki slid her returned card into his disk. "Rune Hybrid lets me remove Rune magic cards from my graveyard to special summon a Rune Warrior fusion monster!" She held up Rune of Destruction and Rune of Defense. "By removing these two I special summon Rune Warrior of Shattering!" A pillar of light erupted from the ground in front of her, forming into a towering warrior holding a spiked shield on one arm and a battleaxe in the other. (2000/1200) "Warrior of Shattering, attack Card Mortar now! Shatter Point Strike!"

Asuma braced himself while the monster leapt across the field and crushed his monster easily, the resulting explosion surprisingly powerful. "This duel isn't over yet!"

Mizuki- 600

Asuma- 500

"Shattered Body." Mizuki held up her fusion monster card. "The special ability of Warrior of Shattering is that when he defeats a monster in battle you take that monster's highest score, whether it be attack or defense, in damage!"

Mizuki- 600

Asuma- 0

The field slowly faded away. Asuma frowned and shoved his hands into his pockets. Turning away, he started to walk off towards the extending bunker. The audience was quiet, a bit overloaded from the sheer number of crazy things happening all at once. "It looks like I've got a ways to go before I'm a match for the number one babe of this tournament. Oh well, good luck in the next round." He glanced back over at her past his shoulder, a slight smile on his lips before he kept walking. "You're going to need it, if what I've heard is any indication."

And then all other sound was drowned out by the cheering of the crowds of Mizuki fans. Up at the location of his little stage show, Pro had tears of joy streaming down past the lenses of his shades while yelling out Mizuki's name over and over again with the rest of the crowd. Shiro was doing similar; the regret of what he had done still weighing down on him like a five hundred pound weight. Even Harrison was cheering, in his own silent brooding way.

And through it all, despite the fact it had been a horrible day up to this point…despite the fact that she'd been made a fool of earlier, her pride destroyed and her composure obliterated…despite the fact that at least three times she had thought about killing someone…she smiled. Mizuki smiled, she laughed, and bathed in the revelry that she felt around her, in her own mind, and even through the link she shared with Ichigo. She had won, they had won, and that was all that mattered right now.

"_The winner of Team Virtue versus Team Wolf is Team Virtue! They're moving on to Round Three!"_


	127. Straight into the fire

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, by now this should obvious…and if not, I pity you.

The Infinity Chronicles

Chapter 127: Straight into the Fire

The first thing Mizuki encountered when she walked in through the front door of the boarding house was Ichigo embracing her tightly in a hug. "You've had a rough day…" His words were warm, and for a moment she wondered if was what it was like having an older brother…

The rest of Team Halo were behind him, and all of them were smiling in their own ways. There was no huge party this time, but there didn't need to be. Team Virtue didn't need to be reminded of some of the rather disturbing things that had happened today, amongst the victories.

It was a silent celebration, at least until Pro suddenly came flying in with Peace and Shade behind him, the two aliens trailing a banner with Mizuki's name on it and the leader of the strange group dressed in red and blue jacket with white streamers. Swinging around a couple of gold sparklers, he grinned at Ichigo. "We are the champions…jealous, big bro? I've got a super-hot babe like Mizuki-sama on my team, while you've just got the grumpy old wolf-lady."

Ichigo's right eye twitched and he released Mizuki. "There's so much I need to tell you…"

Any revelations were cut off though by the scream of Masami from outside. Crashes resounded off the walls, and a few moments later the green-haired self-proclaimed genius came running inside with Teruha, Eri, and Chizuma all on his heels, waving various pain-inflicting implements. They all rushed past, excluding Eri, who stopped in front of Pro.

The two of them glared at each other for a moment, and then with lightning speed she punched him in the cheek. He spun in place and dropped to the floor. "I didn't even know you were here and knew you had insulted me…" When no one nearby argued, she turned to face Mizuki with a confident smile on her face. "However I did hear what happened today."

Mizuki stiffened and her eyes widened in fear. When she saw Eri's hand approaching she flinched for a moment, until she realized that the demoness's hand was resting on her shoulder. "Huh…"

Eri grinned disarmingly. "Considering how many layers of cement you punched that idiot through, I'd say you would be a welcome addition to the demon race."

Ichigo leaned over slightly to the slack-jawed Mizuki and whispered "Just say thank you and nod."

"Thank you and nod," Mizuki muttered.

"Good enough!" Patting the other girl on the shoulder, the demoness rushed off and resumed her Masami-hazing.

Adriel walked over and nudged Pro with his foot. "Can we finally bury the pain in the ass?"

His answer came in the form of Pro grabbing his foot and pulling him to the ground, while the younger human stood up and pounded his metallic fist into his flesh hand. "You can't bury me yet, I've got so much to do! Like take Mizuki-sama out on a…"

Ichigo put his hand over his adopted younger brother's mouth swiftly. "Let me explain what we believe the nature of Mizuki to be before you finish that sentence, or else you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

--------------

_A few minutes later…_

--------------

A very pale-faced Pro rushed outside after getting an explanation that basically was "Mizuki is like our sister, so therefore your declaration about a date…" No more needed to be said, really.

The whole time, the black-haired girl wondered if this was what having a little brother was like. And when Ichigo shot her an exasperated look which he directed out towards where Pro had gone to vomit, she understood it was. And for not the first time, she felt warm inside.

"Now then," Griff yelled from inside the kitchen. "Who wants leftover steak!?"

Not a single member of Team Virtue present dared said anything to the contrary.

-----------------

Even though he was full, Ichigo took a seat at the table along with the rest of Team Virtue, and the rest of Team Halo joined in too. Excluding Masami, who was currently in a smoldering crater outback.

While they talked about the different duels today, and each member of Team Virtue got their moment of praise in the spotlight in that regard, there were more than a couple of tensions which could be felt at the table. The first was so obvious that no one dared to comment on it, though not a single person could possibly miss it.

Harrison sat down at the table, pointedly across from Shiro. The two of them ate in silence, but constantly shared looks that were both perfectly murderous in nature. It wasn't until Sanzo started to raise his voice and laughed about how completely humorous the entire situation with the GAD had been. They both turned death glares on him, and he smartly shut up.

A few awkward silences later, Chizuma slammed her hands down on the table and stood up to glare at the both of them. "That's enough brooding out of the both of you! Were either of you at fault…" She stopped as their glares told her in no uncertain terms to stop talking…

The real thing that broke the silence was an angry declaration from just outside. "Damn you Ichigo! Get your ass out here so I can make you pay for…" Ichigo was already rushing outside, preferring the idiotic ramblings of his adopted younger brother over the killer atmosphere of the kitchen table.

Shiro and Harrison followed, their Duel Disks already on. Settling this with their fists would have been foolish, so they were going to settle this in the only way they really knew how…

And finally the conversations picked up again, this time punctuated by explosion after house-shaking explosion.

------------------

Rysel glanced over at the dirt-covered Masami that stumbled in with a casual smile on his face. "Masami-kun, how are things?"

Masami's answer was to drop the twisted piece of metal that had once been a spoon at the Blood Prince's feet. "This was in my spleen a minute ago…" Then he collapsed face-first to the carpet, a twitching mess.

"Truly, you were pwned then!" Rysel declared this cheerfully and kicked his feet out, using the mess that was Masami as a foot-rest.

------------------

Shiro normally never took his anger out with physical violence, but this was the one time when he didn't care. He'd lost against Harrison over and over again, and now with everyone turning in for the night he had no one to burn this excess aggression out on. Apparently Harrison had already taken a good amount of anger out on the supposedly invincible Masami, but Shiro hadn't gotten to have that pleasure. And he wouldn't have taken the opportunity anyway, because what would it have accomplished. If anyone was deserving of punishment, it was him.

And so he ineffectually punched the demon-strength resistant punching bag over and over again, ignoring the soreness in his knuckles. Down here in the gym, no one would hear him screaming futilely.

Well, everyone but Ichigo, who was standing at the entrance to the room. "Rough day?"

Shiro didn't even hear him, so loud was his shout of frustration. "Where did the plan go wrong!? I had it all worked out, and in the end I screwed up so terribly badly…"

Ichigo had no answer to that, except to activate his Duel Disk. He'd brought it with him because he knew that Shiro was mad, Mizuki had told him so. And she didn't know how to handle this situation. Neither did he, honestly, but he'd try to make things better the only way he knew how. "Show me your power, Shiro. Show me what you wanted to show Mizuki…"

"Yeah," The green-haired boy snorted in frustration. "That's a great idea…I can get my ass destroyed in a duel by both Harrison and you today, great therap…" He turned and looked into Ichigo's eyes, and realized that the half-demon wasn't going to take no for an answer. "You honestly expect this to make things better at all?"

"I've got no clue, but it's better than nothing!" Even as Ichigo said this though, he was having his doubts. After all, his way of dealing with things might not work for most. He couldn't stop now though. "Draw!" Adding a card to his hand, he held up a magic card. "I activate the magic card The Return of the Cyber Shadows! By discarding a Final Shadow from my hand, I can add one Cyber Shadow and one Polymerization from my deck to my hand, but during this turn I can't use either." He slid Final Shadow Death God into his graveyard and then held up a pair of cards that had come from his deck. "I add Cyber Shadow Soldier and Polymerization to my hand."

Shuffling his hand cards together, Ichigo waited for Shiro to go get his Duel Disk. There was no point in continuing with this plan if Shiro didn't go with it.

However the green-haired boy didn't disappoint, and activated his own disk right after he retrieved it from the corner of the room where he had thrown it. "Fine, let's do this…" His voice was strangely cold towards Ichigo, and this left the half-demon still doubting the wisdom of his choice.

"From my hand," Ichigo placed a monster onto his disk, and a kneeling robot appeared on his field. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Guardian in defense mode!" (0/2200) "Also, I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Draw!" Shiro narrowed his eyes at Ichigo, and then held up a magic card. "I activate Grave Life, sending five monsters from my deck to the graveyard to gain 2000 life points." A green aura lit up around his body as his life points increased by half their original total.

Ichigo- 4000

Shiro- 6000

"And then I activate Pot of Avarice, returning five monsters from my graveyard to my deck to draw two cards!" Shuffling the same five monsters he discarded back into his deck, he pulled free two new cards and nodded at what he saw. "Then I summon Action Warrior-Gunner in attack mode!" A gun-wielding action hero appeared on his field. (1800/1000) "Battle! Action Shootout!" His monster opened fire, the bullets pinging off the heavy armor of Guardian a few times before the robot exploded violently. "When Gunner attacks a defense mode monster, after damage calculation, the defense mode monster in destroyed!"

Ichigo- 4000

Shiro- 5600

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo's set card flipped up and the Guardian that had just been destroyed slid out of his graveyard. "Cyber Shadow Intel removes a Cyber Shadow from my graveyard and lets me add a Cyber Shadow of the same level from my deck to my hand! My choice is the 2000 attacker of the Cyber Shadows, Blademaster!" Adding the card to his hand, he frowned at the frustrated look on Shiro's face. "What's the matter with you Shiro? I can understand that situation must have been annoying and embarrassing, but can't you get over it already?"

"You don't understand a single thing!" Shiro nodded to Ichigo though, despite the anger he was barely keeping under control. "Just take your turn."

"Draw!" Ichigo held up a familiar magic card, one he'd used many times before. "Polymerization fuses Cyber Shadow Blademaster and Final Shadow God Halo Breaker together now!" A pair of dark warriors wielding swords appeared above his head and was sucked into a swirling vortex of energy. The being that emerged from within that swirl was bathed in dark energy, a double-sword wielder that carried two blades made of darkness. "Eternal Shadow Halo Master in attack mode!" (1400/1200) "When this monster is summoned it gains two Halo Counters, and for each Halo Counter on this card it gains 700 attack points!" (2800/1200) "And by removing one such counter, I can blast an attack mode monster on your field! Break the Halo activate!" His monster swung its swords and released two scythes of dark energy that slashed the Action Warrior-Gunner apart. (2100/1200) "Direct attack, One Halo Blade!"

Shiro barely flinched under the power of the monster's strike.

Ichigo- 4000

Shiro- 3500

"End turn!" Ichigo didn't like where this was going. "Shiro, listen to me…"

"Draw!" Shiro didn't want to listen. Right now he wanted to crush his opponent, and not waste time with words. "At the cost of 2000 life points my ultimate field magic card activates now! Go Budget Busting Studio Set!" Nothing around them changed.

Ichigo- 4000

Shiro- 1500

"Also, I activate Grave Life!" Shiro slid five monsters into his graveyard and his life points returned to their previous amount.

Ichigo- 4000

Shiro- 3500

Shiro motioned around them, despite the lack of a visible field card effect. "While Budget Busting Studio Set doesn't come with a visual effect, as long as its in play and my Action Warriors attack a stronger monster, they gain 1000 attack points during the damage step. Also, this card cannot be destroyed. While it remains in play, I can play field magic cards from my hand into my magic and trap zones as continuous magic cards!"

He slid another card into his disk, and all around them the gym changed to a scene of a back alley surrounded by towering buildings. "I activate as a continuous magic card the field magic card Back Alley Brawl! While this card remains in play, I select and special summon one level four or lower Action Warrior from my hand! My choice is Action Warrior-Badass Villain!" A lightning bolt crashed down on his field and formed into a man dressed in a flowing trenchcoat, a snide smile on his face as he adjusted his sunglasses. (1500/1300) "That monster…." Four more Badass Villains appeared on his field. "Fills my field with tokens!" (1500/1300)x4. "Action Warrior-Badass Villain, attack Halo Master now!" His original monster calmly walked forward until it was within three feet of Ichigo's monster, and then kicked the creature right in the chin, sending it flying upwards into the sky before it was destroyed.

Ichigo- 3600

Shiro- 3500

"And the effect of Badass Villain is that when a monster is destroyed as a result of battle by its attack the controller takes 1000 points of damage!" His monster walked up to Ichigo and kicked the half demon in the chin as well, sending him skidding backwards. And all the while Shiro was smiling ferociously.

Ichigo- 2600

Shiro- 3500

Rubbing his chin with his hand, Ichigo winced at the pain in his jaw. "That was a strong kick…" He started to approach, and smiled warmly. "The other Tokens can't attack directly, right?"

"That's right," Shiro muttered, stealing his own smile away. "They can't be sacrificed either. However, that doesn't matter. This is one duel I will win! I set one card facedown. End turn."

"Before we continue, tell me why you're so mad." Ichigo knew the truth now, and it bothered him because he hated being left in the dark. "What did I do to you that makes you hate me so much? Normally those that hate me explain in painful detail why they feel that way."

"I'm not telling you a single thing, not as long as Mizuki might hear it…" Shiro's face twisted angrily as he spoke, and his free hand clenched tighter and tighter. "…Not as long as I could rather beat you down!"

"Have it your way." Ichigo grasped the top card of his deck. "I'll warn you though; the power of my Eternal Shadows isn't to be underestimated."

_To be continued…_


	128. The Cost of Power

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh.

The Infinity Chronicles

Chapter 128: The Cost of Power

"It's my turn!" Ichigo drew and held up another of his fusion support cards. "Fusion Recovery adds one Polymerization and one fusion-material monster from my graveyard to my hand! I recover Halo Breaker and Polymerization!" The two cards slid out of his graveyard and he added them to his hand.

A blast of darkness erupted on his field and formed into the dark-haired form of his dark side's embodiment. "I summon Final Shadow Halo Breaker!" (1700/1000) "When Halo Breaker is summoned I add one Shadow Counter to him, increasing his attack by 300!" (2000/1000) "And then by removing that counter I can destroy one attack mode monster in play! Shadow Breaking Blade!" His monster lifted its now glowing sword up and swung it at Badass Villain.

"Reverse card open!" Shiro's set card flipped up and one of his Badass Villain tokens exploded. "By the effect of my continuous trap card, Stunt Double Guard, I can destroy one same level monster on my field to negate the destruction of my Badass Villain!" The crescent of dark light that came from Halo Breaker was redirected into one of the tokens, blowing it apart.

"Halo Breaker attacks Badass Villain now! Halo Slash!" Ichigo's monster dove across the field and slashed his blade into Shiro's monster. A few moments later another token exploded. "Your continuous trap saved him?"

Ichigo- 2600

Shiro- 3300

"That's right!" Shiro smirked at Ichigo. "It'll take three more attacks to clear my monster out of existence this turn. Can you do it?"

"Yup," Ichigo held up a magic card. "I activate the quickplay magic card Dark Warrior Revolution! One dark warrior monster on my field is returned to my hand, and then from my hand one level four or lower dark warrior is special summoned!" Halo Breaker disappeared and he picked up the card, placing down a familiar face. "Cyber Shadow Soldier is special summoned!" (1600/1400) "Cyber Beam!" A ray of black light leapt from the soldier's fingertips and slammed into the Badass Villain, while another token exploded.

Ichigo- 2600

Shiro- 3200

"Another quickplay magic, this one called Shadows Across Time!" Ichigo held up the Halo Breaker card. "By discarding one Final or Cyber Shadow in my hand to the graveyard, as well as one on my field, I can special summon an Eternal Shadow from my fusion deck with the discarded field monster's name in its material components. At the end phase of this turn the monster summoned by this effect is destroyed!" He discarded Halo Breaker to the graveyard and then motioned to Soldier, which disappeared. "As one more additional cost, I have to discard the other fusion-material monsters printed on the fusion card from my deck as well. I discard Final Shadow Void Mercenary to the graveyard and special summon Eternal Shadow Void Soldier!"

A dark hole opened in the sky in front of him and from within it emerged a powered-up looking version of his Cyber Shadow Soldier. (1900/1600) "When this card is summoned I can equip it with an equipment magic card in my deck. I choose Eternal Gear; Jagged Automatic!" A wicked-looking automatic rifle appeared in the hands of his monster. "The equipped monster's attack increases by 600 points, and when it destroys as opponent's monster as a result of battle it can attack once more in a row!" (2500/1600)

Shiro's right eye twitched fearfully. "No friggin' way…"

"Jagged Battalion!" Ichigo's Soldier opened fire and pummeled the last remaining token with bullets, blowing it to smithereens.

Ichigo- 2600

Shiro- 2200

"By the effect of Jagged Automatic, once more!" Ichiigo's monster didn't stop firing, pummeling the real Badass Villain with bullets. However, he didn't explode. Instead, Stunt Double Guard did. "What!?"

Ichigo- 2600

Shiro- 600

"When a monster on my field would be destroyed in battle, after damage calculation I may pay half my life and destroy Stunt Double Guard instead!" Shiro slid his trap card into the graveyard. "Sorry, but I won't die that easily. And it's a shame, since your monster will be destroying itself during the next turn…"

Ichigo looked at the remaining card in his hand, and sweat beaded on his forehead. "Shiro-kun…let's just say hypothetically that I was holding De-Fusion…"

That caused another uncharacteristic surge of anger in Shiro's face. "I don't even know why I bothered to accept this duel! I knew I was going to lose in the first place, and yet I still subjected myself to it! Do I just like to take hits!?"

"Shiro-kun…" Ichigo's ears lilted as he realized that his method of cheering up definitely didn't work for most people. "Just tell me what's wrong! I want to be able to help, and the fact you're so mad is making Mizuki concerned too!"

"Making Mizuki concerned…" Shiro balled his free hand into a fist. "I did all that to her and she's still concerned for me. And then here comes Ichigo the hero, the guy that didn't know her at all and suddenly becomes closer to her than anyone should be able to become close to a girl. A perfect…friggin'…guy!" His glare at the half-demon couldn't have been more hateful.

"I'm the problem?" Ichigo pointed at himself stupidly, not quite understanding. "Wait, but what did I do? I mean, if you like Mizuki…"

"Not one more word out of your mouth!" Shiro growled from somewhere low within his throat, a noise full of spite. "I tried to become a hero for Mizuki and wound up turning into a villain, and yet she still pities me and wants to make me feel better! I already know I'm a failure as a hero, I can accept that! At least as a villain, I won't fail! I won't let myself fail!" He was talking more to himself than Ichigo at this point.

And Ichigo realized this, and also felt a dangerous tension in the air. ("Something is definitely wrong! I have to end this now!") "I activate De-Fusion from my hand!" Void Soldier split into two bolts of dark light, one becoming Cyber Shadow Soldier and the other becoming Final Shadow Void Mercenary. (1600/1400) (1700/1600) "Cyber Shadow Soldier, attack Badass Villain now! Cyber Beam!" A new ray leapt from the fingertips of his monster and hit the Action Warrior, and this time it was destroyed.

Ichigo- 2600  
Shiro- 500

Shiro barely noticed his monster's destruction, his hair whipping in the explosive wind and his eyes covered by the shadows caused by the lights directly above.

"Sorry Shiro-kun, but I'm ending this now! Final Shadow Void Mercenary, Dark Beam!" Ichigo's Final Shadow version of Soldier leapt into the air, a star of black light charging at his fingertips.

"From my graveyard," Shiro bellowed strongly, and something slid out of his graveyard. "The card I sent to the graveyard with Grave Life activates now! Necro Gardna removes itself from the game and negates your attack!" A red and black warrior appeared on his field and absorbed the beam of black energy meant to finish him off.

("That's not good…") "End turn." Ichigo wished he had some kind of game-ending trick up his sleeve, but he was dry. That fusion rush technique had exhausted all of his current resources.

"It seems that I can't be a hero to Mizuki as long as you're around," Shiro drew, his eyes still covered by shadow. "Then I will have to change that, right?"

"Ummm…" Ichigo rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Really, you don't need to go that far."

"Erosion Vein activates!" The Back Alley around them shattered, and Shiro drew two cards from his deck. "And then the magic card Paradise Collapse! By removing one field magic card on my field from the game, I can draw one card from my deck and during my next turn's standby phase I can draw one additional card!" His Budget-Busting Set disappeared and he drew one card.

("Three cards in his hand too.") Ichigo knew that with only his current monsters guarding him, he wouldn't be able too win.

"Feel my anger, Ichigo Pilkington!" Shiro held up a magic card and a dummy dressed in a trenchcoat appeared on his field. "Stunt Doll special summons one Stunt Token to my field!" (0/0) "And I sacrifice this token to summon Thriller Warrior-Blood Gunner!" The Token disappeared and a dark version of his Action Warrior-Gunner appeared on his field. (1800/1600) "You aren't the only one that can upgrade the power of his cards."

"So it seems, Shiro-kun." Ichigo frowned as the air around them grew darker, and in the distance a full moon appeared. "A field magic card?"

"Dark Setting-Immortal Moon…" Shiro pointed at Final Shadow Soldier. "Dark Gunslinger Shot!" His new monster lifted up its pistols and opened fire, lancing blasts of darkness piercing Ichigo's monster and blowing it apart. "And when Blood Gunner destroys a monster as a result of battle, you take its attack in damage!"

Ichigo bit back his screams of pain as he was pierced by bullet after bullet. ("Ouch…") Dropping to one knee, he weakly looked past the Gunner at Shiro. "Shiro-kun…"

Ichigo- 800

Shiro- 500

"Enough," Shiro gritted his teeth and his eyes finally opened, revealing a soft red glow underneath their normal color. "I don't care about anything more than defeating you at the moment, so take your turn!"

"Fine!" Ichigo drew and slid the card into his disk. "I place one card facedown on my field and switch Cyber Shadow Soldier to defense mode." His warrior dropped to one knee and guarded itself. "End turn."

"And now it's time to end this!" Shiro drew and pointed at the Soldier. "Dark Gunslinger Shot!"

"Hold it!" Ichigo's set card flipped up and Soldier switched to attack mode. "Reverse card open, Shadow Feint! One defense mode Shadow on my field, when attacked, switches to attack mode and gains 500 attack points!" (2100/1400) "Cyber Beam!" Soldier lifted up its fingers and released a ray of energy that slammed into the Blood Gunner and then into Shiro. "Take that!"

Ichigo- 800

Shiro- 200

"By the effect of Immortal Moon, I discard one copy of Blood Gunner from my deck to negate the battle destruction of my monster." He slid a copy of the card from his deck to the graveyard, and then slid a card from his hand into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw!" Ichigo exhaled sharply at what he had drawn. "I activate the magic card Gun Drain! By reducing the attack of an attack mode monster on my field with 1500 or more attack points by 1500, I can equip it with one equipment magic card from my deck." Soldier's body released a soft black energy that entered his deck and forced a card free from it. "My choice is Special Operative Weapon-Stinger!" A rocket launcher appeared over the shoulder of his monster. (100/0) "This card comes into play with two counters on it, and by removing one I can destroy a monster in play with attack 1500 or more than the equipped monster's attack power! Rocket Shot!" The Stinger fired once, the shot slamming into Blood Gunner and blowing him apart. "I switch Soldier to defense mode and end my turn!" His warrior dropped to one knee and guarded itself.

"_It seems that it is time to introduce myself, Ichigo Pilkington."_ The voice came from all around them, and the darkness caused by the field card grew even darker.

"…who are you?" Ichigo was surprised, but he didn't show it. It was obvious that it wasn't Shiro anymore…

"_You're absolutely wrong, my friend."_ The voice began laughing, as did Shiro. His eyes were now a blood-red color, and his smile was a wicked one. _"This is merely my way of introducing myself."_

"And, as I asked before, just who are you!?" Ichigo clenched his fist tightly, angry over the fact that another enemy was using his friends to get to him.

"_If Shiro Akugi held no anger towards you, then I wouldn't be able to manifest my power through him."_ The voice snickered down at the half demon. _"He's angry with you because you are connected with Mizuki so suddenly, and you are the hero. Even when he tried to cheat and become a hero, he couldn't win. And yet you don't even try and you become one. How irritating…isn't that right, Shiro-kun?"_

"Friggin' annoying!" Shiro's voice was harsh, and deeper than normal. "Ichigo, I will use this power to kill you because you piss me off!"

"_Have you figured out who you speak with, Ichigo Pilkington?"_ The voice teased him now, whispering into Ichigo's ears mockingly. _"The Darkness of the Heart...you are one of the rare beings that have conquered theirs completely, but the same cannot be said for others. Shiro-kun, show him my power."_

"During my draw phase, I skip my draw to activate the Dark Dimension Draw!" Shiro reached into thin air and his hand disappeared. "I draw one card from his deck!" His hand reappeared, now holding a card that was dripping with dark energy. "And during my standby phase, I draw once from my deck for Paradise Collapse!" He pulled a card from his own deck. "Only during my draw phase can I perform a Dark Dimension Draw."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes angrily, but not at Shiro. "Tell me who you are already!"

The voice was silent. Shiro, however, was not. "From my hand I activate the magic card Mirrorverse Change! All cards on my field are removed from the game!" The Immortal Moon disappeared, but the darkness remained. "For every one removed, I draw one card!" He pulled a card from his deck and held it up, sneering. "Magic card activate!"

Ichigo paled as his Soldier stood up and the Stinger card exploded. "Why?"

"I activate the magic card Real Man's Determination." Shiro pointed at Cyber Shadow Soldier. "One defense mode monster on your field switches to attack mode, and becomes immune to all effects for the rest of its stay on the field. In other words your equipment magic card was unable to exist!"

Ichigo braced himself, preparing for the worst. However, what happened next surprised him more than a heavy attack would have.

"I play Scapegoat and end my turn!" Four colored Goat Tokens appeared on Shiro's field. (0/0)x4

"Scape…goat?" Ichigo sweatdropped, but drew. "Seriously? That is your big play, Scapegoat?"

Shiro looked dead serious.

"Fine, I attack with Soldier! Cyber Beam!" Ichigo's monster leapt at one of the goat's and blasted it with a beam of darkness. "Also, I set one card facedown and end my turn." A card shimmered facedown onto his field. "Tell me who you are!"

"Dark Dimension Draw!" Shiro's hand disappeared momentarily, and then reappeared with another card that was dripping with darkness. "I sacrifice three monsters on my field to special summon…"

Time stopped momentarily, and Ichigo could hear that voice in his mind. _"Ichigo Pilkington, can you figure out who I am? I manipulated the heartstrings and Heart of Darkness of the weakling across from you. Even now he fights you of his own will, more than willing to kill you without any regret at all. Well Ichigo, who am I!?"_

Then time picked up again, right as the three Scapegoat tokens dissolved. "…Dark Mirror Golem!" A towering being made entirely of dark-colored crystal appeared on his field. (0/0) "When this card is summoned, I can activate a specific card from His deck! Field magic activates, Inner Darkness!" The room faded, and they were both standing on a platform made of purple-black crystal, surrounded by a swirling void. "While this card is in play, the attack and defense of all Dark Mirror monsters in play is 3000!" (3000/3000) "Dark Mirror Golem, attack Cyber Shadow Soldier! Inner Dark Obliteration!" The crystal monster lifted an arm up and aimed it at Ichigo's monster. "For the sake of my own happiness, I will kill you!"

"You'll have to hit me first!" Ichigo motioned to his set card and his Cyber Shadow Soldier dashed across the field, tackling the Dark Mirror Golem roughly. "Shadow Crash destroys my attack mode Shadow as well as your monster!"

"You wish it were that easy!" Shiro's Dark Mirror Golem pierced Cyber Shadow Soldier with its claws and he exploded. "When a Dark Mirror monster would be destroyed, I may choose to move the game ahead by one phase to negate that destruction!"

"What!?" Ichigo paled as he realized that all he had done was escape the current battle phase. "That's…that's…"

"_Merely a taste of my power…"_ The voice laughed from everywhere at once, the sound causing the darkness of the crystals at their feet to flare stronger. _"Ichigo Pilkington, if just this has you surprised…then I truly pity you. You have faced gods, embodiments of the elements, and the mightiest demons…yet you have never faced anything like me, and that lack of knowledge, that fear you still hold within your heart, will be your downfall!"_

This left only thing for Ichigo to say…to scream into the darkness in anger. "Who are you!?"

"_I am the consequence of the Silver Mirror Gate that you have used, a power which should have never been awakened. I am the Dark Mirror Gate."_

_To be continued…_


	129. A Dark Mirror into the Soul

"_Merely a taste of my power…"_ The voice laughed from everywhere at once, the sound causing the darkness of the crystals at their feet to flare stronger. _"Ichigo Pilkington, if just this has you surprised…then I truly pity you. You have faced gods, embodiments of the elements, and the mightiest demons…yet you have never faced anything like me, and that lack of knowledge, that fear you still hold within your heart, will be your downfall!"_

This left only thing for Ichigo to say…to scream into the darkness in anger. "Who are you!?"

"_I am the consequence of the Silver Mirror Gate that you have used, a power which should have never been awakened. I am the Dark Mirror Gate."_

-----------------------------

The Infinity Chronicles

Chapter 129: A Dark Mirror into the Soul

"I set one card facedown on my field, end turn." A card floated out of the dark crystal beneath them and appeared on Shiro's field.

"Draw!" Ichigo glanced at the drawn card, and then at his empty field. ("Thank you!") "I activate the magic card Turnabout Treasure! This card can only be activated if I have no cards on my field or in my hand. For every card on your field, I draw one card!" Pulling three cards from his deck, he paled at the sight of one of them.

"Continue your turn…" Shiro's voice was deeper now, so angry it was more a growl than words. The whites of his eyes were red now, and he looked like he was on the verge of exploding with rage.

"_You heard him,"_ the voice taunted. _"Make your move."_

Ichigo heard them, but he also saw a dangerous option before him. The card in his hand was Berry A La Mode. With it, he could unleash one of the Berry Decks, his ultimate power, on Shiro. But what happened to the loser of this duel? Could he banish the darkness in Shiro's heart without hurting his physical body?

"What's the matter?" Shiro snarled. "Play something or accept your death, hero!"

"You're not my real enemy, sorry Shiro-kun." Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "I activate the continuous magic card Black Market Investment. Removing one card in my hand from the game is its cost." He pulled Berry A La Mode free and slid it into his back pocket. "During each turn, I can flip a coin. If I get heads, then I draw one card. If its tails then Black Market Investment destroys itself and I add the removed card to my hand. Go!" The card released a soft green glow. "My investment paid off, draw!" He drew another card.

Two cards appeared on his field, one set next to Black Market Investment, and the other on his field. "End turn."

"Draw!" Shiro glanced at the drawn card, and then pointed at Ichigo's set monster. "Battle!" The Dark Mirror Golem punched the set monster and it shattered. "From my hand…."

"Hang on!" Ichigo's set monster reappeared behind him, a silent phantom robot with a digital clock installed in its chest. "Chrono Shadow activates when destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard. It removes itself from the game for two turns, after which it special summons itself to my field. And at the time this effect activates, I add one Polymerization to my hand if there is a Cyber or Final Shadow in my graveyard." He held up his key magic card and then added Chrono Shadow to his back pocket.

Shiro frowned and released the card he had drawn. "You're lucky, that's all I'm going to say."

"Action Replay," Ichigo nodded. "That's likely what it is, a quickplay magic card that resummons my destroyed monster in attack mode and repeats battle. I'd be wiped out."

"_Interesting you'd know that,"_ the voice whispered in Ichigo's ear. _"Can you see into his mind?"_

"Nope, just another guess." Ichigo drew from his deck. "Black Market Investment activates now!" The card released a green glow again. "Once more, my luck continues to make my investment flourish! Draw!" He had three cards in his hand now, but could he find a way to win without using Berry A La Mode? "I set one monster facedown in defense mode, and one card facedown. End turn." A new card appeared on the other side of Black Market Investment, and a facedown monster shimmered into play on his field.

--------------

The last thing Eri expected when she opened the door to her room was for Mizuki to be the one knocking. "This had better be important, I was in the middle of something."

"Something weird is in the middle of the gym." Mizuki was already dressed in her Obelisk Blue uniform, and looked distressed. "I'm pretty sure Ichigo and Shiro are in there, and it doesn't look like a Darkness Game either."

"Good." The demoness nodded resolutely. "That means I won't have to be bothered by that green-haired idiot again. Ichan's going to destroy him for me."

Mizuki grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her repeatedly. "What kind of relationship do the two of you have!?"

Knocking those grasping arms away, Eri sighed sadly. "You humans have no sense of humor when it comes to the darkness. Hang on, let me get changed. You go get the others."

----------------

A few minutes later, the residents of the boarding house were gathered in the gym. And engulfing one side of it was a perfectly smooth black glass mirror.

"I dare you to touch it," Griff whispered to Kenshin, who shot him a glare. "Awww, you've got no sense of humor, Crusader."

Rysel walked up to the surface of the mirror and pressed his hand against it, face expressionless. "It's ice-cold." He glanced back at the rest of them, and then leaned towards it with his tongue sticking out.

"NO!" Krieger and Erian grabbed him by the back of his coat and pulled him away.

"It's definitely not like any Darkness Game that I've heard of," Harrison narrowed his eyes and walked up to the mirror, trying to peer through the shadowed glass. "Do you think those two are murdering each other in there? I certainly hope so."

"Shut up, Harrison." That came from Sanzo and Mizuki.

"Behold, all those who don't wish my death," The call was from Masami, and came from upstairs. "I have managed to get a signal!"

--------------

They all sat in the living room, the television surrounded by dozens of antenna and wires. "I found a signal lingering around in this room, and after tapping into it realized that it was connected with the strange construct downstairs. Let's see what that signal shows us." He pressed the power button, and the screen instantly had an overhead picture of the dark crystal platform that Ichigo and Shiro were dueling on, to which calls of their names from those who knew them best were made.

--------------

"Draw!" Shiro held up his drawn card, and the Dark Mirror Golem was surrounded by a red aura. "I equip my monster with the equipment magic card Action Make-up; Alien Costume." The red glow disappeared, and the crystal body of the Golem was suddenly shaped like an alien monster. "The monster equipped with this card gains 300 attack points, is treated as a Reptile type monster, and when it destroys an opponent's monster an Alien Egg token is special summoned to my field! Battle!" The Dark Mirror Golem slashed its newly added claws through the set monster card, shattering it. Then a dark crystal egg appeared on his field. (0/0)

Ichigo inserted his monster card into the graveyard, and motioned to his set card. "Reverse card open, Summon to Set! During this turn, all monsters that attack switch to facedown defense mode after they complete battle!" The Dark Mirror Golem disappeared and was replaced by a brown-backed card. "That means your Action Replay can't be used."

_"Amusing defense,"_ The voice chuckled.

"End turn," Shiro snarled.

"Draw!" Ichigo motioned to Black Market Investment, which glowed green. "Yes!" He drew a card from his deck and added it to his hand. "At this moment, Chrono Shadow returns!" The clock robot appeared on his field in defense mode. (0/0)

"I activate the magic card Reinforcements of the Army, adding one level four or lower warrior type monster from my deck to my hand." The card he pulled free from his deck came down onto his disk immediately. "Cyber Shadow Shatter Soldier in attack mode!" A black-suited warrior holding a strange electronic sound device appeared on the field. (1200/0) "Once per turn, instead of attacking, I can destroy one facedown monster in play! Sound Explosion!" A burst of sound erupted from the warrior's device and hit the set monster card, blowing it apart. "And because your monster was facedown, you can't use its effect!"

_"You managed to defeat a single one of my monster cards at the expense of a good number of your resources,"_ the voice chuckled again. _"How cute, Ichigo Pilkington."_

"Shut up!" Ichigo motioned to his Shatter Soldier, which disappeared. "I sacrifice my Cyber Shadow to the magic card Different Era! By sending a Cyber Shadow in play to my graveyard, I can special summon a Final Shadow of the same level from my deck!" Darkness erupted from his field and formed into a dark-armored version of the Shatter Soldier. "Final Shadow Crush Resounder is special summoned in defense mode!" (1200/0) "It's got the same effect as Shatter Soldier!" A blast of sound ripped across the field and shattered the Alien Egg token. "End turn."

"Dark Dimension Draw!" Shiro's hand disappeared momentarily, and returned with a card dripping with darkness. "I activate the magic card Dark Crystal Shipment!" He took the other card in his hand and slid it into his graveyard. "At the cost of one card from my hand, both players gain 3000 life points and draw three cards from their deck." They did so.

Ichigo- 3800

Shiro- 3200

"And then I activate the magic card Lightning Vortex!" Shiro discarded a card from his hand into the graveyard. "At the cost of one card in my hand, all face-up monsters on your field are destroyed!" Lightning fell from the sky and blew Ichigo's two defenders apart. "You're wide open!"

"Reverse card open!" Ichigo's set card flipped up to reveal a trap with a picture of a crowd crying over a coffin that was being lowered into the ground. "Grieving Death activates when a monster on my field is destroyed by a card effect. One card is discarded from your hand at random!" The last card in Shiro's hand disappeared.

"End turn." Shiro was strangely calm about this.

"Draw!" Ichigo drew and motioned to Black Market Investment. "Activate!" It turned red and exploded. "At this time, my removed card returns to my hand." He pulled Berry A La Mode out of his back pocket and added it to his hand.

----------------

"Black Market Investment," Masami nodded in agreement. "Excellent c..." His eyes widened slightly. "That card, why is he holding that card?" Everyone in the room excluding Rysel gave him a surprised look, to which he shrugged. "I recognize the picture. Berry A La Mode, Ichigo's ultimate strategy-switching card. With it, he can unleash a different form of his deck. However, the risk is steep."

"The risk is steep?" Eri glared at him. "Explain now."

"When he uses Berry A La Mode, Ichigo's soul is temporarily destroyed and recombines as a new version of itself. He is essentially reborn, and there is no guarantee that the Ichigo that comes out of that card's effect will be the same one that used it in the first place." Masami looked extremely serious. "If the situation is grave enough that he'd need to use that card, then we should be afraid of whatever he is facing."

"Such a card won't be necessary," Resshin stated flatly.

"That's right," Erian smiled. "Ichigo isn't alone in that duel. When he became Starlight Savior, when he decided to fight our fight, then all of us became allies forever."

"Ugh, stupid sentimentality..." Resshin smacked Erian in the back of the head. "I said he won't need such a card because that is the human that beat me in a duel. He will win, because he is strong enough to be our guardian."

----------------------

"Shiro, I will cleanse the darkness from your soul right now!" Ichigo grasped one of the six cards in his hand, eyes narrowed. Around him, a deep blue aura of energy erupted. "The power of the Infinites can surpass the darkness of our world!"

"_Then show me how dangerous you really are, Ichigo Pilkington!"_ The voice began laughing again, until an explosion of flame and prismatic light lit up Ichigo's side of the field. _"What is this?"_

"The full power of the Travelers!" A magic card appeared on Ichigo's field. "I activate the magic card Fusion Decimation! By discarding one Polymerization from my hand, I can also send a fusion monster from my fusion deck the graveyard! Then, if a fusion-material monster of that card is in my hand, it can be special summoned! I select Final Shadow Null Chaser!" He slid a card into his graveyard along with Polymerization, and then held up another hand card. "Final Shadow Infinity Chaser is special summoned!" A dark blue comet struck down onto his field, blowing away the flames and light as it formed into his space-faring counterpart. (2000/1000)

"And then the magic card Wings of Fusion!" A pair of white angel wings spread out of his back, and a phantom image of the Null Chaser card appeared behind him as well. "By removing a fusion monster in my graveyard, I can special summon a fusion-material of that monster from my deck! Come forth, Infinity Traveler Null Entity!" A being made of prismatic light appeared on his field alongside Chaser. (100/200)

"Next up is this guy!" Ichigo slapped a card down onto his field and a being made of fire appeared in play on Chaser's other side. (0/1000) "Infinity Traveler Inferno Brawler!"

Shiro's eyes narrowed, his rage simmering down slowly. "That's not enough to defeat me this turn!"

"That wasn't my aim!" Ichigo pointed up at the dark sky. "Children of the Infinites, clear the sky!" Chaser, Brawler, and Entity launched into the darkness, and it was blown away in a blast of prismatic fire. "Triple Contact Fusion!"

The being that lowered into play had huge prismatic wings on its back, and prismatic flames surrounding it in a holy aura. "Final Shadow Purity Chaser arrives!" (2800/2000)

"_How cute, a holy little angel to face my darkness. Don't you get it yet? I cannot be stopped like that!"_

"I beg to differ!" Ichigo closed his eyes and smiled wryly. "Purity Chaser will be blowing away the source of your evil right now! Negation Firestorm!" His monster flapped its wings once, and the ground around them started to melt. "Once per turn, I can destroy all face-up magic and trap cards in play! In other words, Inner Darkness has been purified!"

And just like that, they were standing in the gym again. They were still surrounded by the murky darkness of the Darkness realm, but the advantage Ichigo's opponent had was now gone. "Shiro, come back! Don't listen to that thing!"

"You are a fool, aren't you?" Shiro's voice was now an overlaps with the mysterious voice. "Or don't you realize that I cannot be defeated by your current power? Do you understand yet that I've been playing games with you? It's not a real battle yet, because quite simply…" He sneered at Ichigo. "The loser will die, and if you defeat me then your innocent little conscience will die too. So all you can do is lose. I am not the same darkness that you have faced in the past, I promise you that much!"

"Purity Chaser, direct attack!" Ichigo frowned at the fact that Shiro barely flinched when he was struck by a falling comet of prismatic flames. "End turn."

Ichigo- 3800

Shiro- 400

"It's my turn!" Shiro's right hand disappeared. "Dark Dimension Draw!" It reappeared with another dark card in hand. "I grow weary of this game, and will no longer need this foolish human's deck. It's time to unleash the ultimate power, and to kill you. From my hand, I activate Invincible Dark Mirror Bolt! One monster in play is destroyed, and we both draw cards from our decks equal to its level!" Purity Chaser let out a metallic whine as an arrow of darkness pierced its body and blew it apart. "Level nine, therefore we draw nine cards! At this time, the second effect of Dark Mirror Bolt activates! I treat this draw as if it was my draw phase! Dark Dimension Draw times nine!" Shiro's entire body shimmered out of existence for a moment, and when it returned he was holding nine cards that were emitting so much dark energy the ceiling above them was starting to crack under the pressure.

"Draw!" Ichigo drew nine cards from his deck. ("How can I save Shiro without killing him? There has to be a way!")

Three cards appeared face-down on Shiro's field. "From my hand, I activate the magic card Mirror Dark Reversal. One card is selected and its effect negated. I select Invincible Dark Mirror Bolt! Then we both gain 5000 life points!"

Ichigo frowned as the nine cards he'd just drawn disappeared, returned to his deck.

Ichigo- 8800

Shiro- 5400

"Reverse card open!" Shiro's middle set card flipped up and a black shroud of darkness fell over Ichigo's deck. "The trap card Dark Mirror Confusion prevents you from drawing cards from your deck during the draw phase. Instead, during the main phase after your next turn, you draw three cards from your deck during your main phase. And then," Another of his set cards flipped up. "I activate the continuous magic card Dark Mirror Dead. If, during your next turn, you are unable to draw any cards, then at the end phase of that turn you lose. End turn."

Ichigo looked down at the only card he had left in his hand. ("Berry A La Mode…") "It's my turn."

----------------

"Can you do it, Ichigo?" Masami knew that all of the past times Ichigo had used Berry A La Mode, there had been conditions in place to stop himself from being destroyed by its effect. Now though, there was no safety net. "Can you risk your existence? Death means there is something to go to, but if Berry A La Mode doesn't work as you wish it to, then…"

Everyone else in the room sat in stunned silence, unable to believe that Ichigo had suddenly been forced into that position. The only one of them that's expression was calm was Rysel, but if anyone had been paying attention they might have seen the slight tightening of his fists.

-----------------

("If I cease to exist, then I've lost. If I don't use it, I've lost.") Ichigo smiled sadly. "This really sucks. I'm going to die, and to be honest I'm not really that curious what death is like. Therefore, my only choice…is to fight!" He held up the one card that would put his fate in the hands of luck. "I activate Berry A La Mode! At the cost of 1000 life points, all cards on my field, graveyard, hand and removed from play pile are shuffled into my deck! Afterwards, either a miracle or a nightmare will come forth!" Then he screamed, a roaring tornado of dark and light energy engulfing his body.

---------------------

Everyone was so mesmerized by effect on the screen they nearly thought they'd gone blind when the image disappeared. It was actually because the monitor had overloaded and exploded.

"Downstairs now!" Eri exploded into action, charging in the direction of the gym.

---------------------

Shiro's shimmering anger suddenly turned into a sneer. "Thank you, Ichigo Pilkington, for doing exactly what I wanted to do! Reverse card open, Dark Mirror Double Magic! At the cost of 1000 life points, I copy one magic that is being activated! I, of course, copy Berry A La Mode! Ichigo Pilkington, you don't understand the layers of complexity to the human psyche, do you? Your Darkness of the Heart cannot be conquered, only combined with the light to create a whole form. And they say that combined form is the strongest you there can be. That is a lie."

The tornado suddenly screamed an amplified version of its creator's agony. "You see, killing you isn't satisfying enough. After all, you have many powerful allies, and those allies are the allies of the controller of the Silver Mirror Gate. Therefore, I must gain power on my own. The only way I can think to do that…" The tornado's particles, half dark and half light, split into two separate tornados, one of which fell over Shiro. "…is to absorb the darkness that is your very existence. I will become you!"

The darkness disappeared against the force of the two tornadoes, one of light and one of darkness. Even the Darkness Realm could not oppose the clashing powers that were before it. Then Berry A La Mode faded off both sides of the field, and the tornadoes dissolved away.

"Ichigo!" Eri covered the leap down the stairs without losing stride at all, heading straight towards where Ichigo had been standing. "Please be okay, please be okay…"

"Who am I?" Ichigo's voice echoed from out of the remaining bits of darkness around them. "Am I Ichigo? Am I not? Let me hear your answer, Erika Amero."

"You're Ichigo!" She screamed this, her fangs bared. Eri felt both hopelessness and hope in her heart at the same time. If Ichigo was playing with her, it was fine, she'd forgive him. "Don't you dare say you're not!"

"Can you really be that hopeful?" The darkness was pulled in around a single form, revealing dark glass armor around a built like Ichigo's. The speaker had Ichigo's head, except his hair was a glimmering purple-black, and his eyes were glowing red. "Then let me enjoy your despair, for you are wrong. I am Ichigo's Darkness of the Heart, plus the Dark Mirror Gate. I am Ankikan. And before me, the wielder of the Silver Mirror Gate will die!"

Eri stepped back, her heart fluttering in both terror and from the sheer pressure being exerted by this being. "Why!? Why Ichigo!?"

"Why don't you ask Mizuki? It's her fault I was summoned, and it's her I'm here to kill." His lips curled into a feral sneer. "Now step aside."

"No," Arms trembling, she didn't move. "You won't be killing anyone!"

"Oh, the joy I'm going to feel by proving you wrong in the most ironic of ways," He began to approach her.

_To be continued…_


	130. Splintered Soul

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Yugioh.

_"No," Arms trembling, she didn't move. "You won't be killing anyone!"_

_"Oh, the joy I'm going to feel by proving you wrong in the most ironic of ways," He began to approach her._

The Infinity Chronicles

Chapter 130: Splintered Soul; Shinkan

Eri stepped back further, hearing the others coming down the stairs rapidly. ("Ichigo…no, Ankikan…his power is too much. He'll kill all of us.") She sweatdropped as she thought about Rysel. ("But if Rysel destroys him, then there will be no chance of bringing back!")

"It's time to die, little mutt." Ankikan lifted an armored hand, the crystal covering it starting to glow. "I will destroy you, and then move on to…" His next words became muffled as a foot imprinted itself into his face, sending him flying into the far wall of the gym.

At first Eri thought she'd done it on instinct, but realized that someone had done what she had planned to do. ("But who could get through that guy's energy, it was so powerful I felt like I was being pushed backwards.")

"You're getting a bit ahead of yourself, aren't you?" The voice was so familiar, and yet distinctly different from what she was used to. However, Eri knew Ichigo's voice no matter what kind of serious tone it took on.

Ankikan stood up from where he'd collapsed, his eyes narrowed angrily. "And just who the hell are you? You can't be Ichigo Pilkington, but you sound like him…"

"You made one major mistake by using Berry A La Mode to fuse with Ichigo's darkness." The remaining clouds of darkness faded away, revealing the speaker. "And that was thinking the parts of Ichigo you used went nowhere." There was a young man standing between Eri and Ankikan, his glittering silver hair styled upwards near the front in a small set of spikes. His cold blue eyes narrowed, and he brushed a part of his silver robe.

"So you're the leftovers?" Ankikan lifted his right arm, a duel disk of dark crystal appearing. "I'd suppose you are. How annoyingly frustrating, even when he no longer exists Ichigo Pilkington just loves to butt in on things that don't involve him!"

His silver-colored duel disk already activated, the newcomer smiled back at Eri. "Just make sure no one comes down here…" Then he was in the duel, eyes locked with Ankikan's. "I am Shinkan."

"I don't give a damn!" Ankikan placed a hand on his deck, which was alight with dark energy. "Since Berry A La Mode resolved at the same time, its effect takes over. We both draw five cards; our opponent draws three…so we both draw eight!" Pulling eight cards from his deck, he smirked at what he had pulled. "How delightful, this deck is so poetically delicious…"

Eri backed up to the end of the stairs just as Mizuki reached the bottom. "Don't move…"

"Ichigo…" Mizuki started to ask, but realized now wasn't the time as the auras of the two beings in the middle of the gym collided with enough force to crack the walls and ceiling more. "What incredible energy…"

Shinkan- 7800

Ankikan- 3400

Ankikan glanced over his shoulder at the unmoving Shiro. "Hmph, in the end you were a useless pawn, nothing more. However, you did help me reach this form, and for that I'll let you live with the knowledge it's your fault the death of the one you care about exists in this world."

"You're a heartless bastard," Shinkan grabbed a card from his hand and slapped it down onto his disk. "Come forth, Splintered Souldier!" A whirlwind of blue energy appeared him, and then formed into a monster on his field. It was a white doll-like humanoid with a harp strapped to its back. "I summon Splintered Souldier Orpheus in attack mode!" (1300/1500)

"That deck…" Ankikan narrowed his eyes dangerously. "So, it's finally appeared, eh? But for it to be in your hands, that's impossible."

Eri looked just as surprised, so Mizuki had to ask. "What's so surprising about that monster?"

"In our world there are five decks created by Industrial Illusions, all of them are warrior decks of incredible power. Ichigo owned the Cyber Shadows, the Hidden Spirit Pack is supposedly held by some Native American kid, the Divine Agents are held by Richard Pilkington, and the Torture Villains are in the hands of Vincent Garlin."

"But that's only four…" Mizuki turned to look at the Splintered Souldier monster in confusion. "Then why is the last deck in his hands?"

"I don't know," Eri frowned, wishing she could understand how it had happened. "The last of the five disappeared after creation."

"It's because they were dimensionally removed from your world," Ankikan commented, before glaring at Shinkan. "So why the hell do you have them!?"

"Because they answered my call, that's all." The silver-haired boy bowed slightly to the silent Orpheus. "You see, the last of the five decks were created to combat a threat that was perceived by Maxmillion Pegasus. The shadow decks and their users were extremely dangerous, so he created a deck based off an old video game where the shadows were the main enemy. While I was forming the Splintered Souldiers heard my call, and knew my enemy was using shadows to cause harm. Therefore, they came to me. This deck is an anti-shadow deck, perfect for guys like you!"

"Is that so? The perfect deck to defeat me?" Ankikan threw back his head, smiling pleasantly. "I beg to differ. There is no possible way you could know what I use, since even I didn't know until just now. Therefore…" He looked at a couple of the cards in his hand, and his eyes widened in amazement. "This…this is impossible!"

Shinkan smiled and slid a pair of cards into his disk. "I set two cards facedown on my field, and activate the effect of Orpheus! King of Strings!" Orpheus removed the harp from his back and started to play it, the sound hauntingly beautiful. "Once per turn I look at the top card of my deck. If it is a card with either 'Tarot' or 'Mask' in its title, then I send it to the graveyard and during this turn I can activate its effect! I reveal this," He held up a magic card with a picture of a smiling mask. "Mask of Charity! Normally this card requires the removal of a Splintered Souldier in my hand to activate! I draw two cards!" Amongst those cards, he slid one into his disk and it appeared down next to the other two he set. "I place another card down, end turn."

"How irritating! Draw!" Ankikan opened his field magic card slot and placed a card into it. "I activate the field magic card Tartarus!" The room disappeared, replaced by a tower that rose into the sky behind it. It was a mixture of dozens of different other structures, a monstrosity that shouldn't have been able to stay standing as it was. "As long as this card remains in play, the effects of all non-Shadow or Splintered Souldier monsters in play are negated! Also, during my standby phase I special summon a Shadow monster from my deck that has a level equal to or less than the number of Shadows in my graveyard!"

Shinkan pressed a hand around one ear, aiming it at his opponent. "What kinds of monsters are unaffected?"

"Shut the hell up! Who cares if your monsters are immune to some of this deck's powers?" Ankikan slid a magic card into his disk. "I activate the magic card Shadow Hunter! By discarding a Shadow from my hand I can destroy one monster in play!" An arrow of darkness appeared on his field.

"Reverse card open!" Shinkan's middle set card flipped up just as his Orpheus was blasted into nothingness. "Persona Change activates! When a Splintered Souldier is destroyed by a card effect, I return it to my deck and special summon a level four or lower Splintered Souldier to my field!" A blast of wind appeared before him, and formed into a black-skinned female dressed in pink that was riding on a bull head-shaped platform. "Splintered Souldier Io in defense mode!" (300/2000)

"I set one monster facedown." A monster card appeared facedown on Ankikan's field. "Also, I set two cards facedown. End turn."

"Draw!" Shinkan added the drawn card to his hand and his left set card flipped up. "Velvet Charge activates! By removing one Splintered Souldier in my hand from the game, I can gain its attack or defense in life! I remove Splintered Souldier Thanatos from the game, gain his 2600 attack point total in life!" A green aura appeared around him.

Shinkan- 10400

Ankikan- 3400

"And then during my standby phase Io's effect activates!" His monster started to chant quietly. "One removed from the game Splintered Souldier is added to my hand!" A card reappeared amongst the others. "Thanatos was my choice, of course." Then he motioned to Io, who suddenly disappeared. "And then I activate the magic card Fool Tarot! Amongst this card's three effects, I select the one which removes a Splintered Souldier on my field from the game to draw two cards!" He did so and held up another magic card. "Evoker Suicide, if I have no monsters in play, let's me special summon a level four or lower Splintered Souldier from my deck to the field! Come forth, Splintered Souldier Hermes!" An explosion of flames erupted onto his field and formed into a sharp-armored being with a pair of golden wings emitting from his back. (1600/1400) "When Hermes is special summoned, I can destroy a card on your field! My choice is Tartarus!"

"A pointless attempt!" Ankikan's left set card flipped up, and a black veil fell over his magic/trap zones, as well as his tower. "Shadow Veil lets me discard a Shadow from my deck, and during this turn my magic and trap cards cannot be destroyed! However, when they would be destroyed you get to draw a card. At this point though, what's another card amongst the seven you are already holding?"

Shinkan frowned and drew a card, while the golden aura around Hermes faded. "Hermes, attack the set monster now! Swift Cleave!" His Splintered Souldier flew across the field and slashed the facedown monster in half with a slash of its wings.

"During this moment, the effect of Shadow Vicious Maya activates now!" A blob of darkness with a red mask in its center appeared as a phantom behind him. "When this monster is destroyed in battle, I can destroy a monster on your field!" Hermes exploded. "Also, I may choose to discard all other copies of Vicious Maya in my hand and in my deck into the graveyard! I choose to…" He slid two more monster cards from his deck into the graveyard.

Shinkan motioned to his remaining set card. "Reveal Mask of Feint! When a Splintered Souldier on my field is destroyed, I may discard a card from my hand to special summon it to my field from the graveyard! Hermes returns!" The gold-winged warrior appeared on his field once more. "I activate its effect, and select Tartarus! Obviously, this doesn't work…but Shadow Veil lets me draw one card!" He pulled a card from his deck. "During this turn, the special summoned monster cannot attack. Therefore, I set two cards facedown and end my turn."

"Draw." Ankikan glanced at the drawn card, and then at Shinkan. "I noticed something interesting about you. Where I have kept Ichigo's demonic features, you seem to lack them…why would that be?"

"You shunned his light, so that light became part of me. Regardless of how good a person Ichigo is, his demonic side is still born of darkness." Shinkan smiled confidently. "I cannot say I know for sure what Ichigo what would honestly want, but I know what a hero would do. He would defeat you, regardless of whether or not this prevented Ichigo from ever returning to life."

"God, on and on about heroes, just like the annoyance he was. I'm going to enjoy killing you so much I may actually shed a tear or two!" Ankikan motioned behind him, and a black blob of darkness flew from Tartarus' top to his field. "There are five Shadows in my graveyard, so I special summon Shadow VI; The Lovers!" A giant heart with wings appeared on his field. Atop it was a pink mask, and from its wings and body dripped plenty of blood. (1000/1500) "I activate its ability! Once per turn, I can deal you the attack of a monster on your field in damage at the cost of my battle phase! Charmed Lovers!"

Hermes turned and kicked Shinkan in the side of the head, flooring him.

Shinkan- 8800

Ankikan- 3400

"I set one card facedown and end my turn." A card slid out of the darkness next to his other remaining one. "Come, show me your anti-shadow deck's power!"

"I'll show you more than that!" Shinkan drew and smirked at what he'd pulled. "You don't like me talking about being a hero? Then let me show you the darkness!" One of his two set cards flipped up. "I activate the trap card Splinter Shift Tactic! During the end phase of this turn, for every Splintered Souldier sent to my graveyard you take 500 points of damage!"

The next magic card that appeared had a picture of a tower falling and a dark angelic form rising from out of the ruins. "Tower Tarot activates only if I have at least one magic/trap and one monster in play! All cards on my field are destroyed, and one Splintered Souldier in my hand is special summoned! Let the Avatar of Death descend!" Hermes and his set card exploded, and from within the smoke rose a howling dark form. "Splintered Souldier Thanatos is special summoned!"

Ankikan glared at the new arrival as its features became discernable. It was faceless, a white bone jaw around its head serving as a helmet. In one hand it held a white sword, and in the other hand it held a length of chain wrapped around its arm. From its back came a half-ring of white plates, each one clanking together as it lowered onto the field. (2600/1900) "You think you're evil because you summoned this ridiculous thing? Don't be absurd…"

"Battle! Death Avatar's Blade!" Thanatos launched at the Lovers and it suddenly shifted to attack mode. "When Thanatos battles I can switch the modes of all monsters on your field as I wish!" Then it flew into the bloody heart, and the entire thing popped in a spray of digital black fluid before it disappeared.

Shinkan- 8800

Ankikan- 1800

Amidst the gagging coming from Mizuki, Thanatos returned to Shinkan's field. "I set one card facedown, and at the end of my turn Splinter Shift Tactics deals you 500 points of damage! End turn!"

Shinkan- 8800

Ankikan- 1300

"Draw!" Another blob of darkness erupted from Tartarus' top and landed on Ankikan's field, forming into a lithe female form that was completely black on one side and white on the other. "Shadow II; The Priestess is special summoned!" (1000/1000) "When this monster is summoned, I can special summon a level five or lower Shadow in my graveyard!" The bloody form of the Lovers reappeared on his field. "Charmed Lovers!"

Thanatos turned and slashed its sword through Shinkan, then turned back around as if nothing had happened.

Shinkan- 6200

Ankikan- 1300

"And then I summon Shadow Wealth Hand to the field!" A golden hand with a blue mask where the wrist began appeared on his field, its body as big as his. (300/300) "Then I play the quickplay magic card Killing Hand. One Shadow Hand on my field is sacrificed, and a monster on your field is destroyed!" The Wealth Hand launched at Thanatos, latching onto its neck. Both struggled a moment, and then exploded. "And when Wealth Hand is sacrificed by a magic effect, I draw one card." At the sight of the drawn card, he sneered evilly. ("It's always fun drawing your ace monster, especially when you know you can summon it right when the other guy thinks he's got your number.") "End turn."

"Draw!" Shinkan glanced at the drawn card before nodding. "End turn."

"Are you serious?" Ankikan drew. "Five cards in your hand and nothing you can do? That's fine with me, as it means I can smash you even harder! Tartarus activates!" A blob of darkness erupted from his deck and formed into a tall barrel-chested shadow holding a sword in a fencing stance. "Shadow IV; The Emperor, when special summoned, special summons Shadow IIIl; the Empress!" Another blob of darkness appeared, forming into a round-bodied female shadow holding a scepter. (2100/1200) (1200/2100)

Shinkan glanced at each of the shadows in turn, and a slow smile appeared on his face. "Wow, an army of lower power attackers. I'm terrified." He didn't sound it.

"My Shadows, attack his life points directly!" The four shadows on Ankikan's field unleashed their respective attacks all at once. The Lovers shot a spray of black fluid from a valve, the Priestess's long hair formed a spear that was launched, and the Emperor and Empress flew across the field towards Shinkan.

_To be continued…_


End file.
